Isolated World

by Susan Eastwood

  What was I going to do now? I thought for a long time. All I wanted to do was work in an office, but I realized that it would never happen. But what else could I do? Did the Disability Employment Adviser advise me? Certainly not!

  I thought I would like to be a teaching assistant at a mainstream school, but I didn’t like the thought of going back to college yet again. I knew the communicators were only qualified Level Two in British Sign Language and that is not good enough for me (or anyone studying in college. However, I decided to go to college yet again.

  I was told I would have to do some voluntary work at school as part of my college work and to create a profile for my exams. I knew of a unit for deaf children in a mainstream school, as no deaf children now attended Beverley School. My sister found a number and I tried several times by using the minicom/textphone to ask if I could do volunteer work there, but I never got a reply from the teachers or the receptionist. In the end I had to ask my sister to call them on my behalf and that was when they agreed that I could do the volunteer work.

  The teacher agreed for me to come on Monday mornings. On the first morning I was taken to a classroom where there were children between five and six. No one asked me for my disclosure and barring service checks (previously CRB checks). It was only when I approached the teacher for the deaf about it after one month that she said she had forgotten. She then asked me to bring my CV and the disclosure and barring check papers. I was astounded that I was allowed to do volunteer work without anyone checking the papers on me, for these are the extremely vulnerable deaf children.

  That mainstream school was a different world from my own school, and I felt it was not right for the children and the teachers for the deaf. Their sign language was very poor and I would fall asleep when the teacher was using British Sign Language because it was boring and because it was old school and the teachers were not as professional or qualified as the NVQ level six registered interpreters. I felt I had seen and learned since I had left Beverly.

  While I was going to college and doing volunteer work at the school one morning a week and teaching three classes, I was also looking after my family and learning to drive. One of my former students was working in a supermarket and told me that she hated filling up shelves with tins. Unknown to me, she applied for a school job and was offered an interview at the same school where I was doing the volunteer work, as an assistant working with deaf children. Yet she had only just passed level one British Sign Language, which meant she had only learned for 30 weeks and a total of 60 hours.

  I asked her how this had come about. She explained that she had filled a form in and sent it to the council and several weeks afterwards she received a phone call to ask if she would be interested in going to this particular school. When she went to meet the teacher she was asked to have a look around the school and conversed with the teacher for the deaf for about ten minutes. She told the teacher that she liked what she had seen and the teacher offered her the job. I found this astounding and felt fundamental questions needed to be asked. Did no one check her communication skills in British Sign Language?

  Here I was going to college every week for three hours’ study and to build a profile and doing volunteer work every Monday at the same school. But wasn’t I the right person for that job? Was there another deaf teaching assistant at that school? There were two I knew of, and this one had gone from working in a supermarket to this job 25 hours a week, with no knowledge of deaf children’s different degrees of deafness, no working experience with deaf children and no understanding of deaf children’s behaviour.

  I did set up a meeting with the head teacher to complain about it, but I don’t think he understood my problem and nothing was changed. I couldn’t believe it.

  I did find the course difficult, but I managed to finish it and pass my exams. I applied to the council for teaching assistant positions by filling in an application which had only one sheet to fill in, but no job was offered. I felt my time had been wasted. When I did volunteer work it certainly opened my eyes. Is it working for the mainstream schools? Is there is any research into deaf children’s education today? Once again I had to continue going to the Job Centre.

  Then I was surprised to receive a message on my textphone from a social worker. She was asking if I would be interested in being on the panel for interviewing deaf and hearing people for jobs as social workers! I didn’t hesitate. I replied to the social worker to say that I would be interested. We then arranged the day and time and when I arrived on the day I was an hour early. I met the head of the social work department and a lady who was in charge of the social workers. She asked me a few questions, and was surprised when I said we had to take different degree of deafness into account. ‘Er... yes you are quite right’, she said. I did not know if any of them had any experience with deaf people or if any of the hearing persons had learned British Sign Language. The only people who read the application forms were the social workers and the head of the department, who were going to be on the panel to do the interviewing.

  There were four of us on the panel, two deaf people and two hearing people. We would ask two questions each of 10 applicants. The first hearing man’s questions were not strong enough. After the interview we could discuss the candidate and I would write down the points he or she had earned for each question, then we would work out who had got the most points.

  The next one was a hearing lady. She came in the room and smiled and sat down on the chair. The manager explained that she would be asked two questions in British Sign Language and she would have to respond in sign language. Suddenly her body language changed and she was not smiling any more. I thought, what is the matter?

  I started to sign the first question and she got more and more upset. The lady next to me said to her, ‘It’s all right, you can take your time’. I knew straight away that she was not able to use British Sign Language and would not be the right person for the job. She said, ‘I work with adults with learning disabilities and I did learn British Sign Language some time ago, but I have not worked with or met a deaf person or used British Sign Language since I passed Level two exams’.

