Sometimes it’s easy to believe that there are simply no Deaf people in the UK because you personally haven’t met or befriended someone Deaf yet… So it can be quite a shock to Hearing people having to interact with a Deaf person for the first time. It doesn’t have to be!
One way to get yourself more mentally prepared for talking with a Deaf person is to start recognising they are people, but just relying on what you see on TV and what you read in books sometimes isn’t enough.
The 21st century is well along its way, and within it is the beauty of the internet– it’s how you found this website! And with this, you can access so many beautiful accounts of so many equally beautiful people’s social media pages and blogs! It is a joy to see how someone else lives their life, and I am very grateful for so many Deaf people out there wanting to document their lives; having so many perspectives and experiences is truly insightful (and has made me personally feel less alone in the Hearing world)
Take a look at what Deaf people’s daily lives look like below:
Some will of course have multiple social media pages, so I have only listed one of their accounts
(Click the ▶ arrows for content)
Author
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Paddy Ladd
The Deaf man who coined “Deafhood”, which is the term used to describe what it means to identify as Deaf regardless of upbringing and societal norms. Paddy was a pivotal figure in the West Country, having spent many years in the role of teaching staff in the University of Bristol’s Centre for Deaf Studies. He does not seem to have a personal website, so please have a look through this 3-part series where he’s interviewed about his life
Samantha Baines
Deaf novelist whose works both empowers those with Hearing Loss / Deafness gain, and fictional stories for children. Her website also has an additional shop, for things including jewellery specifically designed to work alongside the majority of hearing aid models
Blogger
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Becky Mingins (beckyyhelen)
Deaf Tiktoker; she uses her platform to vlog about her life as a Deaf woman living in the Hearing world. She also promotes Mental Health in the Deaf community, particularly that of grief following the untimely death of her partner, Immy.
Note: Immy’s account is still live, having documented their own Mental Health journey and experiences as a a Deaf adult. Please do not share their videos without explicit permission. My thoughts are with Becky and Immy’s loved ones.
Charis
Deaf Instagrammer; they also discuss being Deaf and Autistic. Charis also works as a back of house assistant at Manchester United Football Club.
Hermon & Herdoa
Deaf twin sisters who bring about Deaf awareness and enjoy sharing accessible beauty and fashion. They moved to the UK from Eritrea.
Jazzy Whipps
Young Deaf woman who talks about her life and brings about Deaf awareness with funny videos, often including her Deaf/BSL positive mum. Jazzy is mostly based around London
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard
Deaf YouTuber who focuses on Deaf-and-Disability Rights and History, and talks about life being a Lesbian including married life and being a mother with chronic illnesses. Jessica and her family live in the Brighton-Hove area.
Kaz (Cochlear Kaz)
A young Deaf woman who has bilateral cochlear implants, using her platform to show her life and raise Deaf Awareness. She currently lives in Glasgow.
Socially Sound
A friendship of two Deaf women (Sarah and Kirsty) who have a joint Instagram and TikTok account; they also have their own individual Instagrams. Their TikTok/Instagram often involves short videos with BSL translations of spoken English sounds, but their YouTube is a platform for their BSL Podcast, where they discuss Deaf life and accessibility
What Dad Did
A Deaf parent who moved from the UK to Australia and is raising his young daughter via Montessouri / “Gentle Parenting” techniques. Being brought up in an African-heritage household (undisclosed what culture specifically eg. Nigerian or Ghanaian etc) he uses his platform to promote parenting techniques with the understanding of the struggles of generational parenting techniques from minoirity parents
Chef
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Igor Sapega
London-based Deaf chef who has travelled the world throughout his childhood including Russia and Sweden– his experiences of embracing the cultural dishes has influenced his cooking techniques and flavour combinations.
Sam “Deaf Chef” Egerton-Kemp
A Deaf chef who often takes the time to demonstrate BSL signs on his Instagram — see his business website where you can purchase some yummy goods! [external link]
Scott “Punk Chef” Garthwaite
Deaf chef who, as well as open his own business, has been featured on many Deaf TV shows. He currently runs a food truck in Spitafields, London [external link]
Tasha Stones
Deaf woman who became a semi-finalist in The Great British Bake Off 2023. Tasha is from Bristol.
Yvonne Cobb
A Deaf chef who is frequently on shows such as This Morning, and is originally from Gloucestershire, although she commutes to other cities such as Bristol, Cardiff, London, Glasgow, etc., depending on where her work takes her.
