STEPHEN’S LIFE STORY AND DEAF MOSAIC PROJECT NOW ON BBC SEE HEAR!
My life story and work as a photographer appears in a beautifully-filmed episode of the new BBC TV See Hear! series.
There’s two ways to watch it: you can see it right now via BBC iPlayer (link in the comments below).
Or, you can view it live on BBC 2 on Wednesday 6 May at 8:30am.
BBC See Hear means a hell of a lot to me. Because 44 years ago, one Sunday morning in 1982, I randomly switched the telly on and See Hear! broadcast something I’d never seen on TV before: deaf people using sign language.
At this time, I was still isolated in the mainstream with zero deaf identity. Watching See Hear! was like a light being flicked on in a dark room. Deaf people! Deaf community! Deaf language! Deaf culture! Deaf rights!
See Hear! gave me permission to no longer be a second-class hearing person. Instead, I could be a first-class deaf person, and be the best version of myself.
The regular See Hear! presenters Maggie Woolley and Clive Mason were my earliest deaf role models.
So, it was nice to be reunited with the See Hear team and talk about my life and work.
I’m quite shy, normally I prefer to hide behind the camera rather than be in front of it. So, thanks to Raabia Hussain and Libby Welsh for their warm encouragement.
Enjoy!