My Journey : Breaking the Silence to Reveal the Truth
My initial goal was simple: to publish my two books in 2023-2024 to break a 43-year taboo and reveal a hidden truth. It was a personal step, a way of turning the page and sharing long-buried memories.
Life sometimes changes our plans. Someone once told me: “These books will be the beginning of a great change.” I didn’t believe it at the time, but she was right. These writings led me to host a conference and share my experience.
Between 2020 and 2023, I went through a difficult period. Withdrawn to my home, I immersed myself in my childhood memories. For days on end, I would write by hand, exploring everything my memory could conjure up. This work allowed me to open an intimate box and release deep emotions. But expressing myself remained difficult. Managing my emotions was a daily struggle.
Supporting the Deaf : A Mission of Life
These moments allowed me to reflect on what I really wanted to achieve. I want to support deaf people who, like me, have experienced injustice or feel left out. My aim is to make everyone – parents, teachers, decision-makers – understand the realities of deaf people in our society.
We need to act together to break down stereotypes and offer a future where everyone can be heard, understood and respected. First of all, I’m raising awareness among the hearing public, as well as among town halls and members of parliament. My dream, ever since I was a child, is to one day meet the President of the Republic to discuss a constitutional law in French sign language (LSF). This meeting would be to express my personal words of truth: to testify to my lived experience and to urgently propose a constitutional law in LSF. However, I do not wish to participate in politics. My role would only be to ask for the involvement of the main deaf presidents of associations and former deaf activists who have many years’ experience. I would leave it to them to work with the MPs on the political aspects.
My Commitment to Community Service
On September 23, 2023, on the occasion of Sign Day, the Limoges deaf association offered me an incredible opportunity: to present my first lecture. It was a defining moment. Subsequently, I continued this commitment in several other towns, sharing my experience and raising awareness among a varied audience. Today, I continue to host conferences, driven by my mission to raise awareness. It was an outstanding moment. I shared my experience with an audience made up of hearing parents, deaf children, deaf people and important figures. After the conference, I was touched by the audience’s feedback: positive comments encouraged me, they warmly supported me and, above all, we shared a powerful moment together.
That day, I realized how much my testimony could touch and awaken consciences. Sharing my story gave me a new strength: to raise awareness and defend our community.
There’s still a long way to go, but I’m ready to move forward with all those who want to build a more just, inclusive and understanding world.
