Every day we – people/children with disabilities including Deaf people faced and to struggle to overcome the barriers in the society. It sound like an obstacle course for everyone BUT what about people/children with disabilities even Deaf people in communication.

Here is a quote from Marlee Matlin – I hope I inspire people who hear. Hearing people have the ability to remove barriers that prevent Deaf people from achieving their dreams.

Imagine before attending to the event and there was no interpreter available for any Deaf person to understand what was going on. Looking at the first photo – a lot audience of people such as ex staff, family, friends and current staff at the event.

In the second photo, there was an interpreter available for us – Jacek and me to understand the speeches from other people such as CEO of Australia, ex staff and the plant manager.

One special person I am supporting and know him who have a multiple disabilities – Deaf, speech impaired and CP (cerebral palsy) back to 1970s through our family and the Deaf community. His parents were from Poland via Germany and they came to New Zealand after the world war two as a new life. Jacek born in Waikato and his parents were strongly involved with the Deaf club and the Federation of the Deaf children. His mother met my mum and became good friends.

A week before the special day at Jacek’s workplace, his plant manager asked me if they can do anything for Jacek and me and if I can do communicating through sign language for Jacek. My replied was depending how I am on the day due to my permanent right side injury. I asked the plant manager if they can arranged the booking an interpreter on Jacek’s special day. The plant manager responded they were happy to pay and book an interpreter for us. Then the plant manager asked me if I can do the speech about people with disabilities overcome or unable to overcome the barriers in all workplaces.

On the special day – 26th October, everyone were there including my partner and we enjoyed the day. The speeches were awesome and some of the staff including friends learnt about sign language is the key to all people who have speech impaired, deaf, cp. I recalled a woman who knew Jacek for many years and she JUST realised his communicate was sign language and body gestures.

In my speech, it was about the number of people with disabilities who have not found a job, people with disabilities discriminated by other business or forced to turned away and many other reasons or unexplained reasons. It is a high number of people with disabilities around the world, however they do have skill just like you or other people.

Recently there was a video via Facebook – John Smith who he is a comedian in UK. He showed everyone the powerful message about our Rights in the community.

We are fighting for our rights and to remove the barriers in the community or in the society for many years. There are marvellous technology that helps us to communicate such as Skype, messages, text and internet than landline phone. Hearing dogs help Deaf people/children know when someone coming, fire alarm go off, cooking timer etc. Our dogs knows me as a deaf owner because our dogs rely on seeing a face to tell whether a person is their guardian or a stranger. They also read emotional cues on a face the same way people do with each other. It is about reading the dog and people’s behaviours than assumed whether the dog will attack during jumping and greeting someone. Simple look for the face and mouth’s behaviour pattern – is it aggressive or not? One neighbour of our area refused to accept than anyone else in the area. It is her fear of her safety – not mine and my disability – deaf. We took advised to increase the fence height at our own cost, not her through the Dog control officer. The dog control officer understood but my view it is not clear. Because the neighbour never came over and talked to us for the last four years and everyone else in the area said this neighbour has the high number of complaints to the Dog control department. We understand the Dog Control policy for many years.

We also need to remind other people to stop and take a look at themselves and their attitudes against people/children with disabilities.

Look at the Starbucks in USA, the staff are learning to communicating with Deaf people through sign language recently. WOW!

It is time to remove the barriers NOW,