Pixie Neame was born profoundly deaf. Photo / Cira Olivier
Pixie Neame was born profoundly deaf. Photo / Cira Olivier
Most people take for granted answering their phone or asking a shop assistant which aisle the milk is down.
For Pixie Neame, these are some of the small inconveniences she has found ways of getting around.
Sitting in the lounge of her home she is renovating, Neame has her laptopperched in front of her with an interpreter translating every word, showcasing how simple life can be without the ability to hear.
"I'm very proud to be deaf. I was born deaf so it's very natural and normal to me," she says.
Advances in technology have made her life easier in communicating with the hearing world through her language, New Zealand Sign Langauge (NZSL).
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Technology has made life easier for one Deaf woman
Technology has made life easier for one Deaf woman
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Technology has made life easier for one Deaf woman
Something Neame uses every day is the NZSL Video Interpreting Service (VIS), the most in-demand government-funded relay service which provides an interpreter who translates to others.
It's open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm, and from July 1 it will be made available on weekends and public holidays.
"We don't have to drive to town to make an appointment," she says. And phone calls and conversations are had with ease.
Disability Issues Minister Carmel Sepuloni says VIS is a vital tool for NZSL users.
"The ability to communicate with others is important for living a successful and rewarding life, and is something we all should be able to take for granted," Sepuloni says.
While there are good resources for those who were part of the deaf community, Neame says there is a lack of education and exposure to deaf culture, and this is not specific to New Zealand.
This could lead to people being patronising, she says.
"Lots of people think you can't drive or get married ... I can. I just can't hear," she says.
Her husband and two children can all hear and use NZSL.
"Sometimes, when my kids were young, I thought it would be nice to know what kind of voice they had," she says.
"I've never been sad about not being able to hear, I've more been interested in what hearing would be like."
Language was a passion of hers and she became a sign language tutor after achieving a Certificate in Deaf Culture at the University of Wellington.
