Paul Young is proud to be a role model for the Deaf children he coaches in football every Saturday morning in the town of Farsley, West Yorkshire. Born profoundly deaf (deaf refers to the sensory condition of deafness, while Deaf refers to belonging to the Deaf community) to hearing parents, he grew up in a world that’s very different from the one experienced by today’s young Deaf children, and is inspiring proof that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to.
“When I was growing up, we didn’t have the same level of accessibility or the written communication like texts, social media and email that make things that bit easier for young Deaf people today,” says Young, 53. “There are also better opportunities out there for Deaf people now. People can say with confidence: ‘I’m Deaf, so what? That’s just me.’
