“Three decades later, what now strikes me about my adoptive deaf community is not only how feisty it is, pushing back at the barriers imposed by hearing society, but how diverse too. As I push the swing-doors open to one of London’s ‘deaf pub’ gatherings, I’m as likely to be pulled into sign language gossip by a friend of Lithuanian or Sri Lankan descent as I am by a cockney or a Scot. Joining the next circle of deafies, I might sign to a chief executive or cleaner, a psychologist or postman.”

“At times, it seems as if deaf people mingle with each other across demographic boundaries more easily than hearing people do.”

“Why so? The answer isn’t hard to find: Whether their deafness is genetic or otherwise, deaf babies are born randomly into families across all ethnic and socio-economic groups. That, plus a shared sign language and frequent exclusion from mainstream spaces, equals a deaf community vibrant enough to bring together people who’d otherwise be unlikely to gather under one roof.”

“In recent decades, our 90,000-strong UK deaf community has been enriched by migrants from the Commonwealth and European Union (EU) nations. War and famine have also bought deaf refugees to our shores.”

“This inspired my project title ‘Deaf Mosaic’. Our deaf community is just that, a mosaic of tiny pieces – of individuals of different ethnicities – that combine to form a bigger picture.”

“With the support of an Arts Council England grant, I empower deaf people to share their stories.  It’s not deafness that disables people, but the barriers that hearing society places in front of us that stop people from achieving their full potential”

“Many deaf people experience discrimination on multiple levels – where ethnicity, gender and other factors intersect. Take Paul Ntulila, for example: “Being black and deaf, is a double whammy,” says Paul. “We’re a minority within a minority. We face discrimination twice.” And yet, after his mother came to UK from Tanzania, Paul became the first deaf person win a fully-funded MSc scholarship. He graduated in Diplomacy, Statecraft and Foreign Policy. Paul is now tipped to be a future deaf leader.”

“The barriers that deaf people face start early. When Jodie Ounsley expressed a desire to play rugby, she was discouraged: “Since I was a toddler, I’ve always been very competitive,” says Jodie. “I asked to join in a taster rugby session but at first people tried to discourage me out of fear I’d destroy my cochlear implant, the surgical device I use to hear.” My parents and teacher eventually said ‘okay’, but I think they thought I’d get it out of my system and move on. But I scored a try and was hooked for life.” Jodie now plays professionally for Exeter Chiefs and has been selected for England Sevens. “Of course, a heavy blow to my ear might cause me problems, but that is my risk to take.”

“Often there’s this lazy assumption,” adds Stephen, “that because deaf people ‘can’t hear’ they can’t do certain things – like music.” Yet take Eloise Garland who is a professional violinist and teacher.”

“It’s frustrating when people assume that deaf people can’t enjoy or play music – beyond banging a drum tunelessly,” says Eloise. “In fact, there are many different ways of relating to music – through sound, vibration, vision and movement. Her achievements are such that Eloise has performed internationally and was shortlisted for Woman of the Year Award 2019.”

“If I could pick out just one thing for people to take away from my Deaf Mosaic exhibition,” adds Stephen. “It is that all it needs for deaf people to succeed is for the right support to be in right place at the right time.”

“For example, when British-Turkish student Tamer Aswan gained a place to study Computer Security at University, he could not hear a single word of the lectures. However, with the support of sign language interpreters and notetakers, he proudly graduated three years later and now works in further education as an IT support officer.”

As Stephen reminds us, it’s vital to remember that it is not deafness itself that disables us – but the institutional and personal barriers that hearing society places around us. Under the Equalities Act, deaf people have, on paper at least, equal status under the law. But, in practice a lack of deaf awareness, inertia and prejudice means that deaf people are still largely underemployed in relation to their natural abilities. And, twice as likely to experience abuse, unemployment and mental health issues.

“It needn’t be this way,” concludes Stephen. “My call to action to all Conduit members is: take a look at your own organisation’s strategy, policy and practice, employee profiles and ask “What can we do to make ourselves more inclusive of deaf people’s talents? As the Deaf Mosaic exhibition shows: “Deaf People can do anything but hear perfectly.”

Stephen Iliffe is deaf, and a photographer, writer and public speaker. Born in Gibraltar (UK), he graduated in photography at Leicester’s University De Montfort. For 28 years, he worked in campaigns and communications for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and for National Deaf Children’s Society. Stephen is available for meet and greets at The Conduit exhibition between 19 November to 16 December. He is contactable via stiliffe@aol.com

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