Formerly hearing, I am now profoundly deafened and have a cochlear implant. Over a period of 40 years of increasing deafness I learned first hand about the problems of hard-of-hearing and Deaf people. During this time I learned BSL. I became a member of Bristol Over 50’s club and over about 8 years improved my signing so much that I was able to pass level 2. I volunteered for over 3 years at Poolmead in Bath, helping Deaf people who had additional imapirments with craft and woodworking. I spent 6 years as Treasurer of Yate Deaf Association. I have experience of owning and managing small companies, including running the finances, so I hope I will be able to be useful to CfD.
