Signing Off My Life

THEY ROAR

'Hi, my name is Ben.

I'm ten years old and I live in Derby with my family.

'Most of the people in my family are deaf, but I can hear.

'My world is full of noise and sounds.'

The good thing about growing up in a deaf family is you can

make as much noise as you want and you just have fun.

'I love to sing and dance, I want to be a signing performer.

'I live in two very different worlds,

'which means at times I don't know quite where I fit in.'

I'm a bit confused, I'm not sure who I am,

am I hearing or am I deaf, I'm not sure.

'My crew are going to be following me,

'as I take on my biggest challenge yet!'

I'll be bringing my two worlds together for the very first time.

Tell us, why are you making this film, Ben?

I'm making this film because I want to bring the two worlds,

closer together and it'll get me one step further to

achieving my goal, which is becoming a signing entertainer.

This is the crew and the good thing about them,

is they're all CODAs, we share experiences,

we help each other and we just have a laugh, say hi, crew.

-Hi.

-Hiya.

THEY LAUGH

So, yeah, I am a CODA.

C-O-D-A - it stands for "children of deaf adults".

It basically means that my mum and dad are deaf,

however, in my family, it doesn't stop there.

'This is Sara,

'this is James and that's Ashley.

'They're my older brothers and sisters. They're all deaf, too.

'They're only two people in my family that can hear,

'that's me and my little sister Amy.'

Being deaf means that part of your ears don't function properly,

but in my ears and Amy's ears can hear sound, in my parents'

and siblings' ears, this doesn't happen.

The hairs in their ear canal that transport sound waves

are damaged so they don't hear things.

I grew up in a deaf family, everyone was signing,

no-one was speaking, we just signed

and I thought the whole world signed,

but when I went into nursery, I went into the hearing world,

everyone was speaking, everyone was shouting, I was like,

"What are they doing?"

Then eventually I learnt to speak when I was four

and then gradually I learnt more words

and then here I am today I can speak quite well, actually.

'Deafness runs in the family. My siblings and parents were born deaf.

'The deafness our my family is passed from one generation to the next

but that doesn't mean that my parents can't have hearing children,

or that hearing parents can't have deaf children,

it really is all chance,

just like how my hearing grandparents gave birth to my deaf dad.

'At home we use British Sign Language also known as BSL.

'I think it's really cool and that everyone should learn it.'

BSL is the way that deaf people communicate.

Deaf people in Britain, they use two hands to fingerspell.

It's similar to mime but they use more facial expressions like,

"sad" and "happy".

I'm going to teach you BSL. Are you ready?

This is my sister...

CODA...

This is my dad...

This is my mum...

The good thing about growing up in a deaf family is you can

make as much noise as you want,

you can put your music as loud as you want, and you just have fun.

# Everyday I'm shufflin'... #

MUSIC: "Party Rock" by LMFAO

'I love to turn my speakers up, and have a good dance in my room.

'My parents can't hear anything so they never tell me to turn it down.

'I think it's pretty cool and so does my best friend, Charlie,

'when he comes over we can be as loud as we like.'

Oh, hi, Charlie.

-This is my best friend, Charlie. Say hi, Charlie.

-Hey!

Ben's probably the loudest person I know,

you can't go anywhere without him talking or singing or something.

You've got that right!

ELECTRONIC GUNS ZAP

'He's the one that most communicates with my parents'

because he always comes to my house or I always go to his house.

Something's you understand, don't you, some?

Very little, very little.

But I do teach you.

You do try, but I'm not exactly the best pupil ever.

Yeah, you could say that.

Not all people are accepting of my deaf family,

I have been picked on in the past.

'Everyone knew my parents were deaf, and they all started bullying me,

'I really just stood up to them and said, "Stop it".'

"Why do you bully me because of my parents, because they're deaf?

"No difference.

"Yours are hearing, why don't I bully you because yours are hearing."

It shouldn't make any difference -

you should just be friends with him for who he is.

You shouldn't not be friends with him because his parents are deaf.

'I really value my friendship with Charlie,

'as he is very understanding.'

'But I also value my friendship with Jasper, he's my best deaf friend.'

When I'm with deaf people I feel like I'm deaf,

when I'm with hearing people, I feel like I'm hearing.

Although Jasper and Charlie are both my best friends, we don't all play

together, I know maybe I shouldn't, but I keep both my worlds separate.

I hope that will all change when I show them this film.

I'm really excited that Charlie and Jasper are going to meet because

Charlie represents my hearing world

and Jasper represents my deaf world, they both mean so much to me

as they're my best friends.

And I'm a bit nervous, well, I'm really, really nervous,

because there will be communication issues.

'When my friends who can't sign meet my deaf family and friends,

'it can be really difficult for everyone to understand each other.'

I would get really embarrassed, and I'll get like, "Mu-uum, don't."

I'll tell my friends, "It's all right,

"I'll talk to my parents for you, OK?"

Because I got really embarrassed.

I didn't want them to meet or to talk,

but I'm getting better and by the end

of the show, I think I would have achieved my goal of mixing them.

'Sometimes I feel like I'm floating in space in between my two worlds.'