  The atmosphere in that room was awful and she was crying for quite a while. We all tried to reassure her that is was all right and she could learn sign language later. I blamed those who had invited her for the interview. I was sorry for her, but at the same time I thought that if I had seen what she had written on the application form about her experience and qualifications I probably would not have asked her for an interview.

  We interviewed six more people, of whom three were deaf. We agreed that it had gone all right. We had written down points for each question and left it like that. We were to come back again next week to interview five more.

  This time there were three deaf people and two hearing people. The first was a deaf man - I knew him and what he did for a living. His answers to my two questions were excellent and it carried on the same way with the rest of the questions each of us asked. When it was finished we were all very impressed and I put him at the top of my list. He was working in a residential home for deaf adults with learning disabilities. One of the questions he put to the head of the social services was if the hours could be increased. The social services manager said maybe, in the near future.

  The next interviewee was a hearing lady who was able to use British Sign Language, which was all right but not great. I found her answers poor and gave her low points. I could tell she had worked with deaf people, however. When it was finished we discussed her and agreed that she was average. The last person was a deaf man and his interview with us was not very good. I did not have to think carefully to decide who the right person for the job was – the deaf man. We all agreed.

  That was a good and interesting learning experience for me and I believed more of this should be happening everywhere. Sadly it does not.

  A couple of weeks later I was at the deaf centre and asked the social worker if the man we had chosen had accepted the j
ob. She said he had not, so it had been given to the lady who I had thought was average. I was very disappointed. I was able to ask him myself when I was at the deaf centre a few months later, and he said the hours had not been enough for him.

  During my time in college, I thought if I learned to drive it would help me with getting a job if I were to work further afield or working shifts. But where could I find a driving instructor with some basic knowledge of British Sign Language? I wasn’t likely to find one in Yellow Pages! Philip suggested that he would ask his driving instructor if he knew someone, and luckily he did and passed me his details.

  I was very nervous and excited for my first driving lesson. John, the instructor, took me somewhere very quiet and taught me by letting me watch his foot on the brakes and accelerator. He was able to use very basic signs, which helped while I was driving. He would use his hands slightly forward so I could see them. If he wanted me to turn right he would use his right hand and his left for turning left. If he wanted me to go straight ahead he would use his palm to show me, and he would keep pointing his index finger to the mirror to remind me to use it! As we were approaching a roundabout he would move his index finger in a circle and then tell me to either turn or go straight on.

  It was difficult at first because not only did I have to watch his basic signs, I had to learn how to use the pedals, clutch, brakes and accelerator. John would sit in the driving seat and show me how they worked and then we would swap seats and I would use them myself to show I could learn it all. But that was not all - I had to do the theory test. For me to study the book was the most boring and the hardest thing I have ever done, and some of the words I had never heard before. It was very expensive too.

  On the day of the theory test I was presented with a qualified interpreter, NVQ level six. She signed the questions and I had to type in the answer from the computer. When it was over I was very glad to be told I had passed the theory test at my first attempt. I continued learning to drive, which took me nearly a year. On the day of the test I was annoyed that the instructor did not know what to do or how to use simple basic signs. This did not help my nervousness. When he did use his hand to tell me to turn right, I did so, but he said no, not that one, the one in the end of this road!

  Did I pass my driving test the first time? No I did not! I knew I would have to pay more money, and there was no instructor with basic British Sign Language. I discussed it with my driving instructor and he said he could only explain to them that I needed to understand which way they wanted me to go. This did not help me. After I had failed three times I was thinking about giving up, but decided to give it one more go. The fourth time, I passed - and it was the examiner who had failed me the first time! I was so pleased it was all over, as it had been very expensive.

  Then I received a letter to confirm that the Disability Employment Adviser would no longer assist me. I was given another DEA and wondered if he would be any better qualified for the job. When I arrived to meet him, I felt he was just the same as the others. I had to face the Job Centre with the same man every two weeks with an interpreter for about a year, but then I found a job as advocate for the deaf at the fire station, advertised on the deaf club notice board. I was delighted, but I found some of the job description off-putting because it did say a quite a bit about communication with staff at the station and making phone calls, which I thought might find it difficult. However I still wanted to apply for it.

  I photocopied the advertisement and took it with me to show it to the new Disability Employment Adviser. I was excited and could not wait for his help and advice, but instead he looked quite shocked. I asked about the situation with the phone calls and communicating with staff. He had not been looking for work for me – he had done nothing at all. He did not know where to look. He shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. In the end the interpreter stepped in and said I could apply for the job because I could use an ‘Access To Work’ interpreter who could come to my work place and give me advice, and explain what the job description meant.

