Carnoustie youngster Oliver Bosch has been through a lot in his life.
The courageous 10-year-old is profoundly deaf and has battled through a series of operations.
Despite his brave spirit, mum Jemma explains as time goes by, Oliver has started to feel more isolated from the world.
We find out why and share his special message to our readers this Deaf Awareness Week.
Oliver has a congenital condition known as Goldenhar syndrome.
His auditory nerve is missing, which means sound cannot get through to his brain.
Although he’s not able to be treated with cochlear implants, he has an auditory brain stem implant fitted to help him to hear.
But mum Jemma says: “Oliver is doing great now.
‘What’s that noise?’
“He can discriminate between certain sounds such as the phone ringing or the doorbell going and has started to ask in sign ‘what’s that noise’ if he hears something.
“We still travel every year to have him mapped as his brain is still growing and the implant can move and stimulate other parts of his body.
“For example, he has some electrodes switched off because they made him cough.
“He still has balance issues and always will, but in general he is a tough little cookie.”
‘Realising he’s different’
Sadly though, the youngster often feels isolated.
Jemma continues: “Oliver is only recently beginning to realise he’s different. He asks if people can sign, when we learned to sign, and if we knew it before he was born.
“He has one good friend at school, Ella, who is a great signer and we gave her a little BSL book for Christmas to help her and Oliver.
“He’s a bit lost if she’s ever off school.”
Not very many children are learning sign language at school, she explains.
“Isolation is a real problem. You can now take BSL as a National 5, but not very many schools offer it. Even at Carnoustie High, the service school in Angus for deaf kids, they don’t have it.
“At primary Oliver has an amazing teacher of the deaf and communication support team who signs for him full-time.
“They facilitate conversations for him with the other children. His classmates pick up incidental signs and know they can ask the support workers how to ask something.
“But we worry what will happen at high school.
“Only myself, Ben, Oliver’s dad and sister Darcey, Granny and Grandad know sign language.
“So little things like going to a friend’s house or for a sleepover aren’t options for him.
“Even birthday parties or playing golf, one of us has to be with him to interpret.
‘Make a deaf person’s day’
“The thing that strikes Ben and me most is when people try to talk to Oliver, realise he’s deaf, and then say ‘oh sorry’ and talk to us instead.
“We have to say it’s OK, just keep talking to Oliver and we’ll translate.
“Even just a couple of words like, please, thank you or how are you can make a deaf person’s day and they only take a minute to learn!
“I’d love people to be able to come over to him and start chatting. And I want them know it’s OK to ask questions, don’t be embarrassed to ask us anything.”
And Oliver would love more locals to communicate with him too and has a special message for Deaf Awareness Week.
Watch his message for the community.
There’s a range of local events for Deaf Awareness week, which runs until Friday.
- A free BSL taster session on Wednesday May 4 at Deaf Links, Dundee from 10am until noon.
- A signing choir at Wellgate Shopping Centre from 2pm on Wednesday May 4.
- Fire awareness for all at Deaf Links on Thursday May 5 from 11.30am to 12.30pm.
- An awareness stall in St John’s Centre, Perth, on Friday May 6.
Conversation