I'm not on one world all the time, I'm on both worlds at the same time.

Because I am CODA, I'm half hearing, half deaf.

So I'm split into two, I'm being pulled by both sides.

'My little sister Amy sometimes feels the same.'

Do you feel a bit different, left out or Mum and Dad,

they know lots of deaf people?

Sometimes I wish I was deaf, so I could just be like a part of it

and know what they're saying, I just feel like on the edge of...

-Hearing or deaf?

-I'm just like on the edge or the middle or something.

I'm just like really confused...

of what hearing and deaf people are saying.

I'm just like squished up in the middle.

I find it a bit hard because we are like

two hearing people in a big deaf family.

Ashley, James, Sara, Mum and Dad -

they're always talking and we don't know what they're talking about.

I do feel left out sometimes, I always ask, though.

No-one really understands me other than other people in my position,

it's a bit of a struggle because I have to be the ears

for the deaf people, and then I have to interpret for the hearing people.

-'Hello.'

-Hello, Grandad.

'Interpreting means that I translate what

'I hear into sign language for my family,

'and when my deaf family sign, I tell people what the signs mean.'

But would it be all right if we talk to you this week in the evening?

-'That's great, that.'

-Bye.

'Thanks, Ben, bye.'

When it's night-time, it's even more important for me

to be the ears of my family.

I keep hearing this banging sound, I'm going to go wake up Dad.

'If anyone breaks in or if an alarm goes off, I've got to wake up,

'I've got to do something about it.'

Sometimes at night I feel a bit uneasy.

Because I've got to stay awake

because I don't want anything bad to happen.

I hope everything's going to be OK.

Good night, I'm going to go to sleep now.

Sometimes I do feel a bit like I need to be more carefree

but it's not their fault, is it, not my mum and dad's fault that

they're deaf, so and it's not my fault that I'm hearing.

It helps me to be with other people in the same situation.

I go to a CODA group once a month.

Today, we are going bowling and I'm going to win!

It's just a chance for everyone to get to know each other

and maybe get new friends,

and it's good for our parents

so they get rid of us for a while!

It's just fantastic to be in one group where you don't feel left out.

People that aren't CODAs, they don't really understand what

it's like to have deaf parents.

I think a lot of the children have said that it's nice to come

to a place where they don't have to explain who they are,

everybody knows and they can just be themselves.

It just makes me feel happy, we can talk about it

and we understand each other really, it's brilliant.

CODA group is a really good way for me to chill out and relax.

And so is music!

-# Get down with the trumpets

-Yeah, yeah

-# Let's get down with the trumpets

-Yeah, yeah

-# Let's get down with the trumpets

-Yeah, yeah...

-#

When I'm playing music, I feel that I'm in my own world.

Nothing else can bother me, I'm just doing what I love.

'I am a bit sad that my parents can't be as passionate about music

'as I can, because music is a massive part of my life.

'If I had no music, I wouldn't be Ben.

'I can't play them my favourite song I can't play my guitar to them.

'They don't know what my voice sounds like.'

I do get a bit sad because I want them to enjoy my music

but they can't enjoy it, can they?

It's my aspiration to bring the two worlds together

because deaf people don't have access to music

and the hearing people don't have access to the deaf world.

That's why I've made a decision to become a signing performer.

To achieve my dreams, I've got two big challenges ahead -

an audition at a drama school and a sign language exam.

Hello! My name is A-S-H-L-E-Y...

'My big brother Ashley is a TV presenter

'on the CBeebies programme Magic Hands.'

Look at what my hands can do.

Ashley's background as a TV presenter makes him

the perfect person to help me prepare for my audition

for Sylvia Young Drama School.

Sylvia Young is one of the best drama schools in the country,

if I get a place there I'll go full time.

Normal school lessons take place in the morning

and then the afternoon is full of acting, singing and dancing classes.

Stars such as Rita Ora, Josh from Union J

and Billie Piper studied here, so the standard is pretty high.

It's really difficult to get a place at the school with over

100 children auditioning every year.

I'll have to work really hard.

Today I've travelled down to London for my audition

and I'm feeling the pressure.

I'm really pleased to have Ashley with me for support

but for the audition I'm on my own.

-Wait there for me and if you go through your pieces.

-OK.

And they'll call you when they are ready for you.

OK, thank you.

OK, it's my big moment.

'I have to be able to sing,

'dance and act really well in order to get a place at the school.

'That's what they expect to see in an audition.'

You're doing something slightly different, aren't you?

Yeah, I'm doing that one.

'Sylvia Young, who set up the school, is on the panel.

'I must work really hard to impress her.'

HE RECITES AUDITION PIECE

'It started off OK but then my nerves get the better of me

'and I forget my words.

'Disaster!'

-Grandad.

-Grandad...

-I've not been told about a song yet.

-Ooh, you haven't.

'A problem strikes, they've asked me to sing a song,

'and I didn't realise I had to prepare for this.'

HE SINGS SCALES

HE SINGS

-And that's it.

-Thank you.

Bye.

That went really well and I'm so relived, it went so well.

I think I did good.

