Dad could speak with a strong voice. And luckily, he was very good at lip-reading, so he was able to disguise his deafness well. He tried various hearing aids but would find them fiddly and uncomfortable, and worse, they often made horrible high-pitched noises.
Deafness and sign language are extremely close to my heart.
I always say deafness is a silent disability: you can't see, and it's not life-threatening, so it has to touch your life in some way in order for it to be on your radar.
I'm so excited, and I feel very lucky, as to be working in L.A. is a bit of a dream come true for any actor. I definitely have to have a few 'pinch myself' moments as I'm driving to work in Hollywood!
To be honest, the first thing that hits you when you step off the plane in L.A. is just how eager people are to help you out here - or, at least, that's what I've found.
Living in Los Angeles is pretty cool.
I've done my fair share of fundraising over the years, and I know how difficult that can be, so I could only imagine people's reaction when I was asking them to part with their hard-earned cash for a movie.
It's really important to remember that disability is diversity, and that disabled actors and disabilities are something that is hugely under-represented in film.
I've been involved in the deaf community for years, and my friends in the community that are actors or performers get very frustrated when they see hearing people portraying a deaf role.
The 3,000th episode is a great milestone for 'Hollyoaks,' so it was just really nice and a big honour to play a part in it.
I stay in touch with a lot of the cast - Jess Fox, Jen Metcalfe and Nikki Sanderson and probably more that I've missed out. It's a cliche, but it really is like a family at 'Hollyoaks.'
My ideal would be to hop both sides of the Atlantic to work, as I'm sure every actor would.
Inequality within the deaf and hard of hearing community is something I feel really passionate about and always will do.
Millions of children all over the world live in silence and face communication barriers - and, particularly, access to education.
My dad lost his hearing in the last 18 months of his life, and as a result, I witnessed first-hand the effect that this can have on a family.
I'm beyond excited to join the cast of 'Switched At Birth' and to be part of such a great show on a great network.
I really enjoy being involved in 'Hollyoaks Later' - it's great.
'Switched at Birth' has an amazing cast, including an Oscar winner and two Emmy nominees. The writing is very innovative, and the show's producers have redefined U.S. TV by launching a mainstream show which includes multiple deaf cast members whose characters communicate only in ASL (American Sign Language).
When someone walks into me, whether it's my fault or not, I say, 'Sorry.'
I feel that Britain is a rather self-deprecating nation: you're almost considered egotistical to say you're good at anything.
