How can we break down the barriers that hold deaf people back? In a powerful talk signed in British Sign Language and voiced over by Omoyele Thomas, Rebekah Afari shares her experience of growing up deaf in a world created for hearing people and calls on us all to tear down the barriers to inclusion together and make her dream of equal opportunities for deaf and hearing people a reality.

At TEDxExeter 2018 we focussed on making connections - and building bridges. Our speakers challenged us to reflect on how, in this interconnected, interdependent world, global issues affect all of our lives, and our actions affect others. In these turbulent times of shock political outcomes, “fake news”, data breaches, war, mass migration, rapid technological progress and climate change we believe that ideas have the power to change attitudes, lives, and ultimately, the world.

TEDxExeter Curator - Claire Kennedy @clairekennedy__ - http://tedxexeter.com
Production Manager - Andy Robertson @geekdadgamer - http://www.youtube.com/familygamertv
Film & Livestream - First Sight Media @firstsightmedia - http://firstsightmedia.co.uk/

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Rebekah Afari was born profoundly deaf and comes from a hearing family. Her first language is British Sign Language. Rebekah is passionate about deaf issues, having faced many challenges herself, and hopes to increase awareness of the barriers deaf people face, aspiring for equality in a hearing world. During her early teens, she was a member of the youth advisory board of the National Deaf Children’s Society. She is currently seeking employment, having recently completed a BTEC level 3 media course in Exeter, where she was the only deaf student on her course. Rebekah enjoys a variety of sports, cooking, reading novels and filmmaking. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx