Did everyone hear that?
Yes, I heard that too!
I also heard my name being called out
I also heard my mum clapping for me!
Thank you, mum.
I would not have heard anything
if I did not have my hearing device
This little thing called the cochlear implant
helps me to hear sounds
and without it, I would not be able to hear anything at all
Hello everyone
I am sarah mamdani
and I am profoundly deaf since birth
It is a great honour for me to be here
standing in front of you all
and hopefully to take you on a journey by sharing my story
So, a question that is quite common…
What is deafness?
According to Google,
Deafness is inability to hear sounds
Deafness can be mild or severe
Deafness is inability to understand speech
But what does deafness feel like?
It is very difficult to know what deafness is like
for a hearing person
Okay everyone, let’s do a small activity
but first
I want all of you to put your hands against your ears tightly for a few seconds
Okay, you can put your hands down.
So… what did that feel like?
Total silence, right?
But you did not get to hear what my favourite dessert is!
But in all seriousness,
this is exactly what it feels for a deaf person in the hearing world.
Total silence!
The lips are moving
but there are no sound heard.
The amount of things missed is astounding!
It can be difficult and frustrating at times.
Imagine missing things like fire alarms,
ambulance sirens
or telephone ringing.
It puts deaf people at a disadvantage.
However, it’s not all that bad…
I mean, at least I can sleep peacefully at night
I don’t have to hear the cars honking in the mornings
And surprisingly I always win arguments
So how do deaf people hear sounds?
And how did I hear that bang earlier?
To hear sounds, we use a hearing device
this can be things like hearing aids or cochlear implants
These enables us to hear sounds more clearly,
although it may not be 100% clear.
But it is still a step in the right direction
I remember when I switched from hearing aids to cochlear implant
I had to learn sounds all over again
My parents used to take me out everywhere
so I could familiarise with different sounds.
I would always watch YouTube videos of the sea
and waves crashing,
I would also get my brother to call my name
so I could know how my name sounds like.
This was a new experience for me.
How do deaf people communicate?
Some deaf people communicate by use lipreading,
some use sign language
or some use both.
The choice of communication is just a personal preference.
Although it is good to have bit of both
so you can have multiple ways of communication.
Okay everyone, time for another activity!
But this time you must look at my mouth
while I lipread something.
Okay
Okay, did everyone guess what I just said?
if you did not, then I am afraid you missed out on another dessert I like.
By the way, I said I like biscoff cheescake
So, moving on to challenges and barriers….
oh, there have been many I have come across
and I do still face till now.
As a young child, I went to a hearing school
and I have faced a lot of barriers
for example
Making friends
it is so difficult to make friends
when you are not able to hear anything at all.
Concentrating well in studies
Taking part in school plays was so difficult
because I did not know what was happening most of the time.
And it only got harder when I turned 12
I suffered a stroke
which made my already severe hearing
even worse,
my speech was reduced.
Physically my left side of the body was so weak
and honestly that was the biggest challenge I faced.
I felt very sad
because before I had a stroke, I was good at art,
I was good at sports,
I was good at everything.
But after the stroke
I was sitting in a wheelchair
and all the pain I went through
I could not move my left side at all.
That is when I realised
my life would be very hard.
Physically slower.
Hearing even less.
It was so difficult for me.
Thankfully I had a lot of support from my family
hospital workers,
speech therapy,
learning British sign language,
physio teams
and I managed
to get back on my feet ‘literally’.
Imagine running late for an appointment
and I can’t even call to cancel or rebook.
Imagine sitting in a gathering
full of people talking at the same time
and you don't even understand a thing.
It makes you miss a lot of important information.
It makes you feel left out
It makes you feel so upset
But today
I feel so blessed to be deaf and disabled.
I have achieved so many things and broken all my barriers.
It takes time to achieve my goals
but in the end I get there.
And even after all the challenges I faced
I never gave up hope,
hope that 1 day I am able to stand on my 2 feet,
hoping to inspire people in this fantastic hall,
sharing my story
by using speech.
I can proudly say that I am a deaf playworker for deaf children,
a qualified nursery nurse
and a deaf befriender.
I have achieved all this mostly because of the experiences I went through.
I want to help people who need it and watch them blossom.
I always remember
that one day I was in their shoes.
If I can, then anyone can
and I really mean it!
Life has many challenges and barriers,
don’t let them stop you from achieving your dreams.
And make a positive impact by shining out!
A few tips of deaf awareness for you to take home today,
when you meet a deaf person for the first time
Make sure you maintain eye contact
so the deaf person can understand what you are saying.
If you don't know any sign language, that is completely fine
you can use gestures, facial expressions.
And if you don't klnow what a deaf person is saying,
you can always ask them to repeat it again
we are friendly people.
Lastly, let's be united and make friends with the deaf people
and remove all the barriers for them
and go for it
Thank you, Thank you.