ASSIST case - Dealing with DNA's

I had a visit to a school who were keen to get hearing aids onto a Maori student who had a history of not wearing them. The school felt powerless and the student was falling far behind in all subjects. There was a reluctance to engage from the family.

After an initial meeting with the school I was able to ascertain that the problem was two-fold - transportation and concern over money. As is often the case with some of the Maori families I work with, these two issues can be a huge factor in preventing students accessing critical assistive tech. I was able to arrange an appointment through the clinic to have a new fitting. The school was able to transport the student to the appointment and now a second appointment has been made to fit his new aids. The family were releived when I spoke with them; their concerns being that they were 'in trouble for the loss'.

This experience is a fairly typical case I face with my ASSIST role and it is always good to be aware of these issues when working with Maori families.