Empowerment

One of the most common problems that D/deaf people face on a daily basis is not being able to contact organisations easily. For D/deaf people who cannot use the telephone, this can cause frequent accessibility issues.

Around 9 million people in the UK have some form of hearing loss*. Every deaf person is different, with various degrees of loss, and using a wide range of assistive technologies depending upon their access requirements. Communication is the main barrier that deaf people face, particularly with access to services.

Troi Lee ‘DJ Chinaman’ has been organising Deaf Rave http://www.deafrave.com since 2003. I interviewed him about the barriers Deaf musicians can face and about his plans for a Deaf Festival.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, here are the achievements of 5 famous D/deaf and hard of hearing British women.

Conventional homes are designed for the hearing majority of the population. Doorbells, fire alarms, telephones and baby monitors are all auditory. Without visual or vibrating replacements, a Deaf person will live a much more dangerous life.

Finding employment can be challenging but when you have a hearing loss, it can become much harder. The theme: To disclose or not disclose, was sparked by an experience of mine and discusses whether deaf people should have to reveal their deafness to potential employers.

Working from home… waking up late, sitting in your PJs, getting distracted – these are all quite common scenarios for those who may not be used to adapting to the home working life. Just a few tips and changes here and there, and you’ll be surprised how it improves your productivity and motivation to get jobs done!

Perhaps because I live and breathe it, I can’t quite understand why there are still so many inaccurate perceptions about deafness and hearing loss?

When I started blogging, I was also going through the process of finding my deaf identity, and part of that was looking for a deaf role model; someone to look up to. Other than the famous deaf celebrities, I couldn’t find that person and I aspired for an influential individual, so I figured why not become that person?

I researched into whether there is a higher occurrence of mental illness in deaf people than hearing. Although a simple question, there is no simple answer.