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Hello. My name is Erin McCluskey. 
This is a Wee BSL Blethers video on role models.

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You will see I have somebody with me. 
Could you introduce yourself please?

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My name is Margaret McLean.

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Marvellous! Do you have a sign name, Margaret?

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Just MML.

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I’ll call you this sign name today if 
that’s alright? Okay. So I am going to

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interview Margaret about her childhood. 
Find out what it was like for her growing up,

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getting her first job and so on. 
I’m really looking forward to finding out more.

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Margaret, firstly, can I ask what it 
was like for you growing up?

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Well I come from a Deaf family so BSL 
was used every day at home.

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I only have a ran into issues outside 
of home, with hearing people.

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It did make me a bit reluctant to mix.

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So growing up things were pretty easy 
and comfortable in terms of accessible

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communication, at home at least?

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Easy, yes. Everybody signed every day 
within my family so there were no issues at all.

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So your family were all Deaf then?

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Yes.

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Parents? Your siblings?

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Yes, all Deaf.

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And were you all close?

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Yes, we were a close family I would 
say, because of BSL. I was closest to

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my father because he would tell me 
a lot of stuff. I think he was my

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role model growing up.

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How lovely. Your dad was your role model.

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Yes.

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He encouraged and supported you growing up?

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Yes.

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Marvellous. And that’s a perfect link into 
what I want to ask you about next

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because I want to talk about school. 
When you first went to school, what was it like?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Were you happy at your school in Glasgow?

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

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

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

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

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

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I think things are very different now of course.

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Yes.

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

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you really hate learning about?

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

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But we used to call it arithmetic.

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Oh really! So you were good 
at that and enjoyed it?

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Yes. I loved arithmetic. I was okay at 
English. The subject I really hated was sewing.

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Really! Why?

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Yes! I always used to mess it up and 
get it wrong. I found it really frustrating.

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Maybe you lacked 
confidence in that subject.

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I think you’re right.

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So you progressed through your schooling 
and eventually left school. Did you have any

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support to help you find a job. 
Did you go to college or university?

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There was nothing really back then.
I do remember meeting with the

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Careers Advisor and telling them 
I wanted to become a Teacher of the Deaf.

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They told me I could not do that because 
I was Deaf myself. What a discriminatory attitude!

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I decided to ask the social worker 
about it and told them the same thing,

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that I wanted to become a Teacher of 
the Deaf. They also told me that I could

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not do that job and suggested that 
I become a machinist. I refused and they

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said I would have to go 
to the DHSS in that case.

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What is the DHSS?

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It’s what’s known as the DWP these days.

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Oh I see.

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Similar to the job centre now. So I went 
along, and they suggested I try for office

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work, which sounded okay, but it meant 
I had to go to college. They helped me fill

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in the application forms and I sent 
them off. I soon heard that I’d been

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offered a place which was great. 
I went to college to learn how to be a secretary,

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but I found it really difficult 
because I did not have an interpreter.

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How did you get on?

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I managed the best I could. I kept asking 
the lady sat next to me what we were

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supposed to be doing. I think she 
found it a bit frustrating.

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She was fed up that I was taking up 
her time. I tried my best though and

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I did get through the course and 
luckily, straight out to work.

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And you got your certificate? Did you 
go off and work in an office then?

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Yes that’s right. The course was a year 
and then after that I got a job in an office.

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I was there for seven years, 
then I left to start a family.

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So when you became pregnant, you left 
your job and focused on raising your family.

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Did you take on any other work after that?

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I did a few little jobs, but nothing 
interesting until I saw an advert for a

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BSL role model essentially. At that time, 
the role was known as an auxiliary.

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It’s changed now. I was not successful 
the first time I applied for one of these roles.

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It wasn’t until my third attempt 
that I finally got a job.

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Do you know why you were unsuccessful 
the first two times you tried?