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Follow Kim on Instagram @help2sign<br />
Every day, I<br />
receive lovely<br />
messages from<br />
many hearing<br />
individuals<br />
learning BSL,<br />
which makes<br />
me so happy<br />
an NHS letter saying I am<br />
considered vulnerable,<br />
and had to self-shield<br />
for more than three<br />
months. This greatly<br />
impacted me starting my<br />
Help2Sign business, and<br />
made me anxious about<br />
what the future would<br />
hold – especially as being<br />
on furlough increased<br />
my anxiety and mental<br />
health.<br />
On 26 March, <strong>2020</strong>, I<br />
uploaded my first video<br />
– which was nerveracking,<br />
but I loved so<br />
much. I couldn’t believe<br />
the positive feedback I<br />
was getting. Every day, I<br />
receive lovely messages<br />
from many hearing<br />
individuals learning BSL,<br />
which makes me so happy<br />
that people are actively<br />
learning such a beautiful<br />
language.<br />
After just four months,<br />
I went from 10 to 6,200<br />
followers, have been<br />
featured in Stacey<br />
Dooley’s documentary<br />
Locked down Heroes, and<br />
was nominated for a<br />
Diversity Award in the<br />
Excellence Entrepreneur<br />
category, which was an<br />
incredible and lovely<br />
surprise. Recently,<br />
I was approached to<br />
collaborate with Tea<br />
Please UK, to combine<br />
my love of art with BSL,<br />
and have now got a range<br />
of mugs and T-shirts<br />
with my illustrations on,<br />
with the proceeds going<br />
to SignHealth. This is a<br />
charity I have supported<br />
for many years, that has<br />
played a huge part in<br />
helping deaf individuals<br />
with their wellbeing and<br />
mental health issues,<br />
and is particularly<br />
close to my heart due<br />
to experiencing mental<br />
health issues as well.<br />
In a world so focused<br />
on promoting diversity<br />
and raising awareness,<br />
there is still a lot to do<br />
regarding accessibility for<br />
those with hearing loss<br />
– such as interpreters. I<br />
hope that I can, even just<br />
a little, make a positive<br />
impact in the deaf<br />
community.<br />
OUR EXPERT SAYS<br />
We have all seen the world<br />
differently in the past few<br />
months. We’ve noticed<br />
just how important it is<br />
to connect with our loved<br />
ones, but also to be able to<br />
communicate our needs to<br />
others – and be ‘heard’.<br />
It’s really great that at<br />
a time when many were<br />
drawing away from<br />
society, Kim found she<br />
could reach out and<br />
engage. She reminds<br />
us that there are so<br />
many different ways to<br />
experience the world,<br />
and opening our eyes<br />
to how others see it can<br />
broaden our own<br />
horizons, and<br />
allow us to feel<br />
part of something<br />
bigger.<br />
Rachel Coffey | BA MA NLP Mstr<br />
Life coach<br />
<strong>October</strong> <strong>2020</strong> • happiful.com • 77
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