Medical Professional
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Alexandra Adams
A Deafblind student studying medicine; had previously competed for GB in the Paralympics [external link]
Asha (Just Me Cameil)
A Deaf paediatric nurse based in London. Uses her platform to raise Deaf awareness in the workplace, especially within medical settings
Ashna Biju
A Deaf medical student. Ashna is currently studying at the University of Cambridge
Dr. Sara Rhys-Jones
The UK’s first Deaf clinical psychologist (NB: She doesn’t seem to have a public social media account or own website)
Helen Cherry
Now retired, Helen was one of the first Deaf nurses in the UK, starting her career in the 1970s
Holly Parker
A Deaf student paramedic
Julie Beckett
A Deaf veterinary nurse who uses BSL as her main form of communication. She is based in North-East Yorkshire.
Richard Webb-Stevens
A Deaf paramedic who is based around the North West London area. Richard has been awarded a QAM (The Queen’s Ambulance Service Medal) for his outstanding contributions to the service
Sian Preddy
The first Deaf and BSL-user midwife, and currently works in Bridgend, Wales.
Presenter (incl. Performance)
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Ace Mahbaz
One of the guest comedians performing alongside John Bishop in the 2021 documentary Life After Deaf, Ace has been a well-loved addition to the world of stand up comedy. Ace is also multi-lingual, having learnt BSL after his native Iranian Sign Language.
Ahmed Mudawi
A Deaf TV presenter whose currently the host of This is Deaf– series that focuses on Deaf culture, history, and interviewing members of the Deaf community. He also explores topics such as Climate Change, and minority representation eg. Black History Month special.
Danny Murphy (Danny Skits)
A young Deaf man who started filming videos in his bedroom showing short comedy sketches about Deaf life. Danny is from Wallsend, Tyne-and-Wear
Dorothy “Dot” Miles
An influencial Deaf woman who brought the concept of visual poetry within BSL to the Deaf community at large through her recorded performances; she died in 1993, but you are welcome to watch this short documentary of her life
Gavin Lilley
A Deaf comedian whose experiences growing up Deaf in the hearing worlds of the UK and abroad (eg Finland)
Jayne Elizabeth “Fletch” Fletcher
A Deaf interpreter who specialises in the music industry; some of the previous artists she has collaborated with include Ed Sheeran and Anne-Marie, and has been awarded and shortlisted for many achievements. Fletch is from Wolverhampton
John Smith
Famous Deaf comedian who combines anecdotal story telling with visual slapstick
Leah Francisco
A Deaf and Queer comedian, their comedy focuses on intersectional dynamics, bringing awareness to what life is like being part of more than one minority
Nadeem Islam
Young Deaf actor, who is often found in BSL Zone programmes and Deaf theatre performances. He is mostly based around London.
Nadia Nadarajah
A Deaf woman of South Asian heritage who is very active in the Deaf community across the UK; is very involved with theatre (Deaf and Hearing)
Rebecca Ann Withey
This Deaf woman has a strong passion for making the arts accessible and entertaining for Deaf audiences, having performed many acting roles including on BSL Zone and in theatre, but also hosting a Sing-Sign club (where songs are interpreted into BSL; all are welcome to join as she has different groups for different levels of fluency)
Rose Ayling-Ellis
Deaf actress who first was on Eastenders, but then went onto win Strictly Come Dancing in 2021. Has also gone onto perform in the first BSL adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
Sebastian Probert
Sebastian, who also happens to be Trans, translates many songs into BSL.
Sophie Mattes
Deaf Instagrammer; Sophie often uploads BSL or SSE adaptations of popular songs. For example, she translated Pink by Lizzo from the 2023 hit film Barbie into SSE. She is learning BSL.
Other
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Dave Newman
The UK’s first Deaf BAHA-wearing firefighter in the UK
deaf together
Whilst this is not a link to a social media account or individual person’s website, these are the biographies of all the Deaf folks that work for this company– check them out and see if anyone’s personal drive inspires you to follow their social media
Melanie (BSL Learning with Mel)
A Deaf YouTuber who is also learning BSL. She uses her experiences of growing up in a Hearing/Oral environment to deepen her ties with Deaf culture and BSL, and takes that feeling and puts it into passion for teaching. I am not sure if she is a qualified teacher, but her content is appropriate to use as a guide and/or revision
Robert Hunter
Used to be a solicitor who happens to be Deaf but now works in a more advocacy role (NB: He doesn’t seem to have a social media account or own website)
BSL Learning Resources 