One in six people are deaf or hard of hearing, that is 10 million in the UK and more than 998,000 of them are severely or profoundly deaf with 50,000 using British Sign Language as their first or preferred language.
12,000 of the people were born deaf just like me.
Do you believe me? In fact the number could change!
I’m black British and I’m deaf. I want to share my experience to bring up my point of this message. During my independent visit to the doctors in Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre today, I was seen by a doctor. Not long into the appointment I had to inform her that I was deaf presumably already known and aware of from my medical profile in hospitals and clinics. She was talking to me toward her computer and I couldn’t understand her at all so when she was told, she began to appear frustrated and annoyed at my request to face me while talking so I can lip-read and therefore understand what she is saying to me. It’s only then when I feel horrible about myself as though it is me that should feel guilty but discriminated against. She started to rudely wide mouth questions at me and patronise me in ways that I felt uncomfortable and upset. After 7 minutes of the meet, she sent me on my way with glee! What if I had missed vital information for my back or misinterpreted a suggestion?
So often I feel as though people are poorly educated about deaf people and deaf awareness. Even up to this day, I have people amazed at my physical image when informed that I am deaf which I believe they see as a physical disability. My dentist as you may understand behaves snappy with me when I tell her I can’t understand her especially when it comes to important instructions such as not eating or drinking within 30minutes of having my fillings done. She refuses to remove her mask when speaking, even after the session where she is no longer working one me. She very quickly loses patience with me and sends me on my way as quick as she can. What if I had missed any vital information there for the health of my teeth?
In years of education, I have received great support from a disability team but they are not the ones educating me. After consistent problems in mainstream schools due to lack of deaf awareness and support, I was finally accepted to attend a school for the deaf which held up to 200 pupils at the time. There, all of my needs were attended to and we had thorough support as well as speech therapy but then when we finish our GCSE’s / A Levels, we are thrown back out into the bigger society relying on our independence and outside support. Even today, after constant reminders to lecturers, dentists and individual professionals that I have a hearing impairment, I still feel discriminated against and put out of my place. Among thousands of job applications made and submitted where I mention that I have a disability, I had been rejected one after the after. However, when submitting an application without mentioning my disability, I had two call backs.
During my trip to China this year, a girl from the UK who was my age had questioned the device in my ears. She had no idea what my hearing aids were and what they were for!
My point of this message is that Deaf people need to be heard. Deaf people need to be noticed. Deaf people deserve more credit! And people need to be educated, if so, far better than they are! Tell me how many deaf people you work with; one? Two? Or none? A deaf person can be just as qualified as a hearing person but who is more likely to get the job? Perhaps we are too much to take on? Perhaps because the company wants to avoid having to adapt their environment for us or perhaps because we’re not good enough, too complicated they may say. We also say racism has cut down but has it? Today we are constantly fighting against racism just as we are fighting discrimination and every day, I feel discriminated against.
There are many deaf programs and organisations as well as projects, clubs etc. but I feel like it's not enough. My whole life there have been deaf campaigns but still I don't feel like anyone is listening or even yet educated. People are clueless, people are unaware, people are surprised and I could go on! This message should not be from someone who has knowledge about deaf people or someone who has been trained to support deaf people but from a deaf person desperate to get her words across the UK. I want to change the way deaf people are treated, I want to educate the public about deaf people and I want every possible equal opportunity put out there for deaf children and teenagers and even adults like me! Living in this society where women have fought for gender quality, where black people are stereotyped and targeted with racism and where deafness is unheard of must make it in every way very difficult to get through every day. A deaf person with a medical degree with no speech might find it difficult to get employed but what about for deaf patients, what about needs? We need to bridge the gap between the deaf and hearing world and help mix the two abilities together so we can further assist everyone’s needs.
So by filling the gap in the recruitment industry for deaf people, I have been planning on building a business recruitment consultant organisation providing advice to deaf candidates. This is where a qualified deaf person from each industry can work in different sectors and be the one not only to help educate colleagues in the office but to set an example when serving deaf customers. I want to help provide career opportunities, temporary or full time and even set as a career development plan. This will help deaf people to be both independent and confident individuals rather than to feel intimidated or dissimilar and therefore discriminated against. We need to spread the deaf language to help communication, deaf identity, community, heritage and diversity so people can be aware and prepare for when the time comes and they are in contact with a deaf person.
I am one of many voices shouting for attention to be heard, and deaf people need to be heard.
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