Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CONQUERING A WORLD OF BEING DEAF AND BLIND
Heather, 34, is an inspiration as she bids to help others with life of travel
People are perfect the way they are.. I look at the glass half full
YESTERDAY
in 2005 – the Deaf Olympics was on there. Me and a couple of friends travelled in a camper van for three months and finished in Perth. “I’ll never stop travelling even if my eyes get worse. I’ve had some close shave moments but I’m a Christian and I really think God catches you when you fall.”
Heather also went on her first skiing holiday with friends in March and had her own instructor who made sure she could do everything she wanted. I’ve got tunnel vision so I couldn’t see the ground, the bumps or how steep the slope was.”
EXPERIENCE
“I had an instructor who acted as my guide – he skied in front of me and I followed his skis.
“It cost a lot more but it’s not about the money it’s about the experience; I got to go with my friends, I felt included, I got to experience what skiing is like and I’ll never forget it.
“I could only afford to ski for a few hours a day but when I wasn’t skiing I got on the bus and went to the local swimming pool. I asked the bus driver for directions – he could tell I was deaf but I couldn’t see where he was pointing to, so he actually got off the bus and walked with me all the way to the swimming pool.
“On the last day I went paragliding. It was so worth it, it felt like I was in a documentary – getting really close to the mountains and feeling like I could touch the trees.”
Heather, who grew up in Manchester and moved to Belfast two years ago, urged others like her not to give up and always keep positive. She said: “Deafblind people should be confident, people are perfect the way they are, it is society that says there’s something wrong. I like to look at the glass half full.
“If I want to do something I will do it, I don’t care. It is about having the right attitude when you ask for help, people may not understand at first but it is about changing them.
“You have to learn to love yourself and when you do then you will be more confident going out.”