ACTIVITY FEATURE
What does it mean to be deaf ? I am Paz Jordan and my role is activity co-ordinator at Bluebell Ward , and I am profoundly deaf . Filipino Sign Language ( FSL ) is my first language and British Sign Language ( BSL ) is my second language .
My role on the ward is to encourage deaf service users to engage in our activity groups . These range from art to relaxation and aim to occupy their time , support their physical and mental health and support them to learn or maintain skills .
I communicate with service users through their first language BSL and aim to build their confidence to be able become independent when they are discharged from hospital .
British Sign Language is a full language with its own linguistics and grammar . It is not English . We are proud to use the word ‘ deaf ’ to identify ourselves and we do not view our deafness as a disability , it is a cultural identity .
Sometimes you may see people refer to themselves as ‘ hard of hearing ’ or ‘ hearing impaired ’; this means they may not identify with the deaf world / culture and see their hearing loss as a disability . ‘ Hearing people ’ refers to people who are not deaf or hard of hearing .
I am proud be a deaf woman , with a diverse background . I moved to the UK in 2003 and was able to learn BSL in three months by volunteering with a deaf charity and meeting deaf people . When I joined the Bluebell team in 2014 , I started as a healthcare assistant and then became the activity co-ordinator in 2016 .
Many deaf people ’ s needs vary . Some can hear partially , some can use oral speech , some can lip read and most deaf people use sign language . The best way to communicate with deaf people is to ask them how they like to communicate .
I prefer sign language , as I am only able to lip read and understand a short sentence . Most of the time I have an interpreter work with me , provided by the government scheme Access to Work .
There is a limit to this , but recently I was successful in being granted the use of the SignLive app , which means I have access to a remote interpreter when I require it , who I can access through a video call on my iPad . This is especially useful when I do not have an interpreter on the ward . For example , when I need to speak with a workman , or visitor , or another occupational therapist from another ward .
When I was in mainstream school and growing up with my hearing family , I used a variety of communication , including sign language and oral with the languages English and Tagalog . I also have one deaf elder sister .
After college , I worked with many deaf young people and children in the Philippines , focusing on supporting young deaf people who have been sexually abused and have mental health problems . During that time , I was using FSL , home signs ( signs created in families or communities , but not widely known in FSL ) and gesture .
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I am proud be a deaf woman , with a diverse background .
I am part of the deaf community myself and have faced continual communication barriers at various places , such as hospital or the GP surgery . For example , I have attended appointments only to find no interpreter was booked . This happens often and it is a lot of hassle to contact services to make sure my basic need for communication is met . If I need to go to accident and emergency , I have to ask to write it down . They often still forget I am deaf and unable to hear them .
Many of our deaf service users have given up asserting themselves , or have no energy to fight for their right for basic access to communication . This truly effects their wellbeing and mental health . Sometimes this is referred to as ‘ deaf fatigue ’.
At Bluebell Ward , we have many deaf service users who have faced negative experiences on other wards across the mental health system , due to communication barriers , which make them very frustrated , angry and further exacerbate their mental
This can be misunderstood by doctors and health professionals not working in deaf specialist services ; mistaken as part of their mental health problem , rather than poor access . When they are admitted to Bluebell Ward , their feelings and emotions change dramatically , and with the specialist support they are able to open up and express themselves to us .
With the communication barrier being lifted with access to communication , they are able to access mental health treatment .
Problems associated with being deaf
People who are born deaf or lose their hearing early on may have language deprivation , isolation and experience neglect . While often this is not intentional , it can be associated with a lack of access to language , as the majority of deaf people are born to hearing families .
Those families may not have access to learn BSL or access to the existences of the deaf community , meaning that , essentially , the deaf child grows and develops with a primary care giver who has a foreign language .
Deaf children do not often have access to ‘ incidental learning ’. Hearing children may overhear a television , or adults talking , meaning that many deaf adults may have gaps in everyday knowledge , a low reading age , may have missed out on learning and have developmental delay .
Many deaf adults may struggle with reading and writing as well , as BSL has a completely different structure to English and there is a long history of deaf people ’ s education and access to language within schools being restricted .
If we think of this in terms of the social model of disability , we can see that the impact of being deaf is not lack of hearing , it is lack of access to language ; this is a human right .
OTnews November 2021 17