Having taught swimming for the past 7+ years, and working in a leisure centre, I have been in contact with a few deaf people, such as the parents of children I teach and casual pool users.

I even have two partially deaf cousins who wear hearing aids full time. Being ignorant of their difficulties, I never thought about it being a problem to just speak to them instead of attempting to learn sign language (both use Irish sign language).

However I got a lovely little deaf girl in one of my beginners lessons and classes. The mother was on poolside translating everything I said into sign. It wasn't fair that the mum had to sit melting on the hot and humid pool bank while we were in the water, so I decided to go on a 9 week introductory sign language course.

After that I taught the child by myself, so the mother could now relax and have a break. Even though my cousins use a different sign language, there are some similarities and I was able to sign a few things to them. The ability to have small signed conversations with my cousins received a massive smile in return and I knew I had to keep it up.

So I asked the girls mum what I could do and where I could go to learn more and she got in contact with Sound Friends. They have now put me and others on a course for BSL Level 1 (British Sign Language) and we're currently about half way through the course.

Sound friends are a local group, under the National Deaf Children's Society, which is run by parents, friends and families of deaf children. The work they do is vital to allow children to feel included everywhere - in schools, in their hobbies, and especially at home, and also allowing and helping those around them to get the training they need to communicate in what should become the child's first language :)

The reason I chose to dye my hair is because it stands out, and when people ask I can say it's for this amazing group doing amazing things.

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