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If a deaf child doesn’t bloom, we mustn’t ask what is wrong with the child. We must ask what is wrong with the environment

Richard Dougherty tells Brian Pelan about his journey from a small classroom for deaf children to becoming an architect

Iarrived early for my interview with architect Richard Dougherty. For a change, the sun was shining. Perfect, I thought, for an interview in the scenic surroundings of Botanic Gardens in Belfast. But the God of weather had other plans as hailstones soon began to pound the ground and the top of my head.

I saw Richard approaching as I was rapidly seeking shelter under a tree. We both quickly agreed that a nearby cafe, which had tables and, more importantly, large umbrellas protruding above them, offered better sanctuary.

Forty-two-year-old Richard is deaf, as is his wife and two children. He lip-reads perfectly and we soon struck up a conversation. I asked was I easy to read? “Yes,” replied Richard. I decided to take that as a compliment.

The waiter who took our order was wearing a mask and had no idea that my guest was deaf and that he couldn’t hear or lip-read what the waiter was saying. I briefly became the interpreter. A further farcical moment occurred when I had to ask the waiter to turn down the cafe’s sound system which was playing loud, screechy pop music. I think in this case, Richard had a definite advantage over me.

Once our respective orders were brought to the table, Richard, who was born in Downpatrick, started to tell me a little about himself.

“I was born profoundly deaf. I can remember from the age of three or four, a number of trips to a hospital’s audiology department. My father, mother, brothers and sister can all hear. My wife and her family members are all deaf. They are two completely different worlds.

“I can remember a doctor at the hospital telling my mum, ‘I’m very sorry but your son can’t hear.’ In that very moment, I can remember feeling that I was a failure. But, luckily, I went to a small school for deaf children – that was my saving grace because I had a fantastic teacher with only around five pupils in the room. Bronagh Byrne (the guest editor of this issue) was one of my classmates.”

Later on, Richard went to a boarding school for deaf young people in England, from the age of 11 to 18. “This all helped to make me the person I am today.

“I then returned to Belfast to study architecture at Queen’s University.

“I was the only student who was deaf on my degree course, and I struggled very badly in my first year. It was probably one of the hardest experiences of my life.”

Richard paid tribute to a student friend who sat beside him in class and took notes for him. Socialising was also difficult as pubs were too noisy which made any kind of communication very difficult.

“What got me through university was that I happened to be OK at playing football,” said Richard. “I also had a great group of friends who made me feel that I was one of them.”

What drew him to architecture was that he felt he could communicate through the medium of drawing. He is now an associate architect with the firm, Hall McKnight. Richard is very proud that the firm was declared the winner in 2016 of an international design competition for a new building at Gallaudet University of the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington. The project is due for completion in 2025.

“They liked our poetical and philosophical approach to the design of the building,” said Richard.

He shared a quote with me: “If a deaf child doesn’t bloom, we mustn’t ask what is wrong with the child. We must ask what is wrong with the environment.”

Richard said: “I grew up in a hearing household whereas every single member of my wife’s family was deaf and a native sign language user. In many ways my wife has been more fortunate to be exposed to a community rich in values, beliefs and traditions. Too many hearing people view deafness as a deficiency rather than a separate linguistic context and culture. We are constantly told that we need to be ‘fixed’ in line with the socially acceptable norm.

“Even today medical professionals are telling parents of a young deaf child that early exposure to sign language will harm a child’s ability to acquire spoken language when in fact it has been medically proven that children who are exposed to signing early in life are stronger in the acquisition of spoken English (a benefit of bilingualism).

“This kind of prevalent societal attitude is what we call ‘audism’ (i.e. a form of discrimination or oppression towards the needs of deaf people) and we suffer this on a daily basis. Growing up I was constantly reminded of my hearing loss by medical professionals which had enormous impact on my self-awareness.

“What the hearing world calls ‘hearing loss’, the Deaf community counters with ’Deaf Gain’ (which challenges and redefines commonly held notions about normalcy, disability, and human diversity).