I didn't get a song but I did exercises

because I didn't know there was a song.

And I did improve - dancing.

So it went well, went well.

'It's going to be a few weeks before I find out how I got on,

'it's going to be a long wait.'

'Getting a place at the drama school is really important,

'I'll learn so much about what it takes to become a skilled performer.

'But if I want to become a signing performer my signing skills

'have to be just as good.

'Just because I sign at home

'isn't the same as having a proper qualification.

'This is why I have decided to sit my sign language exam,

'there are four levels and I'm going to try and get my Level 3.'

'This is my tutor Gavin, he's leading the class.

'We have a couple of classes to polish up our skills

'before the big assessment, where a panel will decide

'if I'm good enough for Level 3.'

In the classes you learn loads of different things like say,

Big Ben, and all the Parliament.

And that's describing the Big Ben tower.

'Normally, this class is for adults working with deaf adults.

'But I'm the only kid in the class.

'If I achieve my Level 3,

'I'll be the youngest person in the UK to get it.'

Level 3 is a big thing because I know I can sign

but it doesn't mean that just because you can sign, you're going to pass.

You're going to have to learn more advanced signing.

Which I've learnt and also I may pass,

I may not, because I'm not sure if my skills are advanced enough.

It's the day of the BSL exam where I'll have to face a tough panel.

My stomach is churning and I have butterflies.

'I'm being tested on how much I understand a deaf person

'and their signing.'

'Ooh no, it's not going well.

'I don't know the answer to the first question.'

'Like my audition at Sylvia Young, this exam is so important to me.

'If I do well I will be one step closer to

'achieving my dream of becoming a signing performer.'

I've got to hope for the best like Sylvia Young and wish me luck.

That's it, I've done my two challenges

and there is nothing more I can do.

'Now I've got the time to choose the bits from this film that

'I want my friends and family to see at my special premier.

'The premier is only two weeks away and there's lots to do.'

'A few days before my big day,

'a letter from Sylvia Young Drama School came in the post

'and it said that I've been offered a place!'

When I found out I got a place I felt overjoyed,

I can't explain it, I can't put it into words.

I was just like, "Yeah!"

I ran around the house screaming, "I got in. I got in, Yeah!"

Today is the big day.

In one afternoon, my front room is being transformed into

a mini cinema, ready for my friends and family to watch my film.

It's so exciting.

This is the first time my two worlds have come together

and it's a big thing for me.

I'm nervous it's not going to work

and I don't want to mess it up.

But I'm really excited as well

because all my friends are around, and we can do loads of fun things.

We can watch my premier, it's worth it.

Testing, testing one, two, three.

I'm really excited about meeting Jasper for the first time.

Bringing his hearing and deaf world here today is really good

because they're both parts of who he is.

Most of these hearing people haven't been to my house before

because I was a bit nervous because of the two worlds coming

together and so, but now it's finally happening.

Wish me luck.

'My friends and family have come together for the first time

'to see my film, and they'll get to see my audition and my exam.

'I hope they understand what it means to me.'

'My hearing friends are in the back and my deaf friends are in the front.

'They're not mixing yet but I hope my film will change that.'

APPLAUSE

Thank you, hopefully you enjoyed that and what...

'Dad's interrupting my premier, what's going on?'

I didn't know about this.

'Ooh, he has some news about my BSL Level 3 exam,

'but I didn't know the results were out.'

Before we open it, Ben, neither of us know what's in this envelope

but just know that Mum and Dad are really proud of you

-and your brothers and sisters.

-Ahhhh!

Oh, my God. I did it!

'In the bag!'

It's been really good being here with all these people with Ben.

I'm very proud of him.

I think I might try again with sign language,

cos he's tried to teach me before but I never got the hang of it.

But now I think I might try again.

And, look, my hearing friends and deaf friends are starting to mix.

But there is one more thing left to do

and that's to introduce my two best friends - Jasper and Charlie -

to each other.

H! OK, so, Charlie this is Jasper.

Jasper, this is Charlie, OK.

Do you want to talk?

So, how old are you?

He said he's nine.

-He asked how old are you?

-I'm 11.

9, 10, 11. HE LAUGHS

He said what football team do you support?

You support Man Utd and he supports Derby.

No, no, but the best one is Liverpool, you can't stop me.

Liverpool, yeah, yeah, yeah!

I think you've got on really well, to be fair,

and you know how you're signing a little bit.

-Yeah...

-Not much but still, you were a little bit.

But how do you feel that you've met a deaf person and you're signing?

I'm really happy.

Because apart from your parents,

I've never really met someone who's fully deaf.

I think he's a really nice boy and I've liked it.

He says he really wants to meet you again in the future.

I hope you do and high-five!

What about me?

-I've already given you a high-five.

-Come on then, guys.

Before the premier, I was feeling a bit embarrassed and nervous because

I didn't want the two worlds to come together, because I was really

embarrassed that they wouldn't get on or anything like that.

But now I'm so happy that they met, they got on so perfectly,

deaf and hearing. Together.

They just got on perfectly fine, nothing wrong about it.

I don't know why I didn't do it for ages.