Rose Ayling-Ellis on upsetting way her parents were told she was deaf

EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis previously revealed the heartbreaking way her parents were given the news that she was deaf.
Rose, who returns to our screens with her new series Old Hands, New Tricks tonight (March 26), admitted that the language used around the time of her diagnosis was “negative” and “loaded”.
And, although the 30-year-old actress considers being deaf as her “proudest identity”, growing up without being able to hear was hard on her and her family.

Rose Ayling-Ellis hopes to bring about a change with her new BBC One documentary (Credit: BBC)

Rose Ayling-Ellis on how her parents found out she was deaf
Rose’s parents learned she was deaf when she was 18 months old, which is a “late” diagnosis.
“Now, you often find out a few weeks after birth. Back in the 90s, it was basically someone clapping behind you, and I just always turned around,” she told The Guardian.
As an adult, Rose admitted to seeking answers to a lot of questions. She recently discovered how her parents were first informed about their daughter’s disability.
I’m not a hearing person who is impaired, I’m just a deaf person.
Rose said: “My parents were told I had ‘failed’ a hearing test; that there was significant hearing ‘loss’. These are such loaded, negative words. It was set up to my parents that I had a problem that needed fixing.”
Despite the negative connotation associated with the word deaf, Rose was a playful, positive and “smiley girl”.
However, there were times when she believed something was truly wrong with her. Rose’s mother told her that she would sometimes come to her room crying, saying: “I wished I wasn’t deaf.”
The Strictly Come Dancing winner said she wondered where the idea came from, especially as she was always supported by her loving family.
‘It’s deafer, that’s all’
Growing up, EastEnders star Rose thought one of her ears was “worse” than the other, until she realised her own terminology was wrong. “It’s deafer, that’s all. I hate being called ‘hearing impaired’ – I’m not a hearing person who is impaired, I’m just a deaf person.”
Describing herself as disabled, she then added: “But that doesn’t mean I am an able person who is ‘dis’, it means I’m disabled because the world disables me. Thinking like this can make a huge difference.”