Local Taunton
based dad, Robert Harris, knows all too well about the specialised education
and support that Deaf children and young people need to thrive. Working abroad
at the time, his son Sam was only three months old when he was diagnosed with
meningitis, and Robert received a phone call that would change the families
lives.

Robert says
"I was working away at sea at the time and losing the phone signal I spent
the hardest few days of my life, unable to fly home and not knowing whether my
son was alive or dead. Thankfully Sam was a fighter and pulled through but when
we got him home we realised that he didn't respond to sound."

Sam had survived
meningitis but was diagnosed with being profoundly Deaf. He received cochlear
implants in both ears in 2010 at Southampton children's hospital, at just ?
years old.

Sam started at
the Deaf Academy (then The Royal Academy for Deaf Education) in 2009, a year
before his implants. The Deaf Academy provides specialist education and
residential care for Deaf children and young people, aged 5-25, from across the
UK.

Robert says
"I cannot thank the Deaf Academy enough for how much they have helped Sam
in life. Their specialist support has changed his life forever and given him
the confidence to grow into the young man he has become.  I was so proud when he won student of the
year in 2019."

"I wanted to
take on a challenge to say thank you to the Deaf Academy. I originally planned
to raise money to help build the new Deaf Academy in Exmouth, but due to the
pandemic the event was postponed from 2020 to 2021. It is amazing that the New
Academy was able to open its doors during this time and Sam is loving the new
facilities, but I know that some areas are not quite finished. The Academy also
has on-going plans to continue to develop the support they give, so every penny
I raise will go towards improving facilities for the students and future
projects to support the young Deaf students."

The 2021 Devon
Coast to Coast Challenge will take place on Saturday 24th July. The route will
see Robert leaving Minehead in Somerset at 7am and taking on the ups and downs
of Exmoor and the meandering Exe Valley before arriving in Dawlish between 10
and 11pm.

The Deaf Academy
is a registered charity. They aim to provide the very best specialist education
and residential care to Deaf children and young people and rely on fundraising
to provide the very best facilities and life experiences possible, enabling
Deaf children and young people to thrive.

You can support
Robert by visiting his fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/robert-harris36
or to donate directly to the Deaf Academy or find out about ways to get
involved visit www.thedeafacademy.ac.uk

The Deaf Academy is a registered charity and a unique place where
Deaf children and young people aged 5 to 25 are inspired to believe in
themselves and journey towards successful independent lives. Founded in 1826,
the Academy has grown into a specialist organisation with a national reputation
for enabling vulnerable and isolated Deaf young people to excel. Originally
located in Exeter, in 2020 the Deaf Academy moved to a new campus in Exmouth,
providing be-spoke Deaf friendly design and architecture. We offer bespoke
education and residential care for up to 80 Deaf children and young people.