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Graduates put focus on the future of the deaf community

27/01/2021

University of Wolverhampton graduates took a trip back to the City Campus in Wolverhampton recently to film a documentary about the future of the deaf community.

The three alumni were Hamza Shaikh, who studied for a degree in Deaf Studies, Special Needs and Inclusion Studies and graduated in 2018, Melissa Wessel who studied for a degree in Linguistics and Deaf Studies and graduated in 2016 and Samuel Ash who studied for a degree in Film and Television Studies, graduating in 2019 with First Class Honours.

Sam is now working as a camera operator for BBC See Hear, a magazine for the deaf community highlighting the latest issues, Melissa directed some of the scenes for the documentary and is a freelance producer and Hamza was a reporter on the show.

The documentary, ‘Anyone Listening?’ was aired on 27th January at 8.00 am on BBC2 and features Hamza interviewing the Vice-Chancellor, Geoff Layer about the student deaf community’s experience at the University.

Sam said: “Despite the huge effects that the pandemic has had on the film and TV industry since 2020, I was fortunate to start working on the BBC magazine show 'See Hear' in May. I was involved in making the documentary 'Anyone Listening' which we filmed last Autumn.

“We made a great documentary while following the tough COVID restrictions and guidelines. I graduated from the university in 2019 and I am thankful for everything the University did to help me develop my confidence and give me the skills I need to work in the TV industry.”

The University has provided deaf support and deaf studies at the University for 25 years.

About the documentary:

Hamza Shaikh, James Boyle, and Abigail Gorman- young, passionate activists- are all concerned about the future of their deaf community. They want to take action. In order to do so they meet to discuss what are the key pressing issues: access to mental health services, access to education and the lack of British Sign Language (BSL) legalisation. 

The young activists part ways and meet members of their community to learn more about the issues. Hamza meets Martine Monksfield, a teacher of the Deaf, who agrees that more work needs to be done to improve access to higher education. James speaks with Jackie Wan, a qualified mental health nurse, about the plights of living in a world obsessed with social media and the fast-paced lifestyle we lead. They agree, unanimously, that the deaf community need more support when it comes to their mental health. Abigail invites Paul Ntulilia, a friend and fellow activist, over for a chat about how BSL has no legal status in England, Wales and Northern Ireland despite the BSL Act being enforced in Scotland. 

The activists reconvene to share their findings with one another. They reflect on the history of the Deaf community and agree that action now needs to be taken. They part ways again, for the last time, to confront the higher powers to push for change. 

Whilst James does not get an interview with the NHS, he speaks with Christopher Reid from SignHealth to find out what measures need to be put into place to make the change happen and improve access to mental health services for BSL users. Hamza confronts Geoff Layer, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, to share his university experience that was tarred by his fight for access, and to discuss what changes have been made for future deaf students. Last, but not least, Abigail meets Lillian Greenwood, an MP, to discuss the APPG on Deafness and what steps can be taken to push for BSL to have a legal status. 

Will the young activists get the answers they need? Will they end the film with a better idea of the steps to take to push for change for the future of their community?

ENDS

 

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