Ever wondered what it feels like to jump from 14,000 feet? For Ian Rayner, one of only three deaf skydivers in the UK, it’s pure freedom.
Ian and his friend Paul are breaking barriers by teaching British Sign Language (BSL) at their local skydiving centre to create a welcoming space for deaf people in air sports.
Ian now makes 70-80 jumps a year and has won a European gold medal, UK medals, and even an unofficial deaf world record for 16 people jumping at once. Together, Ian and Paul run weekly basic BSL courses for skydivers and staff. Read on to hear their inspiring story.
Growing up deaf
Born deaf, Ian attended a specialist school for deaf children but had a tough experience.
“When I first started school, they thought I was just being lazy. I went to a school for the deaf and was wearing a box hearing aid around my neck. The teachers were all hearing and could not sign, so I learned to sign from the other deaf pupils. There was so much bullying there, because the teachers could not speak to the children and could not control them.”
Despite leaving school without any qualifications, he went on to college and has worked in various jobs, letting nothing hold him back. Ian’s first skydive was for charity in 1995.
Ian’s first skydive experience
“There were four of us in the plane. Two got out and then we had to fly around again so there were not too many canopies in the sky at once. I started crying. I was just overwhelmed with excitement, watching the clouds, watching the others jump. Everything felt so different from down on the ground.
I was strapped to an instructor who steered the canopy. I loved it. Afterwards he told me about accelerated free fall courses where I could really learn. At that stage my son was a month old, so I had to wait. Then I started. My wife Jeanette is cool about it, but we do have insurance!”
What skydiving feels like
“You’re in this canopy of clouds, and you’re thinking, how far is it from here to space? You’re all enclosed, then suddenly you’re in the air outside and breathing that in. You’re in the moment, forgetting everything else. You feel the temperature change. You see the countryside, the fields and rivers below. You feel free.”
Skydive Langar changed its rules to allow Ian to skydive.
“You’re meant to carry a radio with you to tell you which way to turn in the air. Obviously, a radio was no good for me, so the chief instructor said they would hold up different coloured cards instead. On my first day I had an interpreter but after that I managed without one.”
Communicating in the air
“In the air there’s no disadvantage if you’re deaf. Everyone communicates with hand signals. I’m used to signals and learn them fast. On the ground, there are barriers everywhere. No one could talk to me, and they felt awkward because of that. I tried to join others to jump with them, but they did not understand.”
Paul’s perspective: learning BSL
“When I realised Ian was deaf. I thought, well he cannot learn to talk to me, so I have to learn to talk to him.
Ian began to teach me BSL. That’s where it started.”
Teaching BSL to skydivers
Paul and Ian decided to start teaching a basic BSL course for skydivers and staff on a Friday night. Ian says:
“We teach them the alphabet, how to introduce themselves, and how to ask questions about skydiving. This means that when they see me, they can ask me, ‘Have you jumped? How did it go?’ Barriers are breaking down slowly.”
The two friends designed a groundbreaking BSL for Skydiving booklet, leading the way in inclusivity in air sports. For this they received the Royal Aero Club Certificate of Merit.
Creating an inclusive skydiving community
During Deaf Awareness Week, the club posted a video of everyone signing, ‘Welcome to Skydive Langar’ on Facebook. This attracted the attention of Paulina who had dreamed of learning to skydive. She was astonished at the number of people who could communicate in BSL at the club.
Paul says:
“It made her feel so welcome. No one is afraid to make mistakes because we all make them. Everyone feels more comfortable, and when we have our annual safety day and Christmas parties, Skydive Langar pays for interpreters. Things are really evolving.
This is something we’ve worked on together. It would not work without both of us. It’s true teamwork.”
Ian concludes:
“Before this, no one could come up to me and ask me how I was, whether I had jumped and how it went – but now they can.”
This blog is based on an article originally written by Margaret Rooke, an author and writer with decades of experience across books, magazines, newspapers and the charity sector.
