Niamdh’s story

"Any child that needs the additional support should get it without having to fight like we did."

It’s taken a long time. My parents started trying to get me interpreters, signers and Teachers of the Deaf from when I was 5 and starting school. They were always told that I didn’t need it. I can speak well, and I can hear spoken English with the use of hearing aids, other assistive technology and the support of lip reading, so the council said I didn’t need that extra support because I was achieving. My parents are hearing, so they didn’t know sign language. We fought for me to have access to a Teacher of the Deaf, and someone to teach me sign language. It was also really hard for them to get support to learn sign language, to sign with me.

Then I went into high school and it was about S3 or S4, I was in a class with another Deaf girl and she had a signer in the class, so I started watching, and that’s when I realised that I wasn’t picking up everything, I was missing lots. I came home and asked again if it if I could please get a signer. My Mum and Dad got a meeting with Deaf support but again, we were told I didn’t need it.

We continued to fight and continued to have regular meetings, asking again and again and again. In September of S4, one of my hearing aids didn’t fit properly so I had to go to school with just one hearing aid. Something to do with the settings is different for two than for one and I was really struggling. I was exhausted and I wasn’t picking up everything. It got to break time and, although I had only been in school for two hours, I wanted to go home because I was so tired.

And so, we had another meeting – asking for support, because I was really struggling. We raised an official complaint but yet again, we were told no, you don’t need it. That’s when we started to think that we needed to go further than just asking the council, we needed to get legal support. We got in contact with a lawyer, and I decided that I wanted to do it in my name because it was for me, it was about me.

When it finally got to the tribunal they said “yes, she needs support,” and the council were told to give me the support I needed. An independent assessor said I was only accessing 70% of what was being said in the classroom – even with hearing aids, lipreading, and everything else. The council appealed twice and then there was a final hearing and they were ordered to provide me with the support I needed. And that brings us to today!

I now have a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter in class, and it makes a massive difference. I don’t feel like I’m being left out in class or in discussions. I feel included. Before the support was in place I would struggle to see and hear who was talking, I struggled when the teacher would walk around the room or turn and face the board. So being given that support I don’t have to worry about when the teacher’s moving around or facing the board because I have that signer there and I can just watch.

Any child that needs the additional support should get it without having to fight like we did – because it’s not fair to not give them the support and think that they can achieve the same as anyone else. If you’re not giving them support, you’re putting that child or young person in a bubble, and you’re expecting that person to achieve everything that they can, with no support.

Niamdh’s story demonstrates the importance of legal rights to communication for all. Sign up to the ALLIANCE’s More than Words campaign to ensure communication for all – because communication is about more than just words.

If you have any questions, please email sensory@alliance-scotland.org.uk.

Read more Humans of Scotland stories here.

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