Hi, my name is Dave. After leaving school, I went into performing arts, studying acting, dance and music. After finishing this, I realizing it wasn't for me! So I went back to college and studied computer programming, web development and IT support. I struggled to find work, mainly I feel due to me being profoundly deaf. I went into retail, working various jobs until I was made redundant in 2003. Struggling to find work, I became a volunteer at Darent Valley Hospital.
I volunteered in the Procurement department, however, after 6 months I took up a paid job elsewhere, but still worked on the bank for DVH. This is where I was introduced to Electrical and Biomedical Engineering (EBME). I knew nothing about EBME or what they did, however, after a few weeks, I fell in love with the work. I was sent on a Biomedical Engineering course, and taken on as a trainee EBME Technician, covering various aspects of the department. I became a Senior Engineer in 2011 and in 2016 was promoted to supervisor, overseeing a small team and looking after external sites, Queen Mary's, Gravesend, and Erith.
As a keen writer, I decided to write a selection of true stories, based on my experiences with people and deaf awareness. Communication-wise, the pandemic made it harder for me, especially as I rely on lipreading to communicate with people. Masks and the lack of awareness has made it a lot harder for me, but I have taken this as an opportunity to teach people.
I became deaf at the age of 7, I am completely deaf and wear an implant which I had fitted in 2013. This gave me 85 percent of my hearing back and introduced me to a whole range of different noises, both good and sometimes annoying!
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