Natasha tunes in to tick off a dream

FROM WATCHING TV TO FEELING THE MUSIC, NATASHA IS HEARING THE SOUNDS OF HAPPINESS.

Natasha admits she watches a lot of television, but as she told her boyfriend, she has had a lot to catch up on.

Natasha lives with mild conductive hearing loss and her life was changed forever when she first received hearing aids, but the Feros Care participant could finally unlock the key to a big goal recently after the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) helped her access headphones.

“I had a meeting with my case coordinator, and she helped me find out what I was eligible for due to my hearing impairment,” Natasha said.

“I told her one of my goals was to be able to hear the TV and after being approved for NDIS funding, my audiologist helped me select the most suitable pair of headphones.

“The first thing I watched was a series on Netflix called Black Mirror, and for me it was like the first time I received hearing aids. I was filled with so much excitement and having these headphones has changed my life.”

Only with her boyfriend for six months, Natasha said “little did he know” that this time last year, she couldn’t even watch TV without subtitles.

Proudly accepting the fact she has been watching a lot of TV, Natasha has since ticked off another big aim by going to the movies twice.

Growing up in South Australia as a middle child with supportive parents who encouraged her, Natasha has always chased her artistic and creative pursuits. 

NATASHA’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

After completing a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Creative Arts) majoring in painting, the recently turned 25-year-old has put the elements together to create her perfect picture.

“I like to visit art exhibitions and art galleries for inspiration, and in my spare time you’ll find me painting for upcoming exhibitions,” Natasha said.

“If I’m not painting, I surround myself in nature at the beach, camping in the outback, or in the botanical gardens, and I work at a cute little beading shop called NEED4BEAD.

“It is an awesome job allowing me to express my creative side through managing emails and social media posts and maintaining the website.”

Now able to watch TV while enjoying balanced sound, Natasha’s funding has also provided her access to headphones which allow her to indulge in another of her passions in music.

While she has always “loved it”, Natasha couldn’t separate background noise with her music through normal headphones and her hearing aids.

“I remember saying, “ugh, one of my headphones just isn’t working’, and I was thinking they were broken,” Natasha said.

“But I didn’t realise one of my ears is deafer than the other and after getting the NDIS funding, I was able to get a pair where I can adjust the volume of the left ear to balance with my right ear.

“For the first time I was hearing pitches and random sounds from instruments I’ve never heard before, so it’s been truly beautiful, and I’ve been able to connect with music on a deeper level.”

Completing an Australian Sign Language (AUSLAN) certificate, Natasha is ready to take the next step in building capacity and increasing her independence further.

THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE NDIS ON OUR PARTICIPANTS

After a recent NDIS plan review with Feros Care Local Area Coordinator, Sona, Natasha was able to access support coordination for her NDIS plan, which is also supporting Natasha to complete her master’s degree. While surrounded by sounds, Natasha is also using her NDIS funding to gain access to home support for AUSLAN, so she can also help pay it forward to her family.

“Having the NDIS has continued to change my life and now I’ve got a door bell that I can hear, smoke alarms that will wake me up in case of an emergency, and an alarm clock that wakes me up,” Natasha said.

“For the first time I am able to communicate through AUSLAN, and I’m in the process of getting a teacher to come to my home to teach my family how to communicate through AUSLAN too.

“I’ve also been catching up with what I have missed on tv over the years and I have even been watching Gossip Girl for the first time – I missed out on so much as a teenage girl.

“So, it’s really exciting times.”