“You don’t look deaf.” “Oh, I’m so sorry you’re deaf.”
“I couldn’t live without music.” “Do you really need the subtitles on the
TV?” I hate that. Of course!
“Oh, I know sign language!” Then they sign, “Why don’t you fuck off”
or “wanker” for swear words. That’s not sign language!
“Oh, I can sign…” “A, B…”
I get excited when people say they want to learn sign language, but then they just want
to know the swear words. If you want to learn how to sign, don’t
tell me you just want to learn swear words. Learn other words like, cake, biscuit, date,
friend. Not just the swear words, please!
“I just couldn’t live without music.” I can’t live without music either.
Some people can hear, some people can’t. Some people aren’t bothered because they
don’t know what they’re missing out on. I love music, I love Hip Hop, Rap, R’n’B,
all those kinds of songs. A lot of people are a bit surprised to hear,
that I’m actually a metal fan. I can’t really hear music very well. I can’t
hear the different changes in notes, it’s all just the beat.
You can feel the music more that I think other people can feel the music.
I really like taking my hearing aids out, and putting my hand on a speaker and feel
it vibrating through you and you can dance away.
“Are your other senses heightened?” Oh, I am magical.
I have a really excellent gaydar. I think because we can’t hear we are more
alert of our surroundings. Funnily enough, yes! Deaf people are more
visual. No, I‘m like practically blind without my
contact lenses. My superpower would be my sense of smell.
I can smell cake anywhere. I think deaf people pick up more on body language.
Like if a person twitches, is a person is nervous or excited. I can tell by their face
if they’re lying. Like with my friends, I can tell instantly
if someone is lying, so be careful.
“Oh my God, you can lip read what did she just say?”
I’d love to know what people were saying from the other side of the room. I’m nosey
as fuck. Most lip reading is guess work.
Your brain is kind of guessing the words and it’s slotting them in.
I don’t know, “ma”, “pa”, “ba”, they look exactly the same on the lips. I
literally can’t tell the difference between them.
An example of something that looks the same in lip reading that’s two different sentences
is “I love you...” And your brain is going, “Hmm was it that?”
No, “Was it that?” No “Was it that?” Maybe.
It can look just like “Elephant shoes.”
I feel scared. Noooo!
This is the worst. People saying, “You don’t look deaf.”
Should we have horns? Green skin? Whenever you see a lot of disabled people
on television, you only ever see them as somebody that’s, really old and not particularly
attractive. Like, they’re really isolated.
We’re all so different, it varies so much. I’ve met probably, thousands of deaf people,
we’re all different. I want more variety of deaf people on TV and
in films. From those who lipread to those who use BSL. Is that so hard?
“Do we have to have the subtitles on?” Do we have to have the sound?
Do you have to be here? Sometimes I really want to watch something
on sky, but there’s no subtitles. I get really excited, to book and go see a
film,but then you find out that in the only subtitled screening is on a Monday morning!
I always watch like, foreign language films, just because you know they’re going to have
subtitles. Deaf people have jobs.
Yes! Exactly! How I go, “Sorry I have to go, I have the
cinemas on, Sorry!” Subtitles are a good thing people.
“Why don’t you just get the implant thing?” What makes you an expert on my deafness?
Cochlear implants, they work for some people, they don’t work for other people.
Some people who could get the cochlear implant they don’t want it. Because it could take
away from deaf culture. I think the cochlear implantation is a really
difficult topic; there has been lots of debate over it.
I’m a bit too old now, so it’s a bit too late for me, but I’m happy the way I am
now. It’s important that you’re happy. All deaf people are different and have varying
levels of deafness, there is no cure. Nothing. I don’t need help, I’m proud to be deaf,
it’s my identity.
Really? “I’m sorry that must be tough for you!”
I love being deaf, but I know people don’t like to hear that.
Being deaf is never as much of an issue as people think it is.
We can do anything. Yeah, we can do anything, except hear.
It’s easy for me, I’ve always been deaf. The only tough thing is that sometimes deaf
people are left out. When hearing people are talking.
My language is so beautiful, so rich, it’s not like any of spoken language.
Nothing’s tough, I’m alright, I’m alive. Deaf Power!