Deaf Voices

As part of our display on cochlear implants, we asked cochlear implant users to record a short message about their identity. You can hear from Kara, Elise, Sanemi, Jake, Yasir, Charlotte, Mark and Anna, all of whom use cochlear implants and are proud of their Deaf identity.

There are eight messages to listen to, each recorded by someone who is profoundly deaf and uses cochlear implants to communicate. When listening to the recordings, you will hear a variety of voices, regional accents, and dialect. People who are profoundly deaf often develop strong regional accents as a result of reading lip patterns and mouth movements. These voice recordings celebrate the diversity of the d/Deaf community.

Kara

Kara is a social media content creator, making d/Deaf awareness and comedy videos under the name @cochlearkaz. She is profoundly deaf and had her first cochlear implant when she was three with a second when she was four.

“Hi, my name is Kara Gillespie. I am 18 years old, and I’m from Motherwell in Scotland. I am profoundly deaf and wear two cochlear implants. I’ve had cochlear implants since I was three years old. I’m really proud of my Deaf identity. I love raising awareness on my social media platforms and being a role model for young deaf people to inspire them.”

Elise

Elise was one of the first 1000 people in the UK to be implanted with a cochlear implant after they were approved. She has been the proud recipient of an Advanced Bionics cochlear implant for the past 27 years and mentors people considering getting an implant. She is a keen crafter and a proud grandmother.

“My name is Elise and I’m 57. I’m originally from South Wales near Swansea. I was implanted at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London in 1997. I wasn’t born deaf, but I’ve been a proud member of the deaf community since I was a teenager. They welcomed me, and I learned sign language from deaf friends. My cochlear implant has allowed me to keep a foot in both the hearing and the deaf worlds and I’m grateful for both.”

Sanemi

Sanemi is twelve and recently started Year 8 at school. Using cochlear implants does not impact her hobbies. She loves to bake, travel, swim, and chat and is learning Indian classical dance, swimming, and tennis. She wears her processors from the time she wakes until she falls asleep and describes herself as “very proud of my bionic ears!”

“Hello, my name’s Sanemi Parashar and I’m 12 years old and live in Cambridge. I got my cochlear implants when I was at 15 months and my parents chose to teach me spoken language which I’m really very proud of. I am really fond of dance, drama, and learning Spanish and French. I enjoy giving speeches and love to speak and chat to people. My hearing identity is about me being a hearing, speaking individual with my lovely AB [Advanced Bionics] processors.”

Jake

Jake is a student in Newcastle who became profoundly deaf in 2023 following an assault. He enjoys music and going out, something he continues to do while adapting to his recently implanted cochlear implants.

“Hi, I’m Jake. I’m 21 from Northern Ireland, and I study in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for university. I originally became profoundly deaf in both ears last October due to an assault. I got my cochlear implant fitted and activated in January this year, so I’m fairly new to the deaf world. I’m proud of the resilience and adaptability I’ve shown navigating through this experience, and I’m also proud of the deaf community and the unbelievable people I’ve met along the way.”

Yasir

Yasir is a healthcare library assistant and a cochlear implant mentor. He is passionate about technology, travel and visiting museums. He enjoys watching motorsports, reading, listening to music and hiking. He received a cochlear implant in 2008 and says that “it has improved my life in so many ways.”

“I’m Yasir, aged 43 from Slough, Berkshire. I started using my cochlear implant in 2008. My deaf identity contributes to my individuality and resilience; it’s part of who I am. One positive aspect is that it allows me to gain understanding and help facilitate conversations with deaf people and understand their unique experiences.”

Charlotte

Charlotte is a former performing arts professional, teacher who now works as a communications and engagement officer. She had gradual hearing loss over an 18 year period and used hearing aids but stopped wearing them in 2020 as they weren’t helpful. She has some low frequency residual hearing and is profoundly deaf at high frequencies. She uses a hybrid cochlear implant, meaning she has support from the implant for the high frequency sounds that she is unable to access naturally and combines this with her low frequency hearing. She had her surgery in 2022 and says that “it has been completely life changing!”

“My name is Charlotte Young, and I am 42 and live in Carlisle in Cumbria. I got my cochlear implant in 2022 after having gradual hearing loss over an 18-year period. I heavily relied on lip reading until this point as hearing aids didn’t help my type of hearing loss. I love performing arts, music, film, and have recently changed career to work as a communications and engagement officer for a new medical school. My hearing identity is about having more confidence, building new connections, embracing technology, and spreading awareness to help others. Advanced Bionics has truly changed my life.”

Mark

Mark is 45 years old and lives in East Yorkshire with his wife and daughter. He is an arable farmer and is interested in weather, technology and photography.

“My name’s Mark Turner. I’m 45 years old, and I live at Rise in East Yorkshire. I’ve now been implanted six years. I’m quite proud to be deaf as it has its perks. Its main big perk is I can have peace and silence when I want it! Since I was implanted, I now find regional accents easier to pick out and also foreign accents from other lands easier as well. After 39 years of being deaf, now I’m implanted it’s nice to hear sounds of nature and other environmental sounds as well now.”