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?

I first went to a local school. One I could
walk to from home. I think it was only about

five minutes away. My parents wanted 
me to go there so I was nearby.

They did not want to send me away 
to boarding school.

Unfortunately, the focus was very much 
on speaking and listening so my parents

eventually decided to send me to a 
school in Glasgow where they used sign language.

Makes sense. So your parents decided 
to remove you from that local school

because it did not suit you and they 
had to send you away.

Were you happy at your school in Glasgow?

It was okay. They used sign language 
there, but the teachers couldn’t really

sign very well. They would speak and 
throw in a few signs here in there, but not many.

And at that time I guess sign language was 
very much seen as undesirable, am I right?

Yes. It was a long time ago now and there 
were very old-fashioned views.

There was no real awareness of the 
language or its importance.

I think things are very different now of course.

Yes.

So, thinking about school, what was your 
favourite topic and what did

you really hate learning about?

I really loved arithmetic. Nobody calls it 
that anymore. It’s become maths hasn’t it.

But we used to call it arithmetic.