Meet: Hameeda Raj, who has written a sign language children’s book for her deaf son!

How did you come to write the book?

I created the book around 2 years ago when I found that my son Amaan (10, profoundly deaf) was struggling to read material relevant to him.

The words/text were difficult to understand and the material had no characters meaningful to him. So I wrote this story about a boy, Ali, and his hearing friend ‘Aidy’ and their adventures on a trip to the beach.

Amaan and my two hearing girls are the inspiration behind this book. If you look carefully the main three characters bear a similar resemblance to them….shhhhhh!

 

It took a while to get the book off the ground as I needed to find the right illustrator who could bring life to the characters in the way I wanted, and then a book designer to put it all together.

The book is made even more special because it has BSL signs/SSE to help read along with, using the ‘Let’s Sign’ series, which most people are familiar with through schools etc.

 How long did it take you to write it? 

About 2 weeks for the main content, A LOT of tweaking of little things right up until the last minute, but two years to get it completely off the ground (eek!) Got there in the end though!

After a few more struggles I finally got to self-publish it, and 200 copies landed on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago.

 

My son and family, and hopefully others, are now able to enjoy reading the book whilst doing the signs along with it.

I’ve received such positive feedback and I’m glad that I’ve left a tiny bit of a legacy to my children, if nothing else. After-all, it’s not everyday you see your name (or even your child) in print!

What are your hopes for it?

I hope that this book is enjoyed by children and their families, and anyone who might be touched by hearing loss. It would be lovely for it to be a selling success as Ali and Aidy have many other adventures to be had (two other books in the pipeline already) but as long as they’re enjoyed by people I’ll be happy!

How many have you sold so far?

I’ve sold 10 so far and donated about 30 copies to various departments and causes.

For further information on the book/to purchase a copy for £4.99, please visit www.deaference.com or the book on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ali-Aidy-Beach-Hameeda-Raj/dp/0992753708 or email: enquiries@deaference.com