Stephen Ancliffe

Before he became deaf, Stephen had racked up a lifetime of experience working as an audio engineer in music and film production. His skillset also led him to designing and building acoustically precise recording studios.

Then one night in December 2017 he woke up to the sound of an airplane in his bedroom. He couldn’t see it, but the engines were roaring in his ears. After a while it went away and the next day he made his usual visit to the gym. Within minutes the room began to spin and the only way he could make it to the door was by holding onto the walls. This was the beginning of his journey with Ménières Disease. Over the next months Stephen experienced more daily attacks that lasted from two to five hours, leaving him feeling exhausted. During this time his hearing deteriorated and everything became distorted. Gradually his hearing began to disappear completely, along with a successful career in music and audio.

Stephen has now learned to adapt, though using hearing aids is the only way he can hear anything. He’s come to understand the challenges that Deaf people face in different environments, as well as learn to manage the fatigue, withdrawal and depression that come from using assistive technology.

His hope is that he can apply the skills he learned in audio acoustics to build better spaces that benefit those with hearing loss.