Added by Love Business East Midlands | 8 October 2024
UPDATED: 9 October 2024
A deaf photographer has been encouraging children at a city school to follow their dreams and believe that any career is possible despite their hearing loss.
Pupils from Derby’s Royal School for the Deaf took part in the project challenging the stigma around career disadvantages for deaf people, encouraging them to explore new opportunities.
The event was part of a tour by Stephen Iliffe – a deaf photographer, originally from the East Midlands – who is dedicated to inspiring the deaf community to challenge the belief that being deaf limits career choices.
The children began by creating self-portraits, which they transformed into depictions of their dream careers, incorporating symbols like chef hats and musical notes using acrylic paints and pens.
Eight-year-old Emmanuel Ojoaro, who drew himself as a ‘space doctor,’ said:
“I enjoyed making this painting, it shows me in space helping people. I love making people feel better and happy, and I want to go to space one day so I can do that and help even more people there.”
Seven-year-old Amelia Ionita drew herself as a truck mechanic, she said:
“I want to be able to fix my daddy’s truck as he drives one for work all day. I am really proud of my daddy, and I want to spend more time with him, so I want to be able to fix his truck.”
The children’s artwork will be showcased at an exhibition, which they will attend alongside their parents and carers, with the hope that the message will resonate with everyone.
Lucy Noble, Lead teacher for Art at Royal School for the Deaf Derby and the event organiser said:
“We want our pupils to feel empowered and optimistic about their future. Being deaf should never mean they lack hope for what lies ahead.”
Stephen, who has now run the exhibition in London, Leicester and Bristol, said:
“There are over 90,000 deaf people in the UK who use British Sign Language (BSL) as their first or preferred language,
“BSL is the UK’s fourth indigenous language – after English, Welsh and Scots Gaelic. Yet deaf people are still virtually unrepresented in the mainstream canon of photography – galleries, journals and books, so I hope that my project contributes towards changing that.
“I was the only deaf kid in a mainstream school, I had no adult deaf role models for what I could achieve in life. It wasn’t until my 20s that I stumbled across the deaf community; it was as if a light had been switched on in a dark room. Overnight, my deafness went from being a negative to a positive.
“Finally, I began to understand that it isn’t deafness itself that disables people but the barriers in society that often prevent us from achieving our dreams.
“There are now so many practical ways to create access for deaf people – from sign language interpreters to technological aids, from TV and video captions to inclusive classrooms and workplaces. With the right support, deaf people can achieve anything.”
In a historic first, Derby will host the photography exhibition Deaf Mosaic, which features intimate portraits and stories of deaf individuals from diverse backgrounds.
The event will be held at Artcore Gallery, in Albert Street, and will be open from October 5th to November 2nd – Tuesday to Saturday 12:00-5:00pm.
