Everyone knows that it has a good reputation; it's one of the well-known brands. The logo itself is incredibly visual and is known worldwide. I grew up watching BBC programmes. Most recently I enjoyed watching Strictly Come Dancing because of the dresses and make up. What woman doesn't want to dress up?

Before I started working in the BBC, I had no idea what it would be like. As customers we all take it for granted. The BBC is there; we never think about how it works, how television is made and what is involved or how radio and live events happen, they just magically appear! 

Now I am on the inside, I realise it has a complex structure with numerous divisions. It is fascinating to observe how the many teams integrate and the amount of people working here.

Before I arrived, I associated the BBC with TV programme-making. It is only now that I have become aware of the huge range of its work. Clearly, Radio doesn't play a part in my life.

I have been impressed by the diversity of the staff which seems very representative of our communities. That's not to say there haven't been issues but that's just like in everyday life.

But, because it's so varied, I realise I still have much more to learn about the BBC.

Many like feeling the vibrations - they can be felt by touching the stereo, or through the air, or via the floor. Try going to a nightclub with a wooden floor and see if you can feel the beats. Groups of deaf dancers exist and they are actually very good!
 
There is a show similar to Pop Idol, called - surprise, surprise - Deaf Idol! Take a look.
 
In the UK there are networks of Deaf clubs and societies.  Many are initiated and organised by Deaf people, with various goals in mind, according to what the group is about.
 
There are also many social events that are created by deaf organisers which deaf people attend - they can communicate in their own language (British Sign Language) and meet new deaf people who may have the same perspective of the world. There are events based all across the UK.

A few examples of these are: The Wolverhampton Film Festival -  also known as DeafFest. It is the UK's only Deaf-led film and television festival and celebrates the talents of Deaf filmmakers and media artists from all over the world.

Deaf Rave is a deaf festival and an opportunity for deaf people to meet and let their hair down.

Deaf Camp is an all deaf camping experience.
 
Different regions and cities have "deaf pubs" - pubs where deaf people go on a set day (for example the third Friday of each month) to socialise and hang out with other deaf people. It is not always the same pub - we do like a change!
 
There are many charities and organisations that supports deaf and hard of hearing people:
 
NDCS (The National Deaf Children's Society) - this charity ensures that parents can communicate with their hearing-impaired children.

Acceptable terms to use are: deaf, hearing impaired, and hard of hearing. However, each of those terms has different meanings; deaf means a total loss of hearing (but most people who do not have total loss of hearing still prefer to label themselves deaf). Hearing impaired covers the spectrum of deafness, from a slight hearing loss to a severe hearing loss. Hard of hearing means some hearing loss, but not severe.

Unacceptable terms are: deaf and dumb, as a sentence. Deaf is acceptable, but joining it with the term "dumb" is not. This is a very out-of-date term, and very few deaf people are "dumb" these days. Almost everyone who is deaf can manage speech. It is true that their quality of speech varies, but dumb refers to someone who cannot make a sound with their voice. Dumb also hints that that person is intellectually incapable, but possessing intelligence has nothing to do with whether they can hear or not.

Acceptable:

Disability - this is a general term and just means someone's ability is impaired.

Unacceptable:

Normal, when referring to people without disabilities. This implies that people with disabilities are abnormal!

Healthy, when referring to people without disabilities - many people with disabilities are also perfectly healthy. Being deaf does not mean I am unhealthy.

To refer to someone as "the deaf girl/boy/woman/man" - people should not be defined solely by their disability. They may be deaf, but they may also be businessmen, office workers, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, someone's offspring - they are always more than just being a deaf person.

Afflicted (with deafness) - a disability is not an affliction.

I hope people will be more considerate about what term they use, as it is too easy to use the wrong one and hurt people's feelings. I've had days where I've met someone and they've said "oh, you're the deaf girl?" It makes me feel "is that all I am?"

Deaf people have a lot to deal with: not being able to hear well means we have difficulties in following what people are saying, especially in group situations, listening to music is problematic, following announcements at airports and train stations... the list goes on! I will explain some things I have to face:

 I rely on London's Underground to get to work every day and to meet friends; when there are announcements on speakers at the train station or at the airport about delays or a change of platform/terminal, I am usually on my own and since I cannot hear I have to try and ask someone, either a member of staff or a member of the general public. I may be slower than other people when it comes to realising that there has been a change, but I am never frightened; I just hope that I notice quickly. I find that whoever I ask for information is usually helpful.

