Loud crowd back Curtis' cause

Whangarei 11-year-old Curtis Robinson heard the sound of birds chirping for the first time last year - and he wants other hearing impaired children to experience the same.

Curtis's hearing changed following an operation to install a cochlear implant in November, a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound for deaf and hearing impaired people.

"I never used to be confident at doing things in class. I was no good at spelling, but now I'm much better because I can hear the word sounds," Curtis said.

Curtis had used hearing aids since he was 4-months-old, but his hearing had deteriorated and they were not working as well as they used to. He said getting the implant gave him "a fright" as the sound was so clear.

Curtis organised for his school - Otaika Valley School - to participate in Loud Shirt Day on Friday, raising $108 for charities The Hearing House and Southern Cochlear Implant Programme. His family also fund-raised, and aimed to beat the school's $100 target too.

Curtis's teacher Eden Hakaraia said the cochlear implant had made "a huge difference, even just in terms of confidence".

"Academically he's just going for it now," she said.

Organising the fundraiser was typical of Curtis, Ms Hakaraia said. When he first got his implant he organised a slide show presentation so his classmates could learn more about the technology and surrounding issues.

Cochlear implants comprise a microphone that picks up sound; a speech processor which arranges the sounds picked up; a transmitter to convert sounds into electrical impulses; and electrodes that send signals to the auditory nerve. The implant does not restore hearing, but gives hearing-impaired people a useful representation of sound.

Curtis wants to thank his school for supporting him.

"I also want to tell people with hearing loss that even though you can't hear, you can still succeed," he said.