Your future career

Tianah's business journey

‘When people like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish have worn your designs, you know things are going well!"

Tianah (25) is severely deaf, wears hearing aids and runs her own eyewear brand, CHRISTIANAHJONES. She started selling her sunglasses on shopping app Depop, but the brand has taken off since those early days and she was recently listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Retail and Ecommerce.

Tianah attended a mainstream school with a specialist deaf unit until she was 14 years old, then she moved to a deaf specialist school. “I was much more sociable in the deaf unit and at my deaf school. My home and church friends and my neighbours were my closest friends growing up and I didn’t really mention my deafness to them. I didn’t wear hearing aids either. At deaf school, it was my time to discover my identity and understand who I really was.”

After leaving school, Tianah had a great time at university, making friends and even meeting her future husband. But she wasn’t yet sure what she wanted to do next.

“I wanted to be a lot of things,” she explains. “Pathologist, forensic anthropologist, counsellor, then suddenly an actor, but never to work in fashion!

“I got into thrifting and car boot sales and started reselling clothing on eBay, then I discovered Depop. I quickly became a top seller and started making money. “From there I discovered my passion for collecting and selling vintage sunglasses, which led me to design my own.”

Trying different jobs

Tianah, who recently gave birth to her first child, hasn’t always worked in the fashion industry, and she’s faced difficulties with accessibility in previous jobs, struggling particularly with concentration fatigue.

“When I know I’m tired, I time out then check back in,” Tianah says. “I give myself two or three hours in an environment where I know I’ll hit my peak before tumbling back down. But hydrating, sleeping well and eating healthily makes all the difference.

“My first job was as a recruitment consultant where I had to be on the phone eight hours a day. No adaptations were made and I once spent so long on the phone I developed an ear infection, couldn’t hear anything and had to take unpaid sick leave.

I later joined another company as a data analyst. We had five to six meetings a day and I got ill so often because I had no energy. Meetings were held in brightly lit rooms which meant people’s faces were in the shadows and I couldn’t lip-read.”

Working in the fashion industry and for herself is more accessible, but now Tianah faces different challenges. “Networking is a nightmare because you’re having to constantly connect with important people, which is a lot of work and pressure when you’re deaf.”

Tianah is now Social Lead at Vinterior and works on her brand in the evenings. She’s even had showrooms at London and Paris Fashion Week. “There are so few role models with hearing losses or disabilities,” she says. “There’s a lack of understanding and accessibility in the fashion industry that doesn't allow us to fit in when we should. My deafness doesn’t get in the way, it actually makes me do more.”

Developing her identity

Identity is important to all deaf young people. But as a young black deaf woman, Tianah explains this year has been an emotionally frustrating time, not just personally but for the whole community.

“The Black Lives Matter issues that have arisen this year were already an issue so it’s not new. It’s what we’re always talking about, it’s just that the world suddenly cares and this is all down to the internet. We’ve been chanting Black Lives Matter and fighting for justice since before I was even born – we’re simply, and unfortunately, continuing that same fight.

“I haven't experienced racism and discrimination at the same time but separately it’s mentally exhausting. Luckily, growing up, my mother made it very clear to me that I should appreciate my culture and the colour of my skin. It actually empowers me being deaf and black.”

Making a change

Tianah believes making change is all about education. “There are inaccurate perceptions of disability,” she says. “Deaf people should be present in all movements, but I believe we also need to do the teaching if we want the change.

Deaf education is one thing that could change all our lives. If we could simply educate those around us, access and knowledge would improve. Change won’t come if we wait or sit back.”

Tianah certainly isn't sitting back and waiting for others to do the work; she's started an online series called EarMeOut, which showcases and highlights the lives and journeys of deaf individuals in creative industries where hearing people are dominant.

Tianah has big plans for the future. “I’d love a few shops of my own in different cities or to be stocked in the top shopping centres globally.

“I want to create a brand which is known worldwide, as well as developing a community of Deaf creatives consistently sharing stories and experiences.”

Tega is a deaf young person in Year 11 and is considering a career in dentistry. He chatted to Andrew who is a deaf adult and a dentist:

Hi Andrew, are there any deaf dentists?

Yes! Me!

Do you enjoy your job?

If you explore different areas of dentistry then you may find something you really like…it's a very enjoyable career.

I mostly do NHS, which allows for face-to-face appointments. But there are other areas of dentistry, there are people who work in hospitals. There are areas of dentistry you can specialise in. I've gone into endodontics (specialising in root canal treatment and tooth pain). I've done my Masters in that. Hopefully, that's my route into specialism.

It’s not an easy job, there are lots of targets, but I enjoy it…plus the money is very good!

What grades do I need to become a dentist?

Five GCSEs (A-C), including English, maths and science subjects.

Three A levels, usually at grades ranging from AAA to ABB, including chemistry and biology.*

Was it hard work to become a dentist?

There is a lot of studying involved. You can get into dentistry through a university course.

You'll need to complete a 5-year degree followed by 1 to 2 years of postgraduate dental training.

Do you have any tips for a deaf student?

Looking back I wish I had asked for help more. I don’t like asking for help but I would say to any deaf young person: ask for help!

One thing that worked well for me was having a note taker at university. Find someone in your class, they know the dental vocabulary, who can do the notes. The university can pay them so it's a win/win for everyone. Students usually could do with the money!

I wondered how it worked being a deaf dentist?

When you do dentistry you are very much your own person… that is what I like about it.

I work with the same dental nurse every day, so they get to know you and that helps. They almost become your translator if anything goes wrong, but this never really happens. There might be the odd person who might point out something, I would be like, "what's that?" to the nurse and she would always help if needed.

I always bring my patient in. I sit in front of them to communicate to them. Having that face-to-face environment with no outside or background noise allows you to focus on that person and their needs. So I'm very lucky.

I've been in my practice approximately 3 years and so I have built up a base of patients that I see and so they all know me. They all know I'm deaf. So, in a way, the people who come in they understand that - it breaks the ice in a way. They’re aware it's not awkward.

*Source: UCAS