Rose Ayling-Ellis has called for free British Sign Language (BSL) lessons.
Rose Ayling-Ellis wants free BSL lessons for everyone
The ex ‘EastEnders’ star - who has been deaf since birth - thinks the condition is a feature that people ought to “embrace”, and she admitted it is a “shame” that families have to fork out to be able to communicate with one other via BSL.
The 28-year-old actress told BBC Newsround: "Being deaf is not something that you overcome, it's something that you embrace.
"It's a shame that you have to pay to communicate with your own child.”
The National Deaf Children’s Society supported Rose’s demands for accessibility in learning the language.
Martin McLean, a rep from the charity, said: "Most parents wanting to learn BSL to any meaningful level will have to fork out hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pounds in tuition fees.
"Amid the cost of living crisis, it is wrong that families may have to choose between learning a language that is vital for their children, or simply paying their electricity bill.”
The ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ winner recalled being left “really upset” and “trembling” after an audience member interrupted her playing Celia in the Shakespeare play ‘As You Like It’.
When asked how she left, Rose said in her BBC documentary, ‘Rose Ayling-Ellis: Signs for Change’: "I was trembling.
"He was standing on the corner and he was shouting. I didn't understand what was going on because I couldn't hear him.
"We got off and then someone told me he said that he didn't like the show and he said that we were discriminating. I just can't believe that a man thought it was okay to stand up and interrupt the show.
"It's like, why can't I be a normal actress and go out and perform without being interrupted? You know what it [has] only fuelled the fire in me.
"After I finished the performance, that's when it hit me. I cried a lot.”