My Song

This film demonstrates how I felt growing up, with no one understanding my communication needs. I was given a FM radio system for school and told to get on with it. My social needs were totally disregarded. I know too well, the farce of pretending to understand what’s being said, then being told by my family ‘You can hear perfectly well when you want to’. Being unable to sign, I wasn’t part of a deaf culture either – heck, I didn’t even KNOW such a thing as a deaf culture existed. When I first got to know other deaf people, through Friends for Young Deaf People, the other young deaf people told me that I’m not deaf as I didn’t sign (oh, the irony!).  I just felt so stuck between the deaf and the hearing.  It’s bad enough when hearing people don’t understand and won’t meet you halfway, but when deaf people won’t meet you halfway either, that’s a real kick in the teeth. Deaf people who won’t accept you as a deaf person and deaf people who say you shouldn’t be using sign language – both are reprehensible. We’re all entitled to acceptance and to communicate in our chosen way.

Now that I can sign (not fluent though), lipread and hear, I can live my own life in my own way. I have great friends from both cultures – who can hear, lipread, and sign – and I wouldn’t change this for anything.

Thanks to Billy and Charlie for giving us another blinder!