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Donna Williams: the heavenly delights of deaf life
Donna Williams is a deaf writer and blogger living in Bristol and studying part-time in Cardiff. As well as being a postgrad student, she’s a BSL poet, freelance writer, NDCS Deaf Role Model presenter,...
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Donna Williams: British SPECIAL language?! How interpreting agencies get it...
British… Special… Language. This is what interpreting providers Language Empire apparently thought BSL stood for. The average layman in the street might not know that BSL means British Sign Language,...
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Donna Williams: S*** people say… to sign language interpreters
In the midst of my preparations for – or rather avoiding my preparations for Signing Hands Across the Water, I’ve been collecting some information for this post for a little while now. When my ‘s***...
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Donna Williams: Performing at Signing Hands Across the Water
Earlier this month, I had the incredible privilege of flying over to Philadelphia to take part in Signing Hands Across the Water, an international sign language poetry festival. I was joined by three...
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Donna Williams: The only Deaf in the cast
In May, I was in a play called The Birds, and we put on an absolutely bonkers show with feathers, sequins and dance routines that got the audience on their feet every time! The Birds was originally...
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Donna Williams: Today, I am a Deaf adult
Recently, I’ve been reading a new blog over at Becoming Deaf, written by Indi, whose experiences I can identify with. She even has her own ‘things not to say to deaf people’ list, and I suspect she’s...
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Donna Williams: Expressing myself at Portsmouth Bookfest
I’m nervous. I’m excited. Regular readers of my blog may know that I had an amazing time at the Signing Hands Across the Water poetry festival in Philadelphia and was exposed to different styles of...
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Donna Williams: S*** hearing people say
Lately, it seems there’s a theme going around – 10 things not to say to deaf people - with several bloggers coming up with their own versions. I’d just like to wave my hand and mention, humbly, that I...
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Donna Williams: When people are mean…
I’ve had a variety of responses to my ‘s*** hearing people say…’ blogs, mostly positive I’m happy and somewhat relieved to say, whether sharing my sentiments, adding their own ‘shit they say’ or...
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Donna Williams: Feel the music!
On 23rd October, I went to a ‘Feel the Music’ concert, performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at BBC Hoddinot Hall at the Wales Millennium Centre. It was held in conjunction with Music and...
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Hits of 2012: Donna Williams – S*** people say… to sign language interpreters
In the run-up to 2013, we’ re looking back at some of the hits of 2012. Without further ado, here’s our 4th most viewed article of the year, clocking up nearly 9000 views. In the midst of my...
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Donna Williams: How it feels to be ‘spitting the dummy’!
Well. What a fortnight. I feel like I’m about to come out. I’m going to come out as… an admin of the ‘Spit the Dummy and campaign for BSL Act!’ group over on Facebook. Yes I am one of the six, soon...
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Donna Williams: “Deaf help Deaf.” Discovering my Deaf passport
In March and April, in the space of a few weeks, I first travelled to Nepal with Elmbury Expedition, then on my own around America to visit ASL poets as part of a project called Deaf Explorer. The...
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Donna Williams: Becoming even more deaf – and accepting it (even if I miss...
I see myself as being quite secure in my deaf identity. I’m part of a diverse community and a rich culture, and I have a generally positive view of my deafness; I firmly believe that any disability I...
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Donna Williams: They really did it. They Shut the Centre for Deaf Studies
They really did it. The University of Bristol really did it. They really shut the Centre for Deaf Studies. And I haven’t had any reply to my email in which I accused them of academic vandalism. It is...
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Donna Williams: Why everyone should give Big Brother winner Sam Evans a break
A few days ago, I wrote a blog post on DeafFirefly congratulating Sam on his success on Big Brother, but I have seen some ‘Sam-bashing’ online, from both deaf and hearing people. Let me explain why I...
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Donna Williams: The BBC are treating me like a second-class Doctor Who fan
Recently, there was a post on Pesky People, ‘Silence has fallen at the BBC’ written by a fellow Doctor Who fan, describing their troubles with trying to get a ticket to the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary...
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Donna Williams: In the wake of more let downs from the BBC on Doctor Who,...
I’ve only just recently fired off my formal complaint, but the BBC have already thwarted my attempts to watch Doctor Who yet again. What did they do this time? At the moment, the BBC are repeating...
View ArticleDonna Williams: Farewell, Vitalis
Today, the funeral of Vitalis Katakinas is being held in London. I can’t make it, but Vitalis and his loved ones are definitely in my thoughts. He was an actor, a poet, a playwright, a biker, a...
View ArticleDonna Williams: “Barriers often come from blissful ignorance.” What I learned...
On Saturday 16th November, I had the privilege of being a part of the Human Library. The Human Library is a project, now a global movement, that seeks to challenge stereotypes and encourage dialogue....
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