ERICA'S BATTLE 'WE'RE NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF!

After losing her hearing as a baby, this Wellington mum is fighting to break down barriers

- Sharon Stephenson

Erica Dawson has always been a battler. Especially when it comes to fighting for a more inclusive and accessible world for the deaf community.

"There's still a lot of barriers for deaf people in this country," says Erica, who lost her hearing when she was six months old. "We face all sorts of challenges that hearing people take for granted, such as finding interpreters to help us with schoolwork or meetings at work."

The 33-year-old's fighting spirit started early. Born hearing, meningitis robbed Erica of one of the five basic senses when she was just a baby.

"My parents didn't find out I was deaf until I was almost four years old," says the Wellingtonian. "Mum had her suspicions, but doctors didn't believe her."

As soon as they received the diagnosis, Erica's mother, an anthropologist, and her late father, a Mäori rights lawyer, swung into action to ensure their daughter had the same rights and opportunties as other children.

"I was introduced to the deaf world when my parents started taking night classes to learn New Zealand Sign Language [NZSL]. As an anthropologist, Mum saw NZSL as just another culture and language to learn. My father was heavily involved in working for justice for Māori, so they turned that energy into advocating for me to ensure I was able to have teacher aides, so I could keep up with my hearing peers."