COMMENT When I was six, I came down with a nasty strain of the mumps, which left me completely deaf in my right ear. One of the complications with the type of the virus I had is that it can leave males deaf, but only ever in one ear, or sterile, so I guess I got lucky! Although I had mumps when I was six, I wasn’t diagnosed as deaf until I was 10 during a medical when moving schools. It naturally came as a shock to my mum, but I genuinely didn’t really bother about it and I now can’t actually remember being able to hear in both ears.
When I was diagnosed, I remember the specialist telling us that the only thing I could not do was join the armed forces. Mum was delighted as my dad was in the Royal Navy, but I told the specialist that it was OK as all the hearing from my right ear had gone into my left, so I was still good at hearing!
I have never felt that being deaf in one ear has restricted me in any way, even in my rugby career prior to going into real estate. I played for the Scotland Sevens between 1990 and 2000 and there were a few funny moments when I didn’t hear calls out on the pitch – me and my pals still laugh about those now, years after having finished playing. The rugby boys, all my friends and family have always been very understanding and supportive, as has everyone at Savills and in the industry generally. The way they do that is by not treating me differently to anyone else, both including me and never excluding me, but forgiving me and being understanding if I don’t hear and have to ask for things to be repeated.
Second nature
I feel fortunate, probably because I have lived with it for so long, that I don’t feel that my disability has hindered me in any way. I have obviously had to adapt, but this has now become second nature. I need to think about where I sit or stand in an office or meeting or at functions – both at work and in my personal life.
Where it impacts me most is in busy rooms or places with background noise or just lots of noise like pubs, restaurants and work events where I need to position myself so that, ideally, nobody can “deaf-side” me. It’s funny that my wife and children don’t feel right walking on my right side as I always manoeuvre to that position.
I have been in situations where, in a busy room, people have been standing very close to me on my right side speaking to me, but they were outside of my peripheral vision and I have completely ignored them because I couldn’t hear them. I’m sure there are some people who don’t know I’m deaf that think I’m very ignorant and rude. However, I try and tell as many people about my deafness as I can – I’m not embarrassed about it and it makes life much easier.
It does have its advantages too, for example when sharing a room with rugby team mates on tour who snore. I slept with my “good” ear on the pillow, which has usually helped me to get to sleep. It has also actually made me a good listener as I do have to concentrate all the time when I’m having a conversation, particularly if there is background noise.
Inclusion as a problem-solver
As deafness is an invisible disability, some people can make assumptions about you if you don’t hear them, which as I have said can happen frequently in certain situations. My advice to anyone in a similar situation to me is to tell as many people about your disability as possible. It’s much easier that way. As an industry and, for that matter, society, there is, of course, always room for improvement to support people with disabilities, but I think we are getting much better at it. I really think that my disability, and it is minor, has helped me look at things in a different way to someone who isn’t deaf, so it is a small example of why more diverse and inclusive groups bring different perspectives that can lead to better solutions to more complex problems.
I have never felt unsupported at work or within the industry since starting as a graduate in 1994. But on reflection, as time has gone on, I have felt that the support for, and understanding of, people with disabilities has been more readily available.
Nick Penny is head of Scotland at Savills
