This week marks National Deaf Awareness Week.
The annual week, running 4-10 May, is dedicated to increasing public understanding of deaf culture, history and the challenges faced by the deaf community.
It encourages individuals and organisations to participate in activities that promote better communication and greater inclusivity.
This ethos aligns with one of Hull City Council’s values of promoting a healthier and fairer Hull and to enable people to reach their potential, whilst the council is also committed to being an equal opportunities employer.
Macauley Tranmer is a data technician apprentice within the council’s neighbourhoods and housing team who is profoundly deaf and also has autism.
Having been on Universal Credit, Macauley wanted to gain employment and discovered the council’s Employment Hub online.
He contacted the service area, explained his situation and received a reply from the Employment Hub’s advisor, Ben Stonehouse, who is fluent in British Sign Language.
Macauley said: “Ben told me he would provide sign language support, which gave me confidence. At my appointment, we looked at CV writing, cover letter writing and practised interview questions.
“Ben provided a list of job vacancies and I applied for some, gaining an interview at Tesco where they wrote down their questions and I replied with written answers.
“Despite not being successful, that interview gave me more confidence and so I applied for the data technician apprenticeship with the council.
“During that interview, I was shown the questions on a laptop screen and was able to type my response to the interviewee.
“After securing the role, I was so happy and in my job I analyse data, such as different routine tenancy visits and transferring information onto spreadsheets.
“I also look at rental rates for commercial roads, removing what isn’t relevant and keeping what is important to ensure the council’s neighbourhoods and housing team is operating efficiently.
“The team has been really supportive and have made adjustments to help me, such as all Teams meetings are captioned for me to follow and refer back to, helping me to understand what is going on for use in my role.”
The Employment Hub, based on the first floor of Hull Central Library, offers support for those seeking employment, such as tailored wrap around support to meet individual needs, CV writing, interview tips and techniques, mock interviews, support and guidance on job searching, advice and guidance on barriers into work and more.
Ben, who is also profoundly deaf, as well as having epilepsy and ADHD, said: “Having those disabilities myself and working in the Employment Hub, I have first-hand experience on how the council can support you with your needs.
“That’s what we did with Macauley. We are a supportive and inclusive employer and we are really trying to drive change to help people to find the right direction in their lives.
“We encourage anyone to contact the Employment Hub, regardless of disability, religion or background.
“The support we provided to Macauley gave him the confidence to go into interview and gain his apprenticeship.
“When you have a disability, it’s about having a different mindset and thinking about what you’re good at and not what you can’t do.
“That’s what we told Macauley and it enabled him to focus on his skillset and he’s now helping the council by doing what he is good at.”
Macauley added: “I would advise anyone in a similar situation to ask for help and contact the Employment Hub.
“They gave me the support I needed for applying for jobs and they will be able to help others too.”
More information on the council’s Employment Hub is available at Employment Hub | Hull.
Find out more on National Deaf Awareness Week 2026 at Deaf Awareness Week 2026 | Royal Association for Deaf people.