From silence to vision: Scott Williams finds purpose through photography and advocacy

Imagine being born into a world where all your senses are attuned and you are considered normal, until one life-altering experience plunges you into a world of silence.

That was the reality of Scott Williams, a young photographer and now vice-president of the Barbados Horizon Deaf Charity (BHDC).

In an interview with Barbados TODAY through an interpreter, Scott recalled how his life took a drastic turn at the age of six after going for a routine flu shot.

Soon after taking the medication, he was unable to hear anything. Scott, a student of the Bayley Primary School at the time, continued to attend school but it became increasingly difficult to communicate with teachers and his peers.

Two years later, on his eighth birthday, he began his new education at the Irving Wilson School — an experience he disliked immensely.

“I didn’t like sign language because it wasn’t my first language. My parents always spoke to me without using sign language, so I got very used to that form of communication. I would go to school, and they would teach me sign, but I would tell them no, talk to me instead,” Scott said.

“I never knew how to identify or what it meant to be deaf, so I started to hate being deaf, being different. I wanted to leave this world, which is an experience a lot of deaf people face. It took me a long time to realise that I should be proud of who I am.”

By the time he was 14, Scott was still struggling to accept his new reality. In search of understanding, he began watching videos about deafness and the many ways people lose their hearing.

“I understood it happened for a reason, but it didn’t comfort me,” he admitted.

It was only after encountering members of deaf communities in the United States that Scott began to see his identity differently.

“I started becoming proud of myself and learned to love being deaf, because it is who I am,” he said.

Growing up, photography always held a special place in Scott’s heart and he often watched his father, who took photographs as a hobby.

“He used to come to Queen’s Park on Christmas morning and take pictures, so I really became interested in photography.”

“Later on, I was going through his drawers and saw his old cameras. I always had it in the back of my head, I thought that was such a really interesting thing…I do feel like my dad was the one who inspired me,” Scott noted.

He recalled that those photographs became treasured family memories.

“He had a lot of old pictures saved, and it turned into a whole nostalgic memory for me. When I was younger, my mother would always bring out his picture albums of all the pictures he took back in the day. We would sit down and she would explain all the stories behind the pictures. This was the beginning of my motivation to become a photographer,” Scott explained.

Still, Scott felt discouraged. He had never seen a deaf photographer before and questioned whether the career was even possible.

“I actually met a deaf man from the UK, and he was a paparazzi photographer. I told him, ‘Wait, you’re a photographer? How do you make money? How do you sustain a living? I thought photographers didn’t make much money.’”

“Before, when I expressed wanting to make a career out of photography, I was told I wouldn’t be able to make a living,” he said. “That’s a lie. You can absolutely do photography as a career and maintain a quality of life; you can absolutely do that, and that really inspired me and fascinated me, and I felt like I could move forward in being a photographer,” Scott added.

As a deaf person in Barbados, Scott said launching a photography career can feel nearly impossible.
“It feels like any time we try to do these kinds of things, we really can’t.”

A turning point came in 2019 when he travelled to Canada, where he was exposed to photography on a deeper level.

“I feel like here there wasn’t a lot of access afforded to me compared to in Canada where I had more access. In Canada, they have photography certifications and formalised development. That was all new to me.”

“I started taking photography classes with Joel Brook. I learned a lot through those classes, but at that time, I didn’t have a camera. I was learning what I could without one. Then, a friend of mine flew down during the COVID-19 pandemic and brought me a new camera. With that, I began practising more. The challenge was that I wanted to go out and do photography in different settings, like event photography and whatnot; however, I wouldn’t get those opportunities,” Scott said.

Despite the challenges, he eventually made the leap. Earlier this year, he quit his job at a restaurant to pursue photography full-time.

“Deaf people often rely more on vision. We have a different way of viewing things. Like for me, I see a lot of beautiful things. I like taking pictures of people, and I like seeing how people smile. That really inspires me and makes me just as happy,” Scott said.

While photography gave him purpose, advocacy gave him direction.

BHDC is the first and only deaf-led organisation that represents deaf people in Barbados. Scott also works with another organisation called Deaf House Barbados.

He said attending a Wawability event — focused on mobility access, assistive technologies, and sensory-friendly considerations — broadened his perspective on what disabled and differently abled people can achieve.

“There was the Calypso Project, where Wawa actually flew down here to Barbados. He performed here at that time. At the time of his performance, I worked with him to do the videography for a music video, but when I flew to his Wawability event in Washington DC, which was a massive performance and event, that is when I started learning about BHDC,” Scott said.

Before then, he said he knew nothing about BHDC or that it was the only organisation representing deaf people in Barbados.

“Younger deaf people don’t know much about BHDC. I started becoming interested in the organisation. I wanted to become vice-president of BHDC because I wanted to uplift deaf people and to promote more access in

Barbados, advocate for more interpreters…to provide more access for our deaf community. I feel that it is possible to have that access, and I want to fight for it,” Scott said.

The organisation, which has seven executive members and several honoree members, aims to represent an estimated 200 deaf people in Barbados. So far, BHDC has hosted calypso events and hopes to continue raising funds for its members.

Scott said the organisation is actively working to create solutions for the deaf community.

“Some of the biggest challenges that we face are communication, education, access to interpreters, employment, and finances,” he pointed out, while stressing that deaf people are not looking for pity.

“People tend to view us as charity cases, ‘oh you poor thing.’ They perceive us as if we can’t do things. We can’t have quality access. We don’t need to have that because we’re deaf.”

He added that their advocacy extends beyond the deaf community.

“It’s not only deaf people that face this, but I would also say it’s people with disabilities. We are one big family.”

Scott is calling on able-bodied and hearing people to employ and support those who are deaf and otherwise disabled.

“If a person with a disability is looking for a job, give them a job. If they need funding, let’s support that. Whatever a deaf person or a person with a disability needs. If they have a dream, it should be supported. We don’t want any more discrimination,” Scott maintained.

He also wants more people to learn sign language and engage with deaf people in public spaces.

“I feel like if you’re really interested in what you’re seeing, why not come over and chat with us? Ask questions.”

Finally, Scott encourages deaf youth to pursue their dreams without hesitation.

“Whatever you want to become, just follow through. If you want to be a chef, if you want to be a DJ, if you want to be anything, follow it. Don’t let anyone tell you no. Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot do it. If your teacher or your parents tell you they don’t think that’s the best thing for you, don’t listen. Follow what you really want to be in life because your life is for you, not for others,” Scott advised.

Asked what it feels like to live in a silent world, Scott smiled.

“Honestly, it feels good. Why do I want to hear anything? Hearing people have to hear everything, and that’s exhausting. I can sleep peacefully.”

louriannegraham@barbadostoday.bb