It’s not every day we have a four-legged guest stealing the show at Ampetronic, but that’s exactly what happened when Maggie, a beautiful hearing dog, joined us for a session on deaf awareness. Alongside her human companions Nicholas and Angela from the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Maggie helped bring powerful stories and insights to life and left a lasting impression on all of us.
Before the sessions began, Nicholas, Angela, and Maggie joined the Ampetronic team for lunch a great opportunity to get to know each other informally. Maggie remained calm and impeccably well behaved, in what was a new and distracting environment showing exactly why hearing dogs are such incredible companions.
Nicholas Orpin, Service Engagement Manager at the charity, and Angela, a volunteer and hearing aid user, led the session with a mix of expert knowledge and personal experience. Chris Dale, Ampetronic’s UK General Manager, welcomed the team and shared how important it is for us as a company to stay connected to the lived experiences of those who use assistive listening technology every day. As he put it, "We help people connect to the world through sound" and that’s only meaningful if we keep listening, learning, and improving.
Throughout the session, we heard about the many challenges faced by people with hearing loss, from difficulties in the workplace to feelings of isolation in social settings. Angela spoke movingly about how hearing loss impacted her confidence and daily life, and how Maggie transformed her sense of independence and safety. Trained to respond to important sounds like doorbells and smoke alarms, Maggie also helps bridge gaps in communication and social interaction not to mention being an incredibly calming presence.
Nicholas offered eye-opening explanations about the science behind hearing, including how hearing aids work (and where they fall short), the reality of lip reading, and the importance of environmental factors like lighting, layout, and background noise. He introduced us to tools, apps and gave practical tips on how to better communicate. From avoiding jargon and facing the person you’re speaking to, to simply taking turns and speaking clearly.
The session wasn’t just informative; it was deeply human. We explored everything from audiograms and finger spelling to cinema captions and support hotlines. More than anything, we were reminded that hearing loss is not just a technical issue, it's a social and emotional one, too.
To support the vital work of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, we held a donation drive which, thanks to generous staff contributions, proceeds from our Tuck Shop, and a company match from Ampetronic, raised a total of £1,000. We’re proud to support a cause so closely aligned with our mission.
A massive thank you to Nicholas, Angela, and of course Maggie, for giving us a window into your world. It’s visits like these that reaffirm why we do what we do and inspire us to keep pushing forward in our commitment to accessible, inclusive sound. Audio for All isn’t just a tagline, it’s our purpose.
