Children of the Little Dolphin Hearing Disabled Children's Choir are at the celebration ceremony held on July 14 in Beijing after winning silver medal at 2016 Sochi World Choir Games (ZHANG HAITAO) 

The Little Dolphin Hearing Impaired Children's Choir from China, the world's first children's choir wearing artificial cochlea, won the silver medal at the 2016 World Choir Games, held in Sochi, Russia. They beat many other children choirs without hearing disabilities in winning the accolade.

Founded in 2014 in Tianjin by Xiao Ling, a teacher of auditory verbal therapy and mother to a boy with a hearing impairment, this choir paved a way that had never been taken before.

"My son was lucky enough to receive instant treatment after he was diagnosed with a hearing disability before his first birthday. He went to a normal primary school after special pre-elementary education," Xiao said at the celebration ceremony held in Beijing on July 14. "But wearing artificial cochlea always makes him feel different from his schoolmates and I could feel him becoming increasingly vulnerable."

Figures from the China Foundation of Disabled Persons show that now there are about 27.8 million people with hearing disability in China.

To help her son build his confidence and socialize comfortably with his friends, Xiao set up the choir. At first her wish was considered to be an impossible mission. 

"The vocal teacher spent almost one year getting the children to sing two tones," said Tan Xin, one of the early choir volunteers. "We thought it would be a miracle just to get the children singing. We never thought they could go this far and win an international award."

Li Kexin, an 8-year-old member of the choir said this win is a tearful one. "My mom never gives up and always supports me," Li said. "I am sure this experience will help me gain more confidence in the future."

Copyedited by Dominic James Madar

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