  I felt a bit better knowing that I could do the job. What did that Disability Employment Adviser do and say? Absolutely nothing! He certainly was not comfortable. He quickly said ‘sign here, goodbye’. I went home in a daze wondering what to do next.

  I thought I had better go and see my sister Jill, even though it had been snowing heavily for several days and not many transport services were available. I knew she was very busy packing up to go to Australia, so I apologised and asked her for help with the application form. She was more than happy to help me fill it in - she is very good at doing them for me.

  I went home relieved that the application form was done and I sent it immediately the next day by recorded delivery. While I was waiting to see if I would be given an interview I knew my next job would be looking for an interpreter, and I was not sure when to get one.

  Then I received a call on my textphone from a fire officer, to ask which day would be best for me to attend the interview. He asked if I would like to book an interpreter of my choice. I quickly gave him her name and hoped that she would be available on the day of interview. That would save me using my time and money looking around for an interpreter. It is more expensive using the textphone than the normal phone.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘Never seen a deaf person before’

  I was excited to be asked for an interview and was hoping that I would not have to attend the Job Centre any more. The job was part-time, only for eighteen hours a week, which meant that I still could teach British Sign Language on Mondays and Tuesdays. I prayed it would go well and studied the safety of everything that was needed in the home. Why didn’t the Disability Employment Adviser do that for me? It was history repeating itself! He did absolutely nothing.

  I was so pleased to receive a letter confirming an interview with the interpreter of my choice. I went back to see the Disabilities Adviser. I could not believe he would just sit there expecting me to say I had filled in the application forms myself and searched around for an interpreter. He was being paid by the taxpayer to help deaf people to come off benefit and go into employment.

  I really wanted that job. On the day of the interview I got up very early and put on my best brown suit and boots, my hair done. My son took me the 20 miles in my car. I was both nervous and excited and kept telling myself to be positive.

  When I arrived the officer apologised, as I was supposed to be interviewed by three officers but one had to attend elsewhere, so only two interviewed me. But I felt it went really well and I hoped and prayed I would be asked for a second interview.

  While I was waiting for the second interview I had to attend the Job Centre, and the Disability Employment Adviser asked me if I was going to be interviewed again. I could only say that I was still waiting and could not wait to leave. I was only there for five minutes.

  At the second interview I wore a blue suit, and kept telling myself that I was closer to leaving the Job Centre and beginning a new life. The three fire officers were quite understanding, but I still felt I was getting the ‘never seen a deaf person before’ look, even though the previous person in the post had been deaf.

  I felt the second interview went really well and was very pleased with myself. I had no problems with the interpreter. I kept looking for the post every day. After about two weeks a brown envelope arrived on the floor and I saw that it was from the fire station. I did not dare to open it but just kept walking around the room with it for about fifteen minutes. When I eventually opened it, my heart sank and darkness came over me. It said I had a lot of qualities and had done very well at the interview, but they could not offer me the job or offer feedback. I knew only four deaf and one hearing person had gone for the interview.

  I was extremely upset for the next two weeks and could not sleep or eat very well. I had desperately been hoping for a new chapter in my life and had strongly believed that the job was suitable for a deaf person. I knew I was able to do both teaching and working as a
dvocated for the deaf people. I could teach all the fire staff at that station with my wealth of knowledge and improve the understanding of deaf people’s safety in everyday life.

  I had this churning horrible and was sick in my stomach at the thought of having to go and face the Job Centre and continue seeing that same adviser.

  There was a rumour going around at the deaf club that the fire station where I had had the interview had employed a hearing person with no knowledge of British Sign Language to be an advocate for the deaf. I remember at the interview I was asked several questions relating to how to help deaf people in their homes and what advice I should be giving to them to make their homes safer. I would show them around the house and teach them how to make sure doors were closed at night before going to bed, and look around for the safety fire escape. I would also have to explain twice to a deaf person who might have a learning difficulty as well, and I understood the difficulties, because these deaf people are vulnerable, so I would ensure that they would be understood correctly before I left the house.

  Was I ever going to get a job? The previous person who had left the post had been deaf. How could I sleep? I never did sleep very well, because I knew I would have to continue to go to the Job Centre and I did not want to face that Disability Employment Adviser again.

  When I arrived and sat down he asked if I had been looking for any more jobs, although he knew I had just been for two interviews. I said I had looked, but there was nothing suitable yet.

  ‘Right’ he said, ‘I have found this one receptionist’s job at the hospital 15 hours a week and you can do that job with the interpreter working and standing next to you.’ He said it very aggressively. I got upset and angry. I just could not sit and say nothing, so I said ‘You call yourself a Disability Employment Adviser? You are absolutely rubbish!’