Emerson Hand to represent The Hearing House at Power of Speech and Loud Shirt Day

We’re excited to announce that nine-year-old Emerson Hand will represent The Hearing House at Power of Speech in Canberra on Tuesday 13 October, before taking on another special role as our Loud Shirt Day Ambassador on Friday 16 October.

Emerson will take the stage at Power of Speech, sharing his story and representing The Hearing House at this special event. Hosted by First Voice, Power of Speech celebrates the achievements of young people who use cochlear implants to access sound and spoken language.

First Voice advocates for world-class early intervention and listening and spoken language services, and The Hearing House is proud to be a founding member.

Emerson’s own journey reflects the experiences and possibilities celebrated at Power of Speech. He became profoundly deaf following bacterial meningitis at 18 months and received bilateral cochlear implants shortly before his second birthday. Today, he is thriving in Year 4 and is supported by his cochlear implants, NZSL and his whānau.

His mum, Willa Hand, is a member of The Hearing House Advisory Board, President of Deaf Children New Zealand and a passionate advocate for Deaf children and their families.

We’re looking forward to celebrating Emerson and his whānau at both Power of Speech and Loud Shirt Day, and sharing his story with our community along the way.​