Bloody hell I felt humbled chatting to Kirsty... She's amazing... The world needs A LOT more Kirsty's.
The very fact that she decided to learn sign language at the age of 16, without any significant family prompt, in order to simply help people; while her peers (like most 16 year olds) could barely see beyond themselves, is remarkable.
The fact that Kirsty loved it so much that she then pursued it professionally, and is now a highly skilled, highly trained interpreter, is even more brilliant. Because as we discuss in the chat, there are nowhere near enough interpreters in the UK, or indeed the world.
In the chat Kirsty talks about how she helps deaf people in lessons, to learn; in interviews, to get jobs; but perhaps most prevalently, in healthcare, to deliver diagnosis, advice, and sometimes, very tragic, terminal news to people. It's beyond humbling.
Kirsty also talks about the nuances of signing (which I for one hadn't considered before the chat), and how body language and different signs are needed to portray tone and meaning... It's NOT just hand gestures. Which makes total sense when you think about it.
The problem is, not many of us do think about it, and if we do, we certainly don't think about it enough.
I've got to be honest, I was near to tears a few times during the chat, just thinking about - and I mean actually thinking about - the fundamental restrictions and challenges deaf people have, when they really don't need to. It's the 'silent/hidden' disability topic that we see in the media every now and again, but don't really spend much time actually thinking about.
Which is why when Justina Miles went viral across social media, back in 2023, for interpreting Rihanna's superbowl performance... and I say 'interpreted', the girl BOSSED IT and damn right stole the show; we all payed attention!!
Suddenly sign language was cool, bad-ass, and we all took notice.
... Until we forgot again. So when I say I felt close to tears, it's mostly out of guilt... Why didn't I care more? Why don't any of us care more?
Enjoy Kirsty's brilliant story.
Chops x
Kirsty's social handles are @ixltutors and her website is: https://www.ixltutors.com
Click here to listen to the Kirsty's podcast:
Click here to read all about how to get started in the world of sign language. And how you (yes YOU!) could get started in a career like this:
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