About Us

The Shepherd Centre teaches deaf and hearing impaired children how to listen and speak so that they can reach their full potential in the hearing world.

The Shepherd Centre was founded in 1970 by Dr Bruce Shepherd AM and his late wife Annette. In 1970 there were just five families in our program. Today The Shepherd Centre helps over 200 children and families in five centres in NSW and ACT, as well as families in rural and remote areas of Australia and overseas via our residential workshop and correspondence program.

Our family centred early intervention program focuses on training parents to seize every opportunity in day to day situations to teach their children to listen and speak. Our aim is that children will enter their local mainstream schools in a fully-integrated environment. We currently achieve this goal for over 90% of children at The Shepherd Centre.

The Shepherd Centre is a charity that has to raise over 70% of its revenue via fundraising. Without donations from our supporters we would not be able to provide deaf and hearing-impaired children and their families with the help they so desperately need.

The Shepherd Centre's Vision

To enable children who are deaf and hearing-impaired to develop spoken language so they may fully participate in the hearing world and in so doing reach their full potential.

The Shepherd Centre's Programs

The Shepherd Centre helps children and families via the following programs:

  • Early Intervention Program – family centred program focused on teaching children how to listen and speak through Auditory-Verbal Therapy assisted with appropriate hearing technology such as hearing aids and cochlear implants.
  • Cochlear Implant Program 'First Sounds' – run in partnership with Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, this comprehensive program provides the medical and audiological services required to evaluate for cochlear implantation and provides essential ongoing support following surgery.
  • Residential Workshop Program – helping families from rural and remote areas of Australia and overseas who are not able to attend our centres on a regular basis. The program offers a week of intensive support and the opportunities for families to meet and share ideas and strategies. Families who take part in the Residential Workshop Program go on to receive support via our correspondence program.