Valenzuela City’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO), in partnership with Humanity & Inclusion (HI), distribute hearing aids to 28 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), specifically the hard-of-hearing, this December 14 at the Valenzuela City Town Hall.

The City Government of Valenzuela leads the distribution of hearing aids to 28 beneficiaries who underwent a series of consultations and check-ups with Hear Sound Health Care Center. With continuous monitoring, the beneficiaries passed the tests for the possibility of learning to be able to hear and speak with an assistive device.

With the distributed hearing aids, beneficiaries will be aided to perceive the sounds in their environment. The beneficiaries can also practice different speech sounds and eventually form words and sentences.

Learning to speak is often easier for people who have become deaf after acquiring some speech skills. Other people have become deaf because of injury, exposure to loud noises, or even underlying health conditions. However, for people who are deaf from birth or early childhood, it is more difficult to learn to speak which will require them a lot of practice.

Most of the beneficiaries are first-timers in using a hearing aid, hence, LEIPO and PDAO will monitor them in their auditory and speech development.

Receiving a hearing aid which costs almost PhP 50,000 each will not only give them financial relief but will also give them hope to finally learn to be able to hear and speak -- a chance to unleash their capabilities instead of their disability.

Aside from the hearing aids, beneficiaries will also receive a dehumidifier set and earmold. They will also receive free counseling about the adjustments and usage of the hearing aid.

Present also in the event is PDAO Action Officer and City Councilor Niña B. Lopez, PDAO, LEIPO, and HI representatives.