Hello, my name is Simon, and this is my sign name. I am based in Nottingham. I was born deaf and have used BSL all my life. I work different roles at Nottinghamshire Deaf Society, but my main role is a BSL teacher, teaching BSL, which is a beautiful language.

I also deliver deaf awareness training workshops. I also have small projects, for example, supporting hearing parents with a deaf newborn/child by introducing sign language or setting up groups to get parents together. I also host events every two weeks on Fridays for men’s wellbeing.

I also work at a Children’s care home, where I support individuals with challenging behaviour or mental health conditions, as well as educating them. Why have I decided to join the campaign?

I want to support our deaf community and to change deaf people’s access to healthcare for the better, which needs to improve. I want to push forward discussions on mental health, especially for men, as it is hard to get men involved to talk about it and we need to get them talking about their mental health. Thank you for watching.