‘The deaf community deserves to be seen, heard and involved

Imagine trying to attend a fitness class in the dark, unable to follow what the instructor is saying. Fatigue and anxiety have already set in – even before the sweat begins to form. This has been my experience time and time again when visiting fitness studios across London.

As a deaf fitness instructor, and Women’s Health Collective trainer, I advocate for more gyms and fitness classes to be inclusive to people in the deaf community. I have countless examples of walking into (almost) any studio, confronted with complete darkness, with the instructor’s lips masked by the microphone – making it inaccessible for me to lip-read their instructions.

Being deaf has a crucial impact on our ability to navigate a hearing world – but deafness can be an invisible disability, making it harder for us to be seen and heard. As we celebrate Deaf Awareness Week this week, I want to highlight why being inclusive in gyms is so close to my heart. I would like to break down communication barriers and encourage better communication between deaf and hearing people.

Trust is right

My journey started 10 years ago when I enthusiastically decided to visit well-known fitness studios such as Barry’s Bootcamp, 1Rebel and F45. Instead of walking out of the studio feeling empowered, I would almost burst into tears, feeling lost and alone. The fast-paced environments prevented me from lip-reading the trainer’s instructions and the generally dark environments prevented me from following the trainer’s instructions. along – I felt like I didn’t belong there. These lessons are daunting enough without the added uncertainty of not knowing what is happening around us.

However, I knew I wouldn’t be alone – and as I built my community through my social media pages, it was heartbreaking for me to hear that so many other deaf people felt the same way. Is it any wonder that deaf people do not often take group lessons? In the past, I’ve asked deaf people in the community if they wanted to go to a fitness class alone, and 90% of them said no. Our trust is affected by the communication barriers we face.

Mental health is important – and exercise or fitness can be key to improving your mental health. So it’s not surprising to hear that NHS research shows that the deaf community is more likely to experience mental health problems than hearing people. Personally, it was exhausting to pick myself up again and find the courage to go back into that environment – especially when many did not understand me or were unable to support me. My mental health and wellbeing was seriously affected and my self-confidence dropped to an all-time low.

By tapping into my network and community, through my Instagram page, I have been able to share these experiences – the highs and the lows. I am not afraid to share my vulnerability, but also my strength. People often think it’s courage, but I think it’s honesty and transparency. It is of the utmost importance that people understand what day-to-day life is like for a deaf person.

I always share the raw and honest experiences I go through – it may be unconventional, especially in a world where we always get to see the ‘highlights’ of people’s lives, but who helps if we keep convincing ourselves that it is so is? Isn’t this a real problem? Change happens slowly, but slow is better than nothing at all.