Hi,

My name is Jeramy, and I would like your help to raise £500 for a school trip to Sri Lanka in July 2018. This trip will be invaluable for me as I’ll be able to use my experiences to help and support others who are also profoundly deaf. It will also help broaden my horizons and learn more about other cultures, as I’ve never travelled to Asia before.

About my trip

There are quite a few different activities organised during my trip to Sri Lanka, however the activity I am looking forward to the most is volunteering at a deaf school. We will be working within the local community, teaching both English and sign language and helping facilitate other activities around the school.

Short Bio

I was born deaf, to hearing parents at the King George Hospital in Ilford on the 21st of June 2001 and was diagnosed as profoundly deaf when I was 18 months old. At the age of three, the doctors recommended I get a cochlear implant; hearing aids were not working for me, and even though I was having speech therapy there was very little progression. My family at the time had very little experience with my diagnosis and I know for sure agreeing to have the operation was a scary decision for my Mum. Thankfully, the operation went seamlessly and the cochlear was implanted on the right side of my head. Slowly but surely I was able to develop and improve my speech. This was not an instant turn around, neither did it come without challenges especially for my family. For most of my early childhood years our communication was disjointed. I was in and out of speech therapy sessions and was only able to communicate using monosyllabic words. As I got older my speech as well as my vocabulary, significantly improved. This was down to the hard work and dedication of the Speech and Language team at the Nuffield Centre, Teachers of the special needs unit at my primary school, and of course my Mum who took over every night without fail!

By the time I was ready to leave primary school, I had gained a lot more self-confidence as a deaf student. I was accepted to Mary Hare secondary school; a boarding school outside of London and was super excited about the next part of my journey. However, I also had my reservations. How would I cope? Was I ready to go to secondary school away from home? Surprisingly, yes I was. I felt right at home with my deaf peers. There’s something special about being around students who share the same issues. They’re easier to relate to, they understand my perspective and see the world in a similar way. The care-staff also made it really easy to integrate. I felt right at home.

I have achieved a lot here at Mary Hare Boarding School; I’ve met lifelong friends, gained transferable skills, improved my communication skills and I’ve become much more independent and self-sufficient. In hindsight my diagnosis has been a blessing in disguise. If it wasn’t for my deafness I would have gone to a secondary school in inner London and would not have had the boarding school experience. This experience has definitely prepared me both from an academic standpoint and equipped me with the necessary life skills to tackle any obstacles that may come my way.

Being a deaf kid has its ups and downs and I have embraced them wholeheartedly. My experiences have helped shape me into the resilient person I am today and I want to use these experiences to help others in a similar situation!

Thanks so much for reading my short Bio. I hope this has sparked your interest and given you more insight into the my life as a deaf kid.

If you would like to contribute please click the button above. No amount is too small, and I would really appreciate your support.

You will be able to follow my journey in Sri-Lanka on Facebook through, pictures/videos. Please look at link below

Facebook Page

Remember, the page goes live from the 4th of July

Thanks again

Jeramy