RIGHT TO BE HEARD

RIGHT
TO BE
HEARD
Britney Pease

INTRODUCTION
‘Right to be Heard’ was created over six months at the beginning of 2021. This book
showcases the portraits of deaf people and highlights how they have struggled with
face masks, lockdown and mental health.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, deaf people have become overlooked when it
comes to face masks. They rely on lip-reading to understand others. This project hopes
to educate people and raise awareness.
Britney Emma Pease

I have been deaf since I was six years old. I am 80% deaf in
both ears and wear hearing aids.
I got told I would never do anything, never amount to
anything, simply because of my deafness. My confidence went
downhill, but things changed when I went to high school and
became interested in Media Studies.
I then got into university studying Digital Journalism at Leeds
Beckett University. ‘Right to Be Heard’ is the final major
project and is the culmination of my undergraduate degree.
So... to all those people who said I would never do anything, -
here’s the proof you were wrong!
DO IT! TAKE NO NOTICE OF WHAT PEOPLE SAY!
BEING DEAF DOES NOT STOP YOU!
Britney Emma Pease

“Being deaf during lockdown has been incredibly
trying. On a typical day, lip-reading and the use
of hearing aids disguises the lack of awareness
in others and the intolerance. The wearing of
masks has been frustrating, upsetting and at times
provokes anger.
It makes me frustrated that people are
ignorant towards my communication needs
even though I wear a mask with big silver
writing on stating that I am a lip reader.
It’s upsetting because it makes me feel second
class and anger that I am made to feel this way.
time I felt like it was squashing my aids between
my ears and head giving my headaches. I now
wear them normal, but I have blister hot spots
where the elastic and aid rub against my ear. It
feels like a lose-lose situation.”
- Sami
I must admit that I have been lucky, I have stuck to
my local shops when I need to shop who know
me and do accommodate my communication
needs, but there is always the odd few.
I have struggled most within my work
environment. I work in the health and social
care sector as a healthcare assistant, my manager
and colleagues have been amazing but at times
people do forget, it happens (even after 22 years
my husband forgets sometimes).
The company I work for is different,
I feel like I have had a constant
battle for even the smallest things.
The wearing of a mask myself has proved
problematic at times too, I find using ear savers
get tangled with my aids and uncomfortable, I
used to wear a headband with buttons but over

P L E A S E
R E M O V E
Y O U R
M A S K S
“I work in the co-op and I was
finding it very difficult and could
not hear customers with masks,
some customers although few,
“I wear Hearing Aids”
became annoyed when I asked for
it to be removed and even used the
word aggressive in one case. My
employer did support me by giving
me a card that I could flash to show
that I am deaf and that masks will
need to be removed. This seemed
to help.”

MASKS
ARE
A
PROBLEM
“It was slightly different cannot understand emotion and
because I had to shield and so tone in the way that someone is
“I wear a Hearing Aid”
this meant I was at home when speaking.”
most returned to school. I was
happy being with my family.
Masks are a problem as I

“I’m a proud person who happens to be
deaf. I don’t want to change it. Why
would I ever want to change? Because
I’m used to this, I’m happy.”
I don’t want to wake up and suddenly say,
‘Oh my god, I can hear.’

That’s not my dream. I’ve been raised
deaf. I’m used to the way I am. I don’t
want to change it.
Why would I ever want to change?
Because I’m used to this, I’m happy.”
Marlee Matlin

“I have been deaf since birth in one ear and
became deaf at 3 in the other ear. Lockdown
has been tough.
Virtual land does not cater well for the deaf/
hearing impaired. Having no family close by I
have relied on friends and my church community
to support me. It has been isolating even simple
things like going to the shop which for me before
were easy has become difficult with people
wearing masks.
I designed a mask that tells people about my
hearing loss to try and help people understand.”
D I F F I C U L T
W I T H
P E O P L E
W E A R I N G
M A S K S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 a b c
d e f g h i
j k l m n o
p q r s t u
v w x y z

British Sign Language (BSL) is the preferred
language of over 87,000 deaf people in the UK.
Sign Languages are fully functional and expressive
languages; at the same time they differ profoundly
from spoken languages. BSL is a visual-gestural
language with a distinctive grammar using
handshapes, facial expressions, gestures and body
language to convey meaning.
There are 1.4 hearing people using BSL at home
for every deaf BSL user in the home. According to
NRCPD (National Registers of Communication
Professionals working with deaf and deafblind
people), there are 908 registered sign language
interpreters (RSLI) and a further 234 trainee sign
language interpreters (TSLI) in the UK. There are
11 registered sign language translators. (Source:
BDA, British Deaf Association).
It is a gateway to learning, a path towards a
sense of deaf indentity, and the means whereby
deaf people survive and flourish in a hearing
world (Source: BDA). There are currently 12
million adults who have a hearing loss (source:
RNID 2018) and of these 151,000 of these use
British Sign Language.

International symbol of access for hearing
loss
This symbol indicates that there are services
available for the deaf or hearing impaired.
Assistive listening devices-alternative
symbol
This symbol is sometimes used instead of the
international symbol. It can be used to indicate
there are a number of devices that can help
individuals with hearing loss.
Sign Language symbol
This symbol is displayed wherever sign language
interpreters are present.

