Local man Wesley aiming to swim English Channel 

A NORTHSIDE man will attempt to swim the English Channel next month to raise money for the Irish Deaf Society to support its Irish Sign Language recognition campaign.

Wesley Nolan, originally from Beaumont, has been living in London for several years.  

In August he will swim solo from Dover, England, to Cap Gris Nez in France. 

“As a profoundly deaf man this is a cause very close to my heart,” says Wesley. 

“I moved to the UK shortly after British Sign Language was recognised by the UK government as an official minority language (though the recognition does not have legal status). 

“Despite that, the deaf community in Britain has benefited hugely from this move, along with equality legislation in this country. 

“One outcome of these changes is the Access to Work scheme which has had a really positive impact on my career – it has allowed me to use interpreters in the workplace, all paid for by the government. 

“Because there are no language barriers between me and my colleagues, I feel equal at work – and this has allowed me to contribute in the workplace and get promoted.”

Wesley says he is all too aware that his deaf friends and peers in Ireland have not been given the same opportunities at work. 

“Language barriers still remain in the workplace – and in hospitals, GP clinics, in schools and so on,” he says. 

“I strongly believe that to change this, Irish Sign Language has to be recognised. With ISL recognition public services will have to make themselves accessible to deaf people and remove these language barriers. I think it will also open up the world of employment to deaf people. 

“The Irish Deaf Society (IDS) has been campaigning for ISL recognition for over 30 years and they are now getting close to their goal but there’s still a lot of work to be done. 

“They would like to take on extra staff to help with the increased workload that will come as the campaign gathers speed – but for this they need funds. So I want to raise €10,000 to contribute towards this.” 

Wesley says swimming the English Channel was a dream before, but now he has turned it into a real event.  

“I started planning this two years ago and since then all my weekends and evenings have been spent training and it is very tough,” he says. 

“But the support of my family and friends has helped me to keep going.

“ISL recognition was just a pipedream three decades ago but the Irish Deaf Society have worked tirelessly towards making it a reality, and I’d love to be a part of making that happen.

“I share the same dream that many Irish deaf people have – that of an Irish society where we are all equal. ISL recognition will bring us closer to that goal.”

If you would like to donate to Wesley’s cause, follow this link: https://www.gofundme.com/wesley-nolans-channel-swim-2017/donate

Wesley’s Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/Wesley-Nolans-English-Channel-Swim-2017- 1806124746294086/