1 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Hello. My name is Erin McCluskey. This is a Wee BSL Blethers video on role models. 2 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You will see I have somebody with me. Could you introduce yourself please? 3 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 My name is Margaret McLean. 4 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Marvellous! Do you have a sign name, Margaret? 5 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Just MML. 6 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I’ll call you this sign name today if that’s alright? Okay. So I am going to 7 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 interview Margaret about her childhood. Find out what it was like for her growing up, 8 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 getting her first job and so on. I’m really looking forward to finding out more. 9 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Margaret, firstly, can I ask what it was like for you growing up? 10 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Well I come from a Deaf family so BSL was used every day at home. 11 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I only have a ran into issues outside of home, with hearing people. 12 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It did make me a bit reluctant to mix. 13 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So growing up things were pretty easy and comfortable in terms of accessible 14 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 communication, at home at least? 15 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Easy, yes. Everybody signed every day within my family so there were no issues at all. 16 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So your family were all Deaf then? 17 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yes. 18 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Parents? Your siblings? 19 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yes, all Deaf. 20 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And were you all close? 21 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yes, we were a close family I would say, because of BSL. I was closest to 22 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 my father because he would tell me a lot of stuff. I think he was my 23 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 role model growing up. 24 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 How lovely. Your dad was your role model. 25 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yes. 26 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 He encouraged and supported you growing up? 27 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yes. 28 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Marvellous. And that’s a perfect link into what I want to ask you about next 29 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because I want to talk about school. When you first went to school, what was it like? 30 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I first went to a local school. One I could walk to from home. I think it was only about 31 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 five minutes away. My parents wanted me to go there so I was nearby. 32 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They did not want to send me away to boarding school. 33 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Unfortunately, the focus was very much on speaking and listening so my parents 34 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 eventually decided to send me to a school in Glasgow where they used sign language. 35 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Makes sense. So your parents decided to remove you from that local school 36 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because it did not suit you and they had to send you away. 37 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Were you happy at your school in Glasgow? 38 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It was okay. They used sign language there, but the teachers couldn’t really 39 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 sign very well. They would speak and throw in a few signs here in there, but not many. 40 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And at that time I guess sign language was very much seen as undesirable, am I right? 41 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yes. It was a long time ago now and there were very old-fashioned views. 42 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 There was no real awareness of the language or its importance. 43 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think things are very different now of course. 44 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yes. 45 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, thinking about school, what was your favourite topic and what did 46 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you really hate learning about? 47 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I really loved arithmetic. Nobody calls it that anymore. It’s become maths hasn’t it. 48 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But we used to call it arithmetic.