Miss-Delectable
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icNewcastle - Coping with silence
CUDDLING and giggling, mum Beth Beynon and her four-year-old son Cameron are closer than ever.
But the past couple of years have been tough, compounded by the fact that Beth, 28, is profoundly deaf and has struggled to communicate with the bright youngster.
If she was upset it could be difficult to tell Cameron, and if the youngster was crying during the night, without a sophisticated sensor alarm, Beth would never know.
Now Cameron is skilled in sign language and the pair, who live in Newburn, Newcastle, are getting along well.
But Beth still faces the day-to-day challenges of being deaf in a world which caters poorly for the condition.
Through an interpreter, Beth says: “As a deaf person you can live in a very isolated world and many of us don’t like to rely on hearing people to get on with our lives.
“It’s been very hard looking after Cameron and coping with him on my own. Everyday life is difficult because there are so few people who can do sign language, which means wires are crossed all the time.
“If you want to see someone like a social worker or doctor you need an interpreter, which can involve a two-week wait.”
To put it in perspective, being deaf can leave a person utterly stuck. Imagine being in an accident and needing to call the police, ambulance or fire brigade.
How would a deaf person explain over the phone to the operator that there is a problem?
And once a paramedic, policeman or firemen gets there, if they do not know sign language, understanding what has happened can be tricky.
But these are not common situations. Imagine more realistically getting on a bus or trying to find something in a department store.
These problems have the potential to affect one in seven people across the UK, as a staggering nine million people are deaf or hard of hearing.
Born profoundly deaf, Beth was the only one in her family who had hearing problems and the only one who subsequently learned to communicate through sign language.
One of the biggest challenges faced by her was having Cameron, and throughout her pregnancy she had to write notes and lip-synch with her midwife to exchange important information.
“I struggled with the midwife as she couldn’t do any sign language and I mainly learned what to do through books with plenty of pictures,” Beth recalls.
“There was never the chance to go to antenatal classes because I couldn’t get an interpreter, so there was a lot of preparation I missed out on.
“Luckily, the pregnancy went well and the hospital arranged an interpreter for the birth.
“When Cameron arrived things were difficult.
“For a hearing person it’s easy – she can hear her baby crying during the night, but I couldn’t and had to use this vibrating alarm which would go off if Cameron cried, or I would have to keep checking on him.
“And when Cameron started nursery I had to drop out of the parents’ group because all the other parents were hearing and I felt left out of their conversations.”
In September Cameron will start at Newburn Primary School – a place Beth has yet to see because, to have a proper look around, she needs to book an interpreter to get the most out of her visit.
Beth’s experiences of isolation and worry have led her to volunteer at a nursing home for the elderly in Scotswood, where she spends time with and interprets for deaf or hard-of-hearing residents.
Staff at the home only know limited signs, but Beth forms an important bridge between the two worlds.
The young mother also volunteers for Newcastle Deaflink, a support group working with deaf, deaf-blind and hard-of-hearing people on Tyneside, alongside development co-ordinator Rhona Stanbury.
Deaflink recently launched its Sound Off campaign in Newcastle to raise awareness about the difficulties of living in a world without sound.
Rhona reveals that there are only 20 qualified British Sign Language interpreters in the North East – and they are there to cover 19,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Newcastle alone, many of them often trying to cope with stressful and worrying situations.
Everything, from appointments with their children’s teachers to essential trips to the doctors, must be accompanied by a interpreter – whether it be professional or family member or friend – to make sure vital information does not go astray.
Rhona explains: “Training to be an interpreter can be difficult as it’s a long process and must be completely self-funded.
“There needs to be more people training up as sign language interpreters because they are often a lifeline for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.”
---------------------------------------------------------
How to speak to someone deaf
# EVEN if someone is wearing a hearing aid, always ask if they need to lip read you.
# Make sure you have a person’s attention before you start speaking.
# Speak clearly, not too slowly, and use normal lip movements. Use natural facial expressions and gestures.
# If you’re talking to a deaf person and a hearing person, focus on both of them.
# If someone doesn’t understand what you’ve said, try saying it in a different way.
# Keep your voice at a normal level. It’s uncomfortable for a hearing aid user if you shout and it looks aggressive.
# Find a suitable place to talk, with good lighting, away from noise and distractions.
# Remember to turn your face towards a deaf person. Check the person you’re talking to can follow you.
# Use plain language and don’t waffle.
CUDDLING and giggling, mum Beth Beynon and her four-year-old son Cameron are closer than ever.
