Hello. My name is Erin McCluskey. This is a Wee BSL Blethers video on role models.
You will see I have somebody with me. Could you introduce yourself please?
My name is Margaret McLean.
Marvellous! Do you have a sign name, Margaret?
Just MML.
I’ll call you this sign name today if that’s alright? Okay. So I am going to
interview Margaret about her childhood. Find out what it was like for her growing up,
getting her first job and so on. I’m really looking forward to finding out more.
Margaret, firstly, can I ask what it was like for you growing up?
Well I come from a Deaf family so BSL was used every day at home.
I only have a ran into issues outside of home, with hearing people.
It did make me a bit reluctant to mix.
So growing up things were pretty easy and comfortable in terms of accessible
communication, at home at least?
Easy, yes. Everybody signed every day within my family so there were no issues at all.
So your family were all Deaf then?
Yes.
Parents? Your siblings?
Yes, all Deaf.
And were you all close?
Yes, we were a close family I would say, because of BSL. I was closest to
my father because he would tell me a lot of stuff. I think he was my
role model growing up.
How lovely. Your dad was your role model.
Yes.
He encouraged and supported you growing up?
Yes.
Marvellous. And that’s a perfect link into what I want to ask you about next
because I want to talk about school. When you first went to school, what was it like?