Generation Women Australia is a series of storytelling events that aims to unite and empower women. On 25 September 2024, six Deaf women of different generations told personal stories to a live audience in Melbourne. DBV member Heather Lawson was one of the presenters. She gave an inspiring story about her life as a deafblind person, experiencing barriers and overcoming them, having adventures and becoming an advocate. The video and translation are below.
Heather’s Presentation:
What it was like to get on the plane to tandem sky dive?
I jumped off the plane to fly down. Felt my cheeks flapping, flying free. I was up there. It felt GREAT! I never thought I’d be in the air without fear.
People would say I am hard.
Fighting all the time for our rights. I know. I follow my gut to find ways to open up my world.
I come from an older generation where deafblind people were invisible. They left their work and disappeared, mostly staying at home. Not me!
I am a fighter, I am an advocate. I am an explorer. I have travelled the world and it’s amazing out there.
How did I get there?
As a child, I knew I was a bit different to other deaf people. I didn’t know why. Kids would get annoyed with me for being clumsy. At age 14 or 15, I found out I had retina pigmentosa. In those days no one could tell me much about it. I didn’t understand that one day I would be fully blind.
What did finishing school mean?
I could not drive. I ended up going back to my family farm. I lost confidence and scared. I lost my independence. There were no one available to interpret for me.
Ten years later.
I asked for help at the Deaf society. I was advised to go to an organisation for the blind. I knew nothing about the blind world.
I learnt new skills. This gave me confidence and trust in myself. I could access new information and move independently. My sense of touch was growing.
Yet in our deaf community, no one really understood deafblindness. It was hard to experience barriers in my own community, my safe space.
Did I give up? No way! I am a fighter.
I became a self-advocate, raising awareness about deafblindness. Now I work at DBV as the training and outreach officer.
My gut tells me the world out there is waiting for me, tapping me on the shoulder.
I had a wish list.
The first thing I did was rock climbing and abseiling. I was scared and did not know what to expect. My gut told me: I can do it. I climbed the rocks, smelled the air, and felt the wind. Nature is powerful!
When I abseiled, the feeling of being suspended in the air was wonderful. From that experience on, I did so many things I never thought I could do: tandem water-skiing, snow skiing, jet skiing, travelling the world, performing in a theatre group, working in Japan, doing research in America.
I met Julia Gillard. She touched my back, and I asked to touch her hair. We connected through touch, and it brought a smile to my heart.
I never thought being Deafblind would open up my world.
I never thought touch would grow so strong in my life.