“With our two deaf children being schooled in a mainstream environment, it’s a daily battle making sure that they have all the tools and support in place so they can learn on an equal footing as their hearing peers. It is our hope that they will grow into confident and resilient individuals – proud of their identity and able to bridge both the hearing and deaf worlds.”

An artist’s impression of the interior of the new building at Gallaudet University in Washington

Campaigner: John Carberry has dedicated his life to improving services for deaf people

Champion for the Deaf community

By Brian Pelan

The name of John Carberry, MBE, from Glengormley, Co Antrim, is certain to come up if you were to ask anyone who was deaf to name a champion for their cause.

John’s own career in deaf work started when he was involved with CACDP (now Signature) as Development Officer for Northern Ireland before moving to the RNID (NI) to be their regional trainer for almost 23 years. John then decided to move on to work as a freelance trainer and has been enjoying his new move and career.

At present, John is a member of the board for Disability Action, and, Jordanstown School for Deaf Children and the Visually Impaired. He is also part of the ongoing steering group of the Northern Ireland Health and Social Services Board.

A long-time member and supporter of the British Deaf Association (BDA), John has worked with the BDA in Northern Ireland, campaigning for sign language to be part of the Northern Ireland Language Act.

We met over coffee in a Belfast café. I first asked John, who is deaf, about his experiences during the pandemic.

“It was terrifying,” he said. “Many deaf people suffered during the lockdown and we lost a lot of day-to-day contact with each other. It was really difficult going out and encountering so many people wearing masks. I didn’t know what they were saying if they spoke to me. Lip-reading was impossible.

John added that he tried to keep in touch with his friends through the use of online technology, such as Facetime.

He give me a huge smile when I asked him was life better because lockdown rules had been eased.

“It’s lovely to get out again and meet friends for a real face-to-face chat,” replied John. “Fingers crossed, I hope that will be the case going into the future.”

John, who has four daughters and one son, and 10 grandchildren, said there had been a huge number of memorable highlights in his long struggle to improve life for deaf people.

“We now have good ongoing contact with government departments to try and make sure that we get a Sign Language Act for BSL and ISL users. It’s vitally important that we get a Language Act as it would help to break down communication barriers between deaf people and the hearing world. He believes that things have slowly improved in terms of access to education and work opportunities.

John also said it was good to see more sign language interpreters being seen on TV and the growth in numbers of people attending sign language courses.

He has a passion for reading books, especially those with a political theme, and going to concerts. “I wear hearing aids when I go to a show. I also need to have a good seat, near the front,” said John. He might also have a list of the songs in his hands in order to follow what’s happening.

He also believes that theatres in Northern Ireland need to provide more sign language interpreters.

We laughed together at the end of the interview when I asked him to name his favourite football team. “Chelsea,” he replied. As a long time Manchester United fan, it wasn’t the answer I wanted, but we both agreed on our favourite football hero – George Best.

John finally expressed to me his strong desire for deaf people to be given a Sign Language Act and the full recognition of their rightful place in society.

A big thanks to Bronagh and all those who supported this issue of VIEW

Thank you: VIEW editor Brian Pelan

By VIEW editor Brian Pelan

Ifirst met Dr Bronagh Byrne at Queen’s University Belfast a number of years ago. I had actually turned up on the wrong day at our scheduled meeting, but Bronagh graciously consented to meeting me.

During our conversation, I noticed something about the way she was speaking and asked her about it. Bronagh told me she was deaf and was lip-reading. It was my first ever experience of this. I still find it a remarkable communication skill.

We got on really well, and it was agreed that we would try to do an issue about deaf people in Northern Ireland. For a number of reasons it never worked, but I never give up the hope that we could, one day, make it a reality.

Fast forward to now, and VIEW magazine has produced an entire edition which is devoted to looking at deaf people. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to a number of people, including Bronagh, who, thankfully, agreed to be the guest editor, VIEWdigital co-founder Una Murphy, the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, and Brian Symington, a long-time supporter of equality rights for deaf people.

I have also learnt a number of valuable lessons and insights from our three-month long look at issues which affect deaf people in Northern Ireland.

