The smiles said it all when Exeter Southernhay and Topsham Rotary Club members recently visited the Deaf Academy to experience our new state-of-the-art vibrating vests – called Woojers.
These high-tech vests use haptics and Bluetooth technology to enable people who are deaf or who have hearing loss to experience sounds through vibrations. It translates sound into haptic sensations, allowing individuals to experience music, movies, games, and other audio content.
The Rotarians kindly raised £2,669 through a quiz night and fundraising to generously donate a set of seven Woojers to the Academy.
They were delighted to join our Pathfinders class and to experience how our students can feel and connect with music through the vibrating vests.
Rotarian Marion Pearce said: “It was great to see the vests in action and even better was seeing the joy on the students’ faces. The enthusiasm of the staff and students was wonderful. We are very happy that we can support such a modern and inclusive method of helping Deaf young people to experience sound.”
The Woojers will support education and communications as well as provide therapeutic benefits.
The Academy’s Deputy Manager of Therapy, Karma Stocks, said: “The Woojer vest gives our deaf young people access to sound through vibration. They can use it to feel music, be immersed in TV and gaming. We are very grateful that the vests have been donated to us, so our students can use technology to their advantage.”