Reflecting my journey as a deaf blogger/historian/researcher/advocator
Today our celebration of International Sign Language and NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) week came to end tonight. Nevertheless, never end for the work must go on.
Today the theme is about “I sign for Human Rights!” as I posted the blog earlier. The last few days back to Monday 21st September to today, I posted daily themes each day for everyone to learn about our Deaf culture and sign language. Of course, the critical themes are the Leadership, Equal Opportunity and our Human Rights in Sign Language.
Jean’s hearing loss discovered by her grandmothers for her mother asked the mother in law about a child’s cognitive development at the age of 18 months old. The diagnose was Rubella where New Zealand was the last country to have a world endemic before the 1970s. Her mother was before the third trimester with Jean and her sister under three years old caught Rubella. There was no warning about this Rubella endemic in New Zealand because there was no vaccine at the time before other countries received the vaccine and the discovery of many Deaf and other disabilities babies.
After the discovery of Jean’s deafness, her parents made the right choice to allow Jean to lead the life by using speech therapy and evolved sign language through school for sign language banned in the Education here. Of course, it was a rocky road start, such as wearing a hearing aid, the loss of the father as a young father of four children due to asbestos cancer and the frustration of patience wearing thin which allow Jean become independent at the early age.
As Jean grew up without realising that she is a deaf person, through speaking and signing with her D/deaf friends, hearing friends and family until she reached the age of a teenager. One day Jean realised that she was deaf and she went home to tell her mother. Her mother was puzzled first and told her that she was born deaf. Jean was not happy with the Education system because the Education for the Deaf was not the same as the hearing teenagers like getting examinations by choice of any subjects. Her mother agreed to relocate Jean to another school near home, and it was the first time as it was a mainstream school where any Deaf child/teenager placed in a mainstream school. Of course, it was a difficult challenge for Jean, and she was lucky to have a teacher aide and to wear an FM (loop) system in the school hours and much help in homework assignments from her mother. Jean recalled a person – Rachel Locker who was in the same classroom with Jean’s sister. Rachel Locker was interesting about Jean, and she often asked Jean’s sister before leaving school to take up University course and left for the USA. Today Rachel (Locker McKee) is a Programme Director of Deaf Studies. Before leaving the mainstream high school, the principal asked Jean if she was interesting to go through the choice of working experience or not. Of course, Jean’s answer was yes, and there was five working experience in different works at the time of the higher level of examination. That year was 1981, and the last working experience was a data entry officer at the BNZ.
Jean left high school and took up a job with a paid salary as equal pay to other staff in the BNZ sectors in April 1981. Without realising the complex challenge from the Deaf community, Jean had not contacted by her Deaf friends since leaving the Deaf Units High School. One day, a manager request Jean to help one of the loan manager and the Deaf customer during the appointment at the BNZ. The problem was no interpreter at that time, the literacy in English and the lack of communications between the loan staff and the Deaf customer. Jean volunteered to help out through sign language and simple English. It was one of the funny moment, but the appointment went more than half an hour. This Deaf gentleman wanted a free loan for the house mortgage – FREE MORTGAGE from the Bank, and it was impossible to give a free loan because of misleading advertising about getting a home loan with a free interest payment. In the end, this Deaf gentleman accepted the confusion and granted the loan he wished to buy a house. This problem of communication made Jean realised that there was no interpreter, but there was a Deaf Association in Auckland at the time from 1975 and a bit earlier. There was no Deaf Association in Hamilton until 1983 or around. Jean wrote a letter to the President of the Deaf Association to established another one plus to provide an interpreter for the Hamilton Deaf community. Finally a Deaf Association office in Hamilton along with three interpreters available for all Hamilton and Waikato Deaf community.
From 1983, Jean starting to become more aware of the issues within the Deaf community, communications, literacy, the needs of access to all businesses and Health sectors due to the lack of awareness about Deaf people and their first language – Sign Language. Jean became a deaf advocator for many D/deaf people, including the parent of Deaf children. Jean joined many support groups, advisory groups, DPA (Disabled Persons Assembly), EGL (Enabling Good Lives) Leadership Waikato from 1985 to the present days. Jean also took up the part through church ministries from 1987 to present days.
Jean continues to support and remain a deaf advocator while studied a BA in History through University of Waikato, and a couple of certificates such as ESOL Home Tutor, a Human Service: Supporting People with DisAbilities, challenge Behaviour people. Jean faced many challenged to have interpreters, note-takers, an extra hour for examinations, funding for the equipment and to pay for the interpreters from 1986 to 2008 by achieving her goals.
From 1981 to 2009, Jean went on her OE trips around the world many times – often away between two and three months stay in overseas. Jean visited many families, Deaf people, the History conferences, and to explore the broader area around many countries. Jean seek more information from many Deaf services for Deaf communities such as politics, Health sectors, tourism such as a half-price discount for all people with disabilities. Furthermore, many places are friendly accessible to ALL D/deaf people or not.
Back in New Zealand, Jean leads most of the D/deaf people as a deaf mentor and a deaf community support worker and to encourage them to overcome the barriers; unfortunately, not every Deaf people chose Jean’s advise. Being involved with EGL Leadership is a challenge and often take up Jean’s advise over four years. Jean does have cousins involved with the Government, and Jean is aware of how the Parliament works by learning, talking and watching her cousin as an MP of Hamilton East.
While in New Zealand, the country facing COVID19 from March 2020, Jean worked tirelessly through lockdown from home where she was allowed to work as a deaf essential worker from home than in the office in Hamilton City. Jean did the shopping, picking and dropping off bill payments, medicine, mails and the list goes on for the Deaf older people and Deaf with other disabilities people who are living isolation in their homes and the retirement villages. Jean assisted two Deaf persons for their need for WIFI in their flats so they can communicate over Skype and Facebook message. Jean kept regularly contact through other organisation such as Civil Defence, Hamilton City Councils, Salvations Army and Vinnies Food Bank. In return for the work, Jean has continued for Deaf older people, Deaf with other disabilities, families, director, case managers, received many positive feedbacks which make Jean privilege to continue to work.
Jean notices many Deaf people and hearing people painted a different view of perspective within the D/deaf community and their need, such as the demand of interpreter on televisions and social media. The urgent demand is more funding toward University course, special equipment such as vibrating fire alarm, the improvement in the Education sector by providing more sign language in reading books.
Sigh! There are so many works to be done for the Deaf community to allow themselves as equal opportunity, to remove the barriers, and let make more accessible for us.
