You’re sitting in the classroom.
You’re looking at everyone,
trying to understand what they’re saying.
They’re laughing and giggling
and you’re the only one who can’t understand.
The teacher is trying to play a video
and there are SCREECHING noises
and it hurts your ears!

You’re walking down the street
And you hear loads of noises.
People SCREAMING, shouting, talking.
You hear people from the pub,
fast music playing
and you miss the words they say.

You’re crossing the road
and you hear buses and cars.
You’re not really safe outside.
It is uncomfortable
when you hear really loud noises.
OUCH! It hurts your ears!


You’re in the shops.
It’s crowded with loads of people
talking, SHOUTING, laughing.
You’ve got all these noises at you
continuously.
You’re trying to think.
You’re thinking ‘Why do I have to be this person?’

You’re on a bus.
The bus driver says
‘Sorry love
I can’t hear you.
Can you talk up a bit louder?’
You’re embarrassed.
You’re at the front.
Everyone’s looking.

When you’re looking at other people
you feel like you wanna be that other person
but really you can’t change that.
It will be there forever
the deafness.
It won’t change.
It can’t change.


You’re at home.
You hear noises from the TV
and you can’t understand the words
or the subtitles.
It gets faster when you read it.
The words they use,
you don’t know what that means.

Your sister calls you names,
calls you ‘deaf’
says ‘You deaf idiot
At least I’m not deaf like you’.
You think … I don’t like that word ‘deaf’
Sometimes you get upset when you go upstairs
but you can’t help that.
You were born like that.

You go to bed.
It’s quiet.
You are safe inside.
You sometimes hear noises outside.
Without the hearing aids
it’s harder to pick up different sounds.

You’re sleeping
You’re still deaf in your sleep.

By Gemma Harding
Shooters Hill post-16 campus

What’s it like being deaf?
Not very nice to be honest.
Hopefully there’s a cure for me one day,
An operation to fix the hairs.

My hearing loss deteriorated.
At the start it was very good.
Thought nothing of it.
I could hear without my hearing aids
quite well actually.
Then my hearing started going down
like a bird being shot from the sky
or like the sun being eclipsed by the moon.

I’m always comparing
Being hearing to being deaf.

My hearing aids are very important to me.
I can’t hear anything without them anymore.
I wish I was hearing.
I think about it quite a lot.

On a good day …
I can hear people.
There’s no glue ear making it worse,
blocking the sound like a dam.
I’m much more confident.


On a bad day …
I can’t hear.
I can’t pronounce my words properly.
I’m frustrated
depressed
quiet
and I just want to get home.

I have my good days and bad days
80% good
20% bad.

By Jordan Ring
Shooters Hill post-16 campus

Proud to be Deaf?
Can’t decide………

Don’t matter who you are
And what life is like
Need to be proud of yourself
Who you are.
I am proud of myself.

I had hard time
I felt little bit like I don’t want to be deaf
Felt little bit odd
Wondering why
Because in the whole wide world hearing people are different to me.

When I take hearing aids off
I hear NOTHING !
But when I put them on
I hear EVERYTHING!
What is better
Silence or sound?
Sound all the way… but it annoys me and I switch it off.
Silence all the way… but I need to hear sound for life.
Can’t decide ………………….

By Maxwell Nevin
Shooters Hill post-16 campus

I CANT SPEAK
BECAUSE IT IS TOO HARD FOR ME.
AND I DON’T WEAR IMPLANT COCHLEAR
BECAUSE I DON’T LIKE TO WEAR IT.

I REALLY LOVE TO SIGN
TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY FRIENDS.
BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE AND
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE.

SIGNING IS SIMILAR TO ART FOR ME
BECAUSE SIGNING IS VERY CREATIVE
HANDS STROKE THE AIR LIKE MY PAINTBRUSH.

SINGING IS VERY USEFUL FOR ME
BECAUSE IT ALWAYS GIVE ME IDEA TO CREATE
ONE BIG GREAT PIECE OF ART
COLORFUL, IMAGINATION, LOTS OF EXCITEMENT
AND EASY FOR ME.

I WANT LET OUT
MY CREATIVE IDEAS
I WANT TO BE PROUD
OF ME INSIDE OUT.

THAT’S WHY HANDS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EARS AND MOUTH
FOR ME …

By Maria Paban Lara
Shooters Hill Post-16 Campus, London

Talking to Ms Weeks
clever like a lion
fun and knowing.

Thomas Tallis feel weird.
Strange in my minds
lose the rules and purple in my head.

I felt like small and thinking.
I hear the word in my brains.
I can't explain.

Itchy on my skin
bubble on my belly ache
Medicine is stress me out and can't go sleep.

Sad inside my body and yellow heart
empty taste.

It's disgusting.

