Exhibition set to highlight achievements of deaf community

Artcore is set to stage a ground-breaking photography exhibition, which will highlight the achievements of deaf people.

Called Deaf Mosaic, the exhibition, which is due to take place at Artcore Gallery from Friday 4 October to Saturday 2 November, will feature intimate portraits and stories of deaf people from a wide range of backgrounds.

Its aim will be to deliver the message that with the right support, deaf people can do anything.

The person behind Deaf Mosaic is East Midlands photographer Stephen Iliffe, who is deaf himself.

There are more than 90,000 deaf people in the UK who use British Sign Language (BSL) as their first or preferred language.

The deaf community has existed for more than 200 years – yet deaf people are still virtually unrepresented in the mainstream canon of photography – galleries, journals, books.

Stephen said: “I was the only deaf kid in a mainstream school. I had no adult deaf role models for what I could achieve in life.

“It wasn’t until my 20s that I stumbled across the deaf community. It was as if a light had been switched on in a dark room.

“Overnight, my deafness went from being a negative to a positive. Finally, I began to understand that it isn’t deafness itself that disables people but the barriers in society that often prevent us achieving our dreams.

“There are now so many practical ways to create access for deaf people – from sign language interpreters to technological aids, from TV and video captions to inclusive classrooms and workplaces.

“Deaf Mosaic affirms that with the right support, deaf people can achieve anything.”