A Conversation with Gurseerat: On Deafness, Design & Creating Change

Q1) How did you discover your love for teaching and design, and how did they come together in your journey?

Gurseerat: I knew I was going to be a teacher when I was in nursery—I just didn’t know what kind. As I grew up, I noticed the huge gap in teaching kids who had disabilities. So, I wanted to create classrooms and opportunities that I wasn’t given.
Graphic design came in handy because I was always able to design interactive TLMs (Teaching-Learning Materials), assistive tech, and much more.

Q2) What was your childhood like after your diagnosis at 8? How did it shape your perspective?

Gurseerat: It was a sudden shift. Even when the tests were going on, I wasn’t told what they were for, as I was very young.
After I was diagnosed, I could sense the urgency in everyone—deciding what the next steps needed to be regarding my education, etc.
Once a carefree child, I was suddenly “Gurseerat, who has a hearing problem.” I was always conscious about it. But in other aspects, my childhood was pretty great, haha.

Q3) What are the biggest misconceptions people have about partial deafness or hearing disabilities?

Gurseerat:

• That everyone with hearing loss needs to be shouted at when being talked to.
  Deafness is a spectrum. When someone says they’re partially deaf, it could mean a million different things.

• That we can’t speak properly.
  While this is partially true for some, it’s one of the biggest misconceptions. I’ve had my disability questioned just because I can speak.
  Many deaf people can speak—and some even know multiple languages.

• That every deaf person knows sign language.
  While many deaf people do learn sign language from birth, many don’t.
  I learned it when I was 20 years old—not because I needed it, but just because it was fun. I know many partially deaf people who don’t know sign language at all.

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Q4) What are some everyday challenges that hearing people might never notice?

Gurseerat:

• Social media videos without subtitles

• When teachers dictate and you can’t just write—you need to lip-read first

• Many deaf people can’t take calls

• Many can’t hear doorbells

Q5) What inspired you to start teaching sign language online through your reels?

Gurseerat: When I wanted to learn sign language myself, I could barely find any courses that were basic, short, and interactive.
So, I created one myself! It’s a 3–5 week course, depending on the level you want to learn.
All my students say the same thing: “This doesn’t even feel like a class—more like a break from life.”

Q6) Do you feel that Indian schools are doing enough when it comes to inclusive education?

Gurseerat: Yes and no.
When I was in school, a special education wing didn’t even exist until I was in 11th standard.
My teachers didn’t know how to accommodate me.
But since then, a lot of special schools have opened up, and I can see so many disabled students being given both theoretical and vocational education—and that makes me happy.
That being said, India still has a long way to go to truly understand disabilities and how they affect individuals.

Q7) When did you realize your reels were actually helping people learn and unlearn things?

Gurseerat: I started getting DMs from random people—both deaf and hearing—telling me how my reels helped them let go of stigma and accept their own disabilities.
They were actually learning more than they had ever learned in school.
My motto for this page was: If I just help one person, my mission is complete.
And seeing so much love from all over the world gave me a joy that’s hard to describe in words.

Q8) How does being partially deaf influence your work as a graphic designer or creative person?

Gurseerat: It gives a fresh perspective that’s not really visible to the naked eye.
My thought process is very different from other people’s—I don’t know if that’s because I’m deaf, or if it’s just a random human variation.

Q9) How do you describe yourself beyond your diagnosis? What do you wish people focused on more?

Gurseerat: Beyond my diagnosis, I’m just a person.
A person people feel safe with from the very first interaction.
Someone who will always be kind to you.
Someone who will encourage you to love yourself no matter what.
And someone who will always remind you that you are enough.

Q10) Who has been your biggest support or inspiration through this path?

Gurseerat: Clichéd answer—but my friends and family.
My parents always supported me no matter what.
My younger brother never treated it like a disability.
And my friends? They allowed me to see things in me that I didn’t even know existed.
Forever grateful and blessed to have them.

Q11) For beginners—what are 3 basic signs everyone should learn in Indian Sign Language?

Gurseerat:

• Thank you

• I love you

• Help

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Q12) If you met God, what would you say?

Gurseerat: Thank you for everything.
But also—I believe we are one with God. He already exists within all of us.
We get to meet Him every day.
Just a reminder to be kind to everyone.

Q13) If you met God, what would you say?

Gurseerat: Thank you—and also, I love you.

Q14) What does “change” mean to you, and what kind of change are you still dreaming of?

Gurseerat: Change to me means that disabilities are not seen as “less than”—but just a human variation.

Q15) What is life according to you?

Gurseerat: Life is a simulation.
Whatever we think, happens. As within, so without.
Whatever is happening is happening for us.
How we react to it is our responsibility.
Again—whatever we are aware of, happens.

———–Thank You———