From home-based support to Deaf mentorship and research, HI HOPES continues to champion inclusion and language access.
Johannesburg, South Africa (30 September 2026) – For some families, finding out that their baby is deaf or hard of hearing can come with a mountain of questions.
How will we communicate? What support is available? What will their future look like?
For the past 20 years, HI HOPES has been helping families navigate those questions, and its anniversary celebration showed just how far that support can reach.
The early intervention programme, based at the Wits Centre for Deaf Studies, marked its 20th anniversary on 18 September, bringing together families and young adults whose lives have been shaped by the programme.
Some of those young adults first encountered HI HOPES when they were babies.
Teghan Shaer was the second baby to join the programme after his family learnt that he had hearing loss at just three months old.
With support from HI HOPES, his family was able to learn how to communicate with and support him as he grew up. Shaer matriculated in 2025 and, while living with autism and using both a cochlear implant and hearing aid, has become an advocate for greater awareness around Deafness.
He has also supported fundraising efforts aimed at helping more children gain access to hearing aids.
His twin brother, Liam, was part of that journey too, learning alongside Teghan and helping build a strong bond between the brothers.
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South African Sign Language is Tumisho’s only language, and his message to other Deaf young people is straightforward, and that’s to never give up.
The programme’s work is also backed by extensive research. HI HOPES maintains an 18-year longitudinal dataset tracking deaf child development.
The Wits Centre for Deaf Studies offers South African Sign Language courses through Wits Plus as part of a broader push to promote SASL as a language that can be embraced by all South Africans.
During Deaf Awareness Month, the 20th anniversary celebration served as a reminder that early support can have an impact that lasts well beyond childhood.
It is 20 years of helping families find their feet, find their language and, most importantly, find a way forward together.
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