Hi, I am a War Veteran with a head injury

[paulsmith2]

Hi my name is Paul I am a War Veteran and new to BSL. I have a head injury with migraine pressure on my brain 24/7 and I live with PTSD and Depression all day every day and use a chair 95% of my time I do not allow any of these to define me. I have learning difficulties as a result of my head injury so reading and writing is a challenge, BSL is going to present a huge challenge of which I am prepared to take on. I have only been signing for 2.5 weeks and successfully passed assessments 1&2, now the real work begins which is already proving challenging. I wanted to take up signing to communicate with the hard of hearing or deaf but would love to volunteer my time to deaf children. I am a UK Athletics coach, I have coached a young athlete to Triple Junior world Champion in wheelchair racing and senior European record holder in the 100m, I continue to coach able bodied athletes from aged 11 to 17. I am a grade 5 and assessed as grade 6 in Alto sax with the Associated Board of the Royal School of music in 5 years and have raised £2.3m for children's charities here in the UK and around the world by taking on challenges in my wheelchair and even rowed the channel in 10 months of taking up rowing, within two months I rowed the solent from Portsmouth to the Needles. I was in lock-in syndrome for 12 years before all of the above, but I have had a great life so far, more to come...