But the past couple of years have been tough, compounded by the fact that Beth, 28, is profoundly deaf and has struggled to communicate with the bright youngster.
If she was upset it could be difficult to tell Cameron, and if the youngster was crying during the night, without a sophisticated sensor alarm, Beth would never know.
Now Cameron is skilled in sign language and the pair, who live in Newburn, Newcastle, are getting along well.
But Beth still faces the day-to-day challenges of being deaf in a world which caters poorly for the condition.
Through an interpreter, Beth says: “As a deaf person you can live in a very isolated world and many of us don’t like to rely on hearing people to get on with our lives.
“It’s been very hard looking after Cameron and coping with him on my own. Everyday life is difficult because there are so few people who can do sign language, which means wires are crossed all the time.
“If you want to see someone like a social worker or doctor you need an interpreter, which can involve a two-week wait.”
To put it in perspective, being deaf can leave a person utterly stuck. Imagine being in an accident and needing to call the police, ambulance or fire brigade.
How would a deaf person explain over the phone to the operator that there is a problem?
And once a paramedic, policeman or firemen gets there, if they do not know sign language, understanding what has happened can be tricky.
But these are not common situations. Imagine more realistically getting on a bus or trying to find something in a department store.
These problems have the potential to affect one in seven people across the UK, as a staggering nine million people are deaf or hard of hearing.
Born profoundly deaf, Beth was the only one in her family who had hearing problems and the only one who subsequently learned to communicate through sign language.
One of the biggest challenges faced by her was having Cameron, and throughout her pregnancy she had to write notes and lip-synch with her midwife to exchange important information.
“I struggled with the midwife as she couldn’t do any sign language and I mainly learned what to do through books with plenty of pictures,” Beth recalls.
“There was never the chance to go to antenatal classes because I couldn’t get an interpreter, so there was a lot of preparation I missed out on.
“Luckily, the pregnancy went well and the hospital arranged an interpreter for the birth.
“When Cameron arrived things were difficult.
“For a hearing person it’s easy – she can hear her baby crying during the night, but I couldn’t and had to use this vibrating alarm which would go off if Cameron cried, or I would have to keep checking on him.
“And when Cameron started nursery I had to drop out of the parents’ group because all the other parents were hearing and I felt left out of their conversations.”
In September Cameron will start at Newburn Primary School – a place Beth has yet to see because, to have a proper look around, she needs to book an interpreter to get the most out of her visit.
Beth’s experiences of isolation and worry have led her to volunteer at a nursing home for the elderly in Scotswood, where she spends time with and interprets for deaf or hard-of-hearing residents.
Staff at the home only know limited signs, but Beth forms an important bridge between the two worlds.
The young mother also volunteers for Newcastle Deaflink, a support group working with deaf, deaf-blind and hard-of-hearing people on Tyneside, alongside development co-ordinator Rhona Stanbury.
Deaflink recently launched its Sound Off campaign in Newcastle to raise awareness about the difficulties of living in a world without sound.
Rhona reveals that there are only 20 qualified British Sign Language interpreters in the North East – and they are there to cover 19,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Newcastle alone, many of them often trying to cope with stressful and worrying situations.
Everything, from appointments with their children’s teachers to essential trips to the doctors, must be accompanied by a interpreter – whether it be professional or family member or friend – to make sure vital information does not go astray.
Rhona explains: “Training to be an interpreter can be difficult as it’s a long process and must be completely self-funded.
“There needs to be more people training up as sign language interpreters because they are often a lifeline for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.”
---------------------------------------------------------
How to speak to someone deaf
# EVEN if someone is wearing a hearing aid, always ask if they need to lip read you.
# Make sure you have a person’s attention before you start speaking.
# Speak clearly, not too slowly, and use normal lip movements. Use natural facial expressions and gestures.
# If you’re talking to a deaf person and a hearing person, focus on both of them.
# If someone doesn’t understand what you’ve said, try saying it in a different way.
# Keep your voice at a normal level. It’s uncomfortable for a hearing aid user if you shout and it looks aggressive.
# Find a suitable place to talk, with good lighting, away from noise and distractions.
# Remember to turn your face towards a deaf person. Check the person you’re talking to can follow you.
# Use plain language and don’t waffle.
