Deafness of the Body: A Deaf Man's Journey Through the Hearing World - Tapa blanda

Deafness of the Body is the much-anticipated sequel to Deafness of the Mind, Kevin Fitzgerald's moving account of his early life in Collyhurst in Manchester, the accident from which he became deaf and his time at St John's Roman Catholic School for the Deaf and Dumb in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire. In this sequel, Kevin takes us on a journey through the trials and tribulations of a deaf world where bullying and discrimination were rife. It begins where Deafness of the Mind left off, the leaving of St John's and the courtship of his wife of more than 50 years, Diana. Following a short time in the garment trade, Kevin acquired work in the building industry as a roofer, where he fondly reminisces of a bygone world where life and limb were at risk at almost every level of employment and on a daily basis. After more than 30 years he begins a new career at the Royal Mail, and readers will be horrified at the levels of discrimination that existed within that organisation. He also recounts movingly the struggles of a deaf couple as they brought up their three children and the joy of having grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The salient features of his life are described with a clarity which enables the reader to view what to many will be a completely novel visual world and is very enlightening for anyone wishing to understand the deaf condition.

Kevin Fitzgerald's life story is a remarkable one. Profoundly deaf from the age of six after contracting meningitis, he spent eight years in an Institution for the Deaf and Dumb before entering a post-war world with little in the way of formal education. After working as a cutter in a ladies' costume and mantle factory, he became a roofer, a job he did for 34 years despite his disability, which caused balance problems. In the 1990s he worked at the Royal Mail, where the culture of bullying of deaf workers, which he deduced was the result of communication problems, led him to go to college to become a highly qualified sign language teacher for the Open College of Sign Language (OCSL). He is now the Chief Examiner of OCSL. In 1959, he married Diana, who had been profoundly deaf since birth, and they have been married for more than 50 years. They have two daughters and a son, four grandchildren and four great grandchildren. The whole family lives in the Middleton area of Manchester. Kevin has campaigned tirelessly for the end to discrimination for deaf people. Deafness of the Body is his second book following the highly-acclaimed Deafness of the Mind.