If you’re asking yourself, “Can I be a manager? Can I be a performer? Can I truly be myself? Can I influence positive change in my community?” Then look no further for inspiration than Andrew Wiltshire.
If you’re asking yourself, “Can I be a manager? Can I be a performer? Can I truly be myself? Can I influence positive change in my community?” Then look no further for inspiration than Andrew Wiltshire.
The combination of Andrew and his alter ego Mademoiselle Coco are that and more. Read the extraordinary story of a boy born profoundly deaf into four generations of deaf families and how he believes his experience has made him multi-faceted, sensory, and creative. Andrew celebrates what makes him unique and he gives others permission to do the same.
We ask all the Heroes of the Human Library a similar question: If you were to dress up in a HERO costume who would you be and why? I would dress up in an airline cabin crew outfit, think Qantas style, but with a cape. This would enable me to fly to any destination to carry out whatever HERO duties were required of me!
What is your current Deaf/ Hearing identity? I am profoundly Deaf, born to Deaf parents, who have both come from Deaf families themselves. We go back four generations. My father is British and uses British Sign Language (BSL) and my mother is Australian and uses Auslan. Our home language uses both plus English as well.
So you went to school in the UK? Yes, I went to Heston School for the Deaf in Heston, Middlesex from the age of four till I was eight, before mainstreaming until I left school. Going to a Deaf School was fantastic because I was able to talk to other deaf children. However, I learned a lot more in the mainstream system, despite not have a notetaker or a sign language interpreter.
What role did having parents who were deaf play in your education? I have to say that it was my mother, who had a good education herself that motivated us to do more with the opportunities we were given. She made sure we read as many books as possible and would often spend time at home overseeing our homework. My parents had to advocate so much when my brother and I went through school. They wanted to make sure we didn’t have to travel too far and even relocated our family to be closer to schools.
The HEARO team often says, “It takes a village…” How has that been true for you when you look back on your childhood? I was one of the fortunate ones who had parents who were Deaf themselves and signed from the start, so I was exposed to language early on in my childhood.
We also went to church when I was growing up and were one of the few who were Deaf in the congregation. Luckily the church had people who knew sign language and that certainly helped contribute to the ‘village’ feeling.
What is the ONE thing you would tell your younger self? Be true to yourself. Always!
The HEARO Team often talks about the “Yes, I can!” moment when we overcome an obstacle or achieve something that might have seemed impossible before. Do you have a moment like that to share with us? There have been many moments. The one that stands out for me is when I was in Brisbane and about to parachute from a plane with a group of friends. There were two parachuting options available and I decided I wanted to experience the solo option.
The company’s first response was no because I would not be able to hear the radio located on each helmet and be given instructions on landing. But I wanted to go solo and I told myself and everyone else – Yes I can do this – helped by one of my friends who was an interpreter. The instructors worked around this by providing me with specific information on how to follow the ground crew when I landed.
Sure enough, I was able to parachute down solo – what happened on landing is a whole other story 😊!!
What an experience! How has being a deaf person enhanced your life? We are visualists because we see, notice, and remember things in more detail. I believe this also makes us share things more creatively through narratives and pictures.
What has been the highlight of your life so far? The most recent highlight was when Mademoiselle Coco was asked to perform at the Sydney Mardi Gras in the 2021 parade at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). We were part of the six different community groups featured in the show and eight other deaf people were part of my group. We had so much fun sharing Auslan with others during the rehearsals especially when all the performers signed one of the songs together.
Looking ahead, what are your dreams for the future? I’d like to see the community come of age with many programs for deaf and hard of hearing people, including Deaf TV and films.
Is there one more thing you’d like to share with a young person who is deaf or hard of hearing? Remember that everyone is different. Being deaf or hard of hearing may be confronting for some people but we have ways to navigate this in our world. You are not alone.
If you would like to have Mademoiselle Coco grace your next event, contact Andrew here.