Being a driver and not being able to hear, I rely much more on visual information. Deaf people are unable to hear when the emergency services are coming up behind us, so must be extra vigilant at all times. When other drivers or passengers are verbally abusive we may not catch what they are trying to say. So it may be that we ignore people who randomly speak to us because it could turn into an awkward situation. We might seem rude to other people if we do this, but it's usually a form of self-protection.

In the work environment, people underestimate the amount of interaction through informal chats at the coffee machine, photocopier or after meetings, in the corridor, hall or in the lifts. I believe this is how a great deal of information is passed on. People talking about their holidays (useful to know if people from the office are going to be away), people talking about leaving early, chatting about their moods and how they are. As I cannot access any of this information, I have had to develop my own coping strategies. For example, I get on with people naturally so I hope that in this way, I manage to get plenty of information and am not missing anything. At university, I felt I was not getting all the information I could get - for example when people came out of the lecture rooms and discussed things, perhaps about bits I missed in the lecture. So I developed coping strategies which I have carried over into the work environment.

I have to ensure people know I am here and make an effort to communicate visually: for example, saying hello in the morning to make sure they know I am here. I have to show open approaches, (even on mornings when I may not feel like it!).

Being deaf is difficult to explain as everyone has different experiences, but it could be compared to being like a foreigner in a strange land. You don't understand everything that is being said around you, and you might be reluctant to do things because of unknown risks. You might not want to say something for fear of seeming ignorant or having people not understand you. You might feel isolated if other people are laughing at a joke and you did not catch the punchline.

I also encounter the minor difficulty of not being able to hear people say "Excuse me," when in shops or such public places. When this happens, these people tap me on the shoulder and may seem annoyed, not understanding why I am not responding. My response is to explain calmly why I did not hear. Some people apologise, some people are embarrassed and respond awkwardly by giving me the cold shoulder. When I am with hearing people, they often have to tell me that I need to move, which I do so and apologise.

In my work role, I have obvious difficulties with companies or people that require me to call them when making enquiries. It is rare for me to make calls; if I have to, I use my interpreter or my family to make calls. People may find it strange or difficult liaising with me via an interpreter, but it is simply an alternative method of communication. There is Typetalk, where a third person intervenes, but I find this service very cumbersome. I prefer to use emails where possible.

It can be tiring when dealing with people who may not understand my speech; the amount of concentration required over a sustained amount of time is more exhausting than you might expect. I remember an incident at school where someone accidentally set off the fire alarm in the night. Everyone in the sixth form had to go outside and it took some time to assemble. Our head teacher was concerned because we spend all day having to concentrate so closely on our teachers, that we sleep more deeply than hearing people (in general), and that if it had been a real alarm, we could have been in real danger. The point of this story is that concentrating on people's speech is more tiring for deaf people than it is for hearing people; listening to people comes naturally to hearing people, but for deaf people, it is a different effort.

Speaking of fire alarms, when in public places, if the fire alarm goes off I am not always aware of it; I watch the people around me for their reactions. For example, if I see a crowd of people heading one way, I may wonder where they are going and follow them. This may apply in the workplace, airports, train stations, bus stations - anywhere an alarm can go off, alerting the passers by while I may be oblivious.

Although these are my everyday challenges, I have always had the determination to get through and I have been coping with these challenges for a long time. Every deaf person gets used to it and does not allow these matters to frustrate them.

There are clashes between deaf and hearing people. As a deaf person, I am used to people tapping me on the shoulder or throwing light objects at me to get my attention! I realise that it can take a while for hearing colleagues to feel comfortable enough to tap me to get my attention so, it can often mean a long wait for them before I realise that they want to talk to me!

What's your employment background? How did you get to this point?

I also love the outdoors whatever the weather. I enjoy exploring and travelling to different countries with exciting cultures. This also gives me the chance to capture some great scenery using my photography knowledge from my college days. Being a member of the deaf community, there are many events and occasions through the year held across the UK. Recently, I was camping in Bristol at a festival where I met many new faces with similar background to me but with interesting life stories.

I'm in another world when reading books, particularly mystery novels by writers like Agatha Christie. It's thrilling trying to work out who the culprit is. Another favourite author is Paulo Coelho.