• Sign language is the first language for many deaf people, not English. It is a rich and diverse

method of communication.

• Many barriers have been put in the way of deaf people being allowed to play a full, equal, and active part in society. These barriers include discrimination, poor educational development practice, lack of access to the job market, and stigmatisation in how they are often treated.

• They should never be defined

solely by their deafness. Among deaf people there is a rich, diversity of opinions on a massive range of topics which concern them – for example, lip-reading versus sign language; to wear cochlear implants or not; and the choice of being taught in a deaf school or deciding to opt for a more mainstream education.

• The pandemic was a terrifying

experience for many deaf people. Masks, that were not transparent, meant that deaf people, who often depend on facial gestures, including lip-reading, felt excluded from what was going on around them. They often had to fight for the right to be heard.

• A Sign Language Act for British Sign Language (BSL) and Irish Sign Language (ISL) users should be urgently enacted. Deaf people need the legislation to ensure that they have full access to full justice and equality rights. They deserve no less.

One of my most enjoyable encounters was my meeting with deaf architect Richard Dougherty. At the end of our interview in Belfast (on pages 10 and 11) we wandered into the quad at Queen’s University. Richard referred to it as a ‘deaf space’ because of the absence of noise.

I understood right away what he was saying. We sat still for a brief moment in the warm afternoon sunshine and enjoyed the silence together.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of VIEW magazine. Please share it with your friends and colleagues.

Meanwhile, I’ve got to contact Bronagh Byrne to remind her of a promise she made to me if we ever got to produce an issue of VIEW about deaf people. She vowed to teach me all the swear words using sign language. I look forward to learning them.

It has been a slow process to get a Sign Language Act, but we are confident that it will happen

VIEW talks to Majella McAteer from the British Deaf Association

VIEW: How important is a British/Irish Sign Language Act for the Deaf community in Northern Ireland?

Majella McAteer: A Sign Language Act is a necessity because sign language is our only effective way of communicating. And just as a matter of comparison, can you imagine trying to understand, say for example, a change in the benefits legislation if it was presented to you in a different language? For deaf people, English is their second or third language and sign language is their first language. If you can imagine becoming profoundly deaf, and moving to a foreign country at the same time. That’s the comparison that I would make. How would you learn the language of the country you have moved to if you are unable to hear that language at all? It’s a very unrealistic expectation of deaf children and young people.

VIEW: What practical differences would it make to the lives of deaf people if we had a Sign Language Act?

Majella: Achieving this legislation would help protect and promote the use of sign language, the same as any other minority language. It would also means that deaf people would be able to use their own language to access public life in the same way as their hearing peers. Companies will be given clear guidelines and obligations on how to make the workplace more accessible to deaf people. We’re also fighting to have a Sign Language Act because there would be an obligation to provide interpreters.

VIEW: How frustrated are you with Stormont taking so long to implement a Sign Language Act?

Majella: In 2015, the sign language framework was initially launched. There was a public consultation carried out and it was an amazing piece of work. It was so promising and the British Deaf Association (BDA) was there throughout it to see how it was handled. The Minister for the Department for Communities announced that there was going to be a 16-week consultation. And for the first time ever, the consultation process was allowed to be run through Facebook. This meant that deaf people had the opportunity to respond in sign language, they were able to upload their videos and signings on Facebook. It was a brilliant piece of work. All those videos then had to be translated and passed over to the Assembly, and then the Assembly collapsed in 2017. We were taken aback by that. But the MLAs have still given us their commitment because of the New Decade New Approach programme for government that they are working on. We see sign language as a language of need.

VIEW: Does the Deaf community need to become more vocal, in terms of asserting its demands and rights, to make politicians and legislators listen to them?

Majella: The traditional role of the BDA is to ensure public services are improved for the Deaf community. The Deaf community and various groups have been campaigning and lobbying for the Act to come into play. We at the BDA continue to liaise with the local Government, MLAs, and other bodies to drive forward to the successful outcome of the Sign Language Act. BDA is always engaging with various government departments to ensure that we are up to date with information. It has been a slow process to get a Sign Language Act, but we