Deaf Blindness
Steph devoted to helping out some of 1,600 in the city with deafblindness
Steph Lehrle started learning sign language as nothing more than a hobby 10 years ago but it led to a change of career, marriage, a baby and even the adoption of a deaf dog.
The 33-year-old, of Castle Donington, used to work as an accountant and says she was still looking for her niche in life when she began learning to sign.
As a result of her new hobby, she first volunteered and then got paid employment helping deaf people, which resulted in her meeting husband Kieron, 36.
Now she is managing director of SIGN4U Communications, a social enterprise which employs personal assistants to help people in Derby who are deafblind.
And when she is not at work, Steph is helping her three-year-old son, Josef, learn to sign so that the youngster, who has normal hearing, can communicate with his dad, who is deaf.
In addition, Steph adopted a Collie dog called Blue two months ago after her previous owner dumped her because she was deaf.
Since then the family pet has learned sign language too and responds to signs such as "naughty", which is indicated by a firm slap on the back of Steph's hand.
Steph said she was pleased her life had taken this unexpected direction.
She said: "I'm helping a lot of people and that's important to me.
"Ten years ago I didn't know anybody who was deaf or blind.
"I was living in Stoke-on-Trent and I started learning sign language just because I was interested. I liked languages.
"I passed level one with flying colours and went on to the next level, which started to bring me into contact with the deaf community."
It was at that time that she began volunteering with Peterborough-based charity Deafblind UK.
After two years, Steph got a paid position as a development worker, which involved setting up support groups for deafblind people in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
As a result, she founded support group Bon Amie in Derby in 2006.
By that time she was living in the city, having moved there because of her job.
The group now has 12 members who are deafblind and meet once a month to socialise and enjoy activities.
Steph says there are 1,600 people in Derby with this joint disability.
This ranges from people who are born with the conditions to elderly people who have lost their sight and hearing in later life.
Steph is still very much involved with Bon Amie but has not worked for Deafblind UK since 2007, when she lost her job as a result of Government cuts.
The change prompted her to further her work with deaf and blind people and she decided to set up her own company.
SIGN4U Communications began in August 2010 and has seven staff who support around a dozen people in the city.
People who get help from the organisation often pay for it using personal budgets from the council and all profits are invested back into the company.
Steph said: "I've always been determined. I recognise the need for specialists in this area. I'm quite passionate about that.
"This group of people have got very specific needs because they're not just deaf or blind, they're both.
"There's very little support out there for them so they normally rely on carers or family. Some have no support at all and are very isolated.
"My job is to assess their needs and get them the help they need."
One person who knows how important it is to get proper support is Janna Martin, secretary of Bon Amie.
She has a personal assistant from Monday to Friday because she was born deaf and then developed sight problems at the age of 11.
The two are thought to be linked but Janna says the cause is unknown, although it may be genetic.
The 38-year-old, of Allestree, has tunnel vision, which means she has no peripheral sight, and she can not see anything in the dark.
Despite this, she has a Higher National Diploma in business and finance from Sheffield Hallam University, has worked for a number of charities and is married with two children.
Communicating to the Derby Telegraph through Steph, she said: "I don't need a guide dog because I've got my personal assistant, Dayna Oates, and she's better than a dog would be.
"She supports me with school runs, shopping, communicating, paperwork and phone calls. She's my eyes."
Now Steph is hoping to expand the work of SIGN4U Communications and has applied to Derby City Council for financial help.
She is hoping the local authority will help her set up a service offering one-off or long-term support to people across the city.
The aim is to bypass the lengthy process of assessments which Steph says are faced by people who are deafblind and need help from social services.
Until she receives a response from the council, which is due within the next two months, Steph will continue supporting those who contact her or who she meets through friends.
She said: "Kieron and I are quite heavily involved in the deaf community."
The couple met five years ago, while Steph was working for Deafblind UK.
Kieron contacted her because his friend, Todd Biss, of Derby, was deafblind and needed support.
Steph said: "Kieron was quite bolshy on the phone and insisted he needed to be at the meeting with Todd and I. I realised that was because they had come into contact with social workers who didn't know how to sign, so Kieron acted as Todd's interpreter.
"But I turned up able to communicate with Todd so I quickly sent Kieron off to make a cup of tea.
"Then the meeting finished and, well, the rest is history."
Now the pair have three-year-old Josef and their dog, Blue.
Steph said: "Josef is very good. He always turns his head towards Kieron so they can see each other when they talk.
"And I always sign and speak English to him."
And Steph is also proud of Blue, who she described as "really clever".
She said: "It's just a case of repetition with her, as it would be with vocal commands.
"She knows quite a lot – sit, wait, jump up, go.
"Our household is totally bilingual."
Bon Amie meets every month at the Rycote Centre, in Parker Street, Derby.
For more information, call Steph on 07534 998202.
Story by www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk
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