On Saturday, March 28, we organized another special ADOA-plus day. A gathering specifically for people with ADOA-plus. With ADOA-plus, not only the optic nerve is affected, but also other nerves in the body. This can cause all kinds of other symptoms, including hearing problems.
🧑🏫 After getting to know each other in the hall over some tea and treats, we were able to listen to a presentation by Dr. Jeroen Smits. He explained what ADOA is, how it develops, and how “the plus sign” forms.
Afterwards, he explained more about specific hearing problems associated with ADOA(-plus), how this diagnosis is made, and what assistive devices are available. The cochlear implant (CI) was also discussed in detail. What happens next when you switch to a CI, and how do you qualify for it?
Dr. Jeroen Smits concluded his presentation with information about research into ADOA-plus.
Download the full presentation >
💙 After the morning program with Dr. Jeroen Smits, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and were able to debrief the presentation. ADOA is a rare condition, and as far as is known, ADOA-plus occurs in one in five people with ADOA. Many people indicated that it was very pleasant to come together in this way, with a small group, and that there was so much attention specifically focused on ADOA-plus.
⌨️ In the afternoon, Afke Hop told us all about the possibilities of a speech-to-text interpreter. A speech-to-text interpreter types spoken text and sounds into a special keyboard. The content is then projected onto a large screen. This also happened during the presentation in the morning.
Additionally, Saskia te Hoeve shared her experiences with ADOA-plus and a sign language interpreter. It makes her life easier. You could tell that, as a result of her story, more people started thinking about using a sign language interpreter. Great!
🫱 Finally, people could choose to continue talking to each other in the hall or in the lobby. Some wonderful conversations ensued and many experiences were exchanged. And a whole lot of visitors already marked the date of the ADOA Games in their calendars: June 13!
In short: it was a very nice, enjoyable, and beautiful day. On to the next one!