By Mica Russell
Shooters Hill Post-16 Campus, London

One night when I was walking down on this road by my own. YEAH year. As I was walking there then I saw a club house and I hear a noise loud over there. Who was there playing guitar what music is it

Then I stopped walking and I looked left and right and across the road. Then I moved closer to the door and open it when I open it there was a bright light shine closer to me. Then as the light geese off then I looked therrrrrrrre. I moved close to there and I was still keeping move keeping move there. Once I was front other then I looked at who was that woo so its Jonas brother then I amazing the music

I loves this music. Once I looked at then then I closed my eyes and I was wishing think that I could play guitar. Barry Dodo oh oh oh baras barras. Then I stopped think and I opened eyes then one of Jonas brother spread this hand to me then I went there and I looked down at everybody and I smile and I JUMPED UP YES!

By Ruky Janere
Westgate College for Deaf People, Margate

Thomas Tallis is royal blue
Healthy and alive
Outside is huge area
Must have rules
Art challenge try try try!
Settle counselling work calm

Teachers are boring, except Ms Weeks
Always learn something
Life, be healthy, life get on, life, a circle
Learn life, life……
Is learning
Speech Therapy help me with language

Thomas Tallis is the world.

The End

By Mica Russell
Shooters Hill Post-16 Campus, London

Make my own style
My own language
BSL is my style
All my style is best!
BSL … best style!

All the BSL words are comfortable
When I see something I know I get it!
BSL is my style

People like BSL nouns and verbs
Using different BSL signs with the same words
BSL is my style

I know slang words from English
I know the English slang for rude,
Offensive and insulting … p o x y!
Always fingerspell to others
BSL is my style

I am knowledgeable about sign language
I know the BSL slang for bluffing … f e t c h!
Always using sign language to others
BSL is my style

I am very interested in sign language
With slang English / BSL words
BSL is my style

All hearing people are very interested in
Joining the sign language club
BSL is still my style forever

You know BSL style is best!!


By Sean Timon
Shooters Hill Post-16 Campus, London

Hope my dream came true, new boyfriend.
Hope my dream came true, new boyfriend and lovely beach.
Hope my dream came true, new boyfriend, lovely beach and rich.
Hope my dream came true, new boyfriend, lovely beach, rich, and business.
Hope my dream came true, new boyfriend, lovely beach, rich, business and big house.
Hope my dream came true, new boyfriend, lovely beach, rich, business, big house and big family.
Hope my dream came true, new boyfriend, lovely beach, rich, business, big house, big family and swim pool.

By Sallie-Anne Webb
Beaufort Community School

Be good attitude
Like meet new deaf and hearing friends
Achievement with NDCS Volunteer
Nice of person support to each other solves things
Communicate with deaf people, sign and lip read
Always be kind to people and Dream about my future in Philippines come true this my dream

By Blanca Ford
Beaufort Community School

Deaf is sometimes hard
with using sign language
& communication is confused if they were using sign so fast.
Sometime I am so confused
with sign language
BSL & SSE.
Deaf is great & fun.
Some deaf students who can't sign is trying to catch up
what they were saying
& watch Deaf student.
Lipsreading sometime it hard for Deaf students
when some Deaf students want to learn
how to get involved with sign language
with Deaf people
Now I am happy to learn sign language with Level 2
to communicate with Deaf student.


By Tiffany Hudson

I am deaf but that's not all.
I love listening to music
And being with friends.

I feel sometimes that people stare,
But that's not all me,
I have so much more.

In the spring
I love to see each flower grow.

In the summer
I like to sunbathe
And watch the clouds go by overhead.

In the autumn
I love the way the leaves sound under my feet.

In the winter
I love the way big snowflakes fall down
And make the ground all white and sugary.

So if people don't like what they see
They should just get on with it
Because I am me.

By Laura Blankley
Age - 17
Hearing Support Centre, Alun School, Mold

Deaf. Why am I deaf?
I am like you, nought different about me!
Why do you think I'm stupid?
I am not.
I am just the same as you!

I really don't like you when you are like this.
I feel upset and miserable.
Can't you be happy for people who are deaf?

It's cool being deaf.
I feel lucky.
Sometimes it's good being deaf,
But on the other hand it's not.
People treat you differently.

Sometimes I feel confused and different like I'm in my own little world.
Sometimes hearing people are nice and kind,
But others are ungrateful
And treat you as if you're not an ordinary person.
I feel safe around my family and friends.

I am deaf.
I have got to accept who I am.
I want to be treated the same,
Include me in the world.

By Victoria Roberts
Age - 18
Hearing Support Centre, Alun School, Mold

I look up to the star and moon
And I say to God
How do I make a wish?
I scream out to God I want to hear
Let me see the wish
I hope God make my wish
And a little fairy fly
Very beautiful
Said don’t cry

I love dancing so much
And the fairy said sleep
When I was sleeping
I was dreaming I was dancing
With a nice boy

One day midnight
A whole happiness
Walking by the tree
We went outside the park
And everywhere was dark
And see …
See stars
Stars crash! Wow!

How long me and he
Will never see again
Me like you
Bye

And all my life I don’t know what to do
I want to change
To be a rock star
Not too much to change

The sky and the world is changing
In my life I see a lot of kid
Growing up
How could I grow?
But I want to grow!
I can’t just grow
I’m trying
But my strength, my brain, my eyes …

I also love the world
I sleep and I smile
I love the world
In life every day I see the world will change
How will I see the wish?

Let everyone love together

Finish

By Ruky Janere
Charlton School, London