Open caption symbol
The open caption symbol is text that is
permanently displayed on the screen
Telephone typewriter
Telephone typewriter symbol makes it easier for
people with hearing loss to communicate
Closed caption symbol
The closed caption is where it can be turned off
and on.

“My experience with face masks has been very stressful.
I try to avoid going out due to the anxiety of not knowing
what people are saying. I am still in secondary school and
have to wear them. It gets very lonely as everyone else can
communicate and I can’t, luckily my teachers wear clear
panel face masks but it still creates anxiety as everyone in
the room knows it’s because of me.
I think that my mental health has got worse due
to this 100%. I have only really coped because of having
my family with me in shops etc but it is annoying and
upsetting to know that I have lost quite a bit of
independence due to this.
I think a huge part of the problem is the lack of deaf
awareness, I had one incident where I told someone
I was deaf, and they told me that I should be learning
how to hear.”
Katie - Age 14

STRUGGLES TO HEAR MUFFLED
TONE UNDER THE MASK STRUGGLES
TO HEAR MUFFLED TONE UNDER
THE MASK STRUGGLES TO HEAR
MUFFLED “I am currently TONE in my last UNDER year (year THE 6) of MASK primary
school at St Edward’s Catholic and I am going to
STRUGGLES St John Fisher’s in TO Harrogate HEAR from MUFFLED
September..
TONE UNDER THE MASK STRUGGLES
I am very good at disguising the fact I am deaf on
TO my right HEAR side, but MUFFLED I often say ‘pardon’ TONE or look UNDER blank if
THE I do not MASK catch all the STRUGGLES conversation, I am TO not HEAR so good
at saying ‘could I sit here as I can’t hear on that side.”
MUFFLED TONE UNDER THE MASK
STRUGGLES As Belle’s mother, TO I try HEAR to encourage MUFFLED her to be TONE as open
as she can rather than disguise it. I do not make her wear a
UNDER THE MASK STRUGGLES TO
mask most of the time, but she does struggle to hear the
HEAR muffled tone MUFFLED under the mask TONE when others UNDER speak to her THE and I
often have to say that she cannot hear as she is partially deaf.
MASK STRUGGLES TO HEAR MUFFLED
TONE UNDER THE MASK STRUGGLES
TO HEAR MUFFLED TONE UNDER
THE MASK STRUGGLES TO HEAR
MUFFLED TONE UNDER THE MASK

“There is no relation to sound for deaf
people. It is a totally different mental
process.”
Richard Masur
“For deaf children born into a hearing
families. I’d like to see the families being
proud and saying ‘we’ve got one’, like a
golden ticket and feeling ‘we know what
to do’.

“Being deaf does not make you dumb, just
as being hearing does not make you smart.”
“I’d love to see that attitiude in society”
Jackie Wan

“Are you having problems hearing?
If so, those around you already
know it. Hearing loss is no laughing
matter, so don’t be a punchline.
Leslie Nielsen

NEVER FELT
AS
LOW
DURING
LOCKDOWN
“I have never felt as low as I did
during the lockdown. I made
a choice not to go to shops
because of the difficulty in being
able to understand people,
therefore my parents did this
for me. I feel being deaf puts
me at a disadvantage and
I am pleased that lockdown
restrictions are lifting.”
“I wear a Cochlear Implant”

S O C I A L L Y
I S O L A T E D
A N D
EMBARRASSED
“I had felt socially isolated
and not being able to attend
school initially was even worse.
I felt embarrassed in shops
and other places where I had to
constantly ask people to pull their
masks down”.
“I wear a Cochlear Implant”

DIFFICULT DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT
“I am single-sided deaf after losing my right side to Acoustic
Neuroma which is a type of brain tumour 10 years ago.
Although I struggle with it sometimes, I would not say I
have had any mental health issues as a result. I work in A&E
at Harrogate hospital, so it has been difficult, but more if the
people I am booking in are deaf and trying to understand me.”
DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT DIFFICULT
DIFFICULT DIFFICULT

FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
“I have been deaf since I was 40 after having problems with ear
infections and I had an operation on my right ear which didn’t work.
So I’m completely deaf in that ear and I am 60% deaf in my left ear. I
find it a struggle to cope and get frustrated because I don’t lip read
so I rely on one ear. I can get very down even more with lockdown
and I don’t deal with the masks, I don’t know what people are saying
and so I get frustrated. I usually need a family member with me.”
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED
FRUSTRATED

“6 out of 11 pupils felt their
education had been negatively
affected by Covid”
“It is linked to the fact the pupils
are hearing impaired compared to
a hearing community”

“Pupils felt they missed vital parts
of learning as well as socialisation
with their peers”
“They felt the pandemic had affected
their mental health in a negative
way”
St John’s School for the deaf pupils,
Boston Spa

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project
and for taking time out of busy schedules to take a
photo or tell a story.
A special mention is for those at the St John’s School
for the Deaf for allowing me to visit and capture their
personal stories. Your engagement and commitment
to ‘Right to be Heard’ was so valuable. A special thank
you to friends and family.
I hope this book encourages and inspires you to think
about the deaf community in a different light.