Visual images are something Ramjit Singh can relate to outside his silent world.

Through an interpreter, the 33-year-old recalls how his fascination with photography led to his career as a cameraman and assistant producer/director with Visual Motions based in his home city of Bradford.

Photography was his favourite subject at school and a yearning to recreate the beautiful and vibrant images from films he'd watched as a youngster prompted him to embark on a two-year professional film and TV production course at the European Media School in Gateshead.

Ramjit was one of 11 deaf students offered a place otherwise, he says, he would have had difficulty studying the subject he loves.

"I am a very visual person. With sign language and being deaf I rely a lot on my eyes," Ramjit says through a sign language interpreter.

He got by with gestures among his predominantly Punjabi speaking family.

"My family don't sign but we know each other inside and out so we got by. But at that time it wasn't common. There wasn't much advice to learn sign language."

Things have moved on in those 30 years. British Sign Language is the first or preferred language of around 250,000 deaf people in the UK yet it was only formally recognised as an indigenous language in the UK in 2003.

"Sign language is a full and rich language. It has its own distinct grammar and it's not the same structure as English grammar. But it's not new it's been around since about the 1500s," says Ramjit, who's hoping to raise its profile through his work and also break down barriers and open doors for other deaf people.

He has proved you can achieve your ambitions despite having a disability and is hoping to help others do the same.

After completing his degree in film and TV production 13 years ago in Gateshead, Ramjit discovered it wasn't easy getting a job with his disability. The obvious reason, he believes, was the difficulty in communication.

He worked on a few broadcasting jobs for Channel Four's Sign On. When the contract finished he moved back home but never gave up on his dream.

A deaf friend, who'd embarked on the same course at Gateshead, set up his own deaf production company. Visual Motions is believed to be the only one of its kind in the North.

Ramjit initially worked on projects part-time for the Wibsey-based company.

In February this year he became a full-time cameraman and assistant producer/director working closely with the British Deaf Association, health groups and local authorities promoting the importance of sign language and creating programmes to suit deaf people's needs.

"Most organisations probably assume people can read better than they do," says Ramjit. "But a lot of deaf people don't read very well. I struggled with English a lot of the time and it can be very frustrating.

"It's the same with education when you don't hear it you don't automatically learn it. As a child you don't hear the words so unless you are shown them you don't recognise them."

He recognises the improvements in deaf peoples' access to information since he was a child but admits there's still a long way to go.

"There was no access at all when I was growing up and being with an all hearing family I didn't see many adults using sign language, so I missed out on a lot."

Ramjit learned sign language from older counterparts and discovered, despite his disability, he was able to explore the subjects he'd been interested in since childhood.

"I heard about the course, applied and I got involved in Visual Motions. I've broadened my horizons," adds Ramjit, who refuses to see disability as a drawback. He's always been determined to achieve his dreams.

"For me the main thing now is to try to break down the barriers I had to struggle through, so it's better for others now and in the future and so deaf people can have the same standard and quality of life as everybody else."

  • For further information contact Visual Motions on (01274) 678342 or email ramjit@visual motions.co.uk.