Hard of Hearing Lipreading & Communication Support.

 Personal Interest.

Why I became a Lipreading and Communication Tutor.

Several years ago, I paid a visit to my G.P. due to a problem I was having with my balance. My G.P. sent me to the hospital for further tests and examinations. After my hospital appointments I went back to my G.P. who strongly recommended I take up lipreading and communication classes, due to the fact that I have Labrinthitis. This at times makes my head swim and I get extremely dizzy, to such an extent I keep falling over. When I am like this my hearing is also affected and there is nothing at all I can do about it, but to ride it out.
I got to a stage where I was absolutley fed up with it. I didn't want to go out. All I wanted to do was to keep myself to myself, then I would not get upset in any way. For, if I got hold of the wrong end of the stick or didn't hear what someone was saying, I knew people would laugh at me by making me feel inadequate or stupid, or say 'never mind it doesn't matter, forget it;'  they would carry on talking as though I wasn't there. I would laugh at jokes, even though I hadn't heard them properly; then ask my husband to tell me again when we were in the safety own home so no one could hear us and where I knew I was safe.

I kept going over what my G.P. had told me, but I was too nervous and embarrassed at that time to do anything about it, as I thought it was my own fault this was happening; and that if I were to go to a lipreading class where other people were they would laugh at me.

Eventually I plucked up enough courage to phone for some details on lipreading classes. I received details and dates from our local centre. It took me another few weeks to get enough courage to phone the teacher who was giving these lessons, her name was Betty and she actually came to my home to see me because of the way I felt. After talking to Betty about my problems, she laid my fears to rest. She explained what happened in her lipreading class and what they did, saying that no matter who went to her class with any kind of hearing problem, they would not feel left out as everyone in the group had the same feelings as me and in some caes their feeling were a lot worse than mine were.

Betty left me to think about what we had spoken about and didn't push me in any way, shape or form, and through this twenty minute conversation with her I joined her class; that was in September 1994.

As my confidence grew with going to the lipreading class, I began to realise that I wasn't the only one in this position, even though at first, I thought I was; there were many more people who thought along the same lines as I did. I began to think how many more people might need help with their hearing problems but didn't have the courage to come forward. This thought made me want to do more for other people in the same position as me or worse. I decided to speak with Betty about doing something about it.

I joined a Sign Language course. I did this for two years.  I passed my level 1 C.A.C.D.P and level 2 O.C.S.L; as well as keeping my lipreading going. The more I got into it, the more I realised  more people were required within the lipreading and communication community who would pass on these invaluable skills to those who were in great need of help within this catagory.

From here I made enquiries at Manchester Metropolitan University with regard to the speechreading ( Lipreading) and Communication course. Details were forwarded on to me. I filled in the forms and sent them back. I was later asked to go for an interview, with the possibility of being accepted on the course. And I am happy to say that I was accepted on the course in September 1999.

In June 2000 I qualified as a Speechreading and Communication teacher for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults.