'Please don't ask about my ears': Deaf sisters proud of being a little bit 'different'

When Evelyn was six-months-old she was the youngest child to receive cochlear implant surgery in Australia, while Verity was just four-months-old at the time of her surgery.

The girls have processors - nicknamed 'ears' - that allow them to hear almost everything, even though it becomes hard when multiple people talk at once and the loud noises can be painful.

They like to joke they can take their 'ears' off when it all becomes too much.

"When I take my 'ears' off I can't hear anything at all, but I hear the memories of sounds, inside my mind I remember sounds," Evelyn said.

The sisters spend most of their afternoon with teacher of the deaf Emily Gray where they go over school work, play games and socialise.

"I've had the absolute delight of teaching Evelyn and Verity for more than four years, this is the best job in the world and I am so lucky that I get to spend time with these amazing girls year after year," Ms Gray said.

Evelyn, 12, is in year six at Macquarie Anglican Grammar School and loves to read adventure books, Winnie the Pooh and enjoys painting and drawing.

"I like playing outside; climbing trees, jumping on the trampoline and doing things on the farm," she said.

Verity, eight, is in year two at MAGS and enjoys spending time with her family, going out to dinner or church and going to the park and having picnics.

"I like seeing my teacher Emily, we do homework and learning, and we also do lots of art and craft and play games," she said.

Ms Gray told ACM's Daily Liberal that in the deaf community, your sign name is a very special thing.

"Instead of just spelling out your name in ASL, everyone is given a sign that represents them. You can't choose your own sign name, it has to be given to you by someone else," she said.

"Evie's sign name is a wiggling finger, her parents gave her this sign name because she used to wriggle around a lot."

Verity's sign name is a V that she taps on her hand, while Ms Gray's sign name is a long swipe from the top of her head down to her shoulder.

"I gave her this sign name because she has long hair," Evelyn said.

Being deaf certainly comes with its challenges with both the sisters saying the worst thing about it was how tricky it was to go swimming.

Evelyn said she had to take her processors off when she goes to the beach so she doesn't lose them.

"But then I cannot hear anything at all, so I have to pay attention to the people around me," she said.

Verity said when she goes swimming she puts a case on but that will keep falling off.

"I then have to get out of the water a lot to fix it up, I also have to take my 'ears' off so that I can brush my hair," she said.

But, it's not all bad.

"When someone is trying to talk to you and you ask them to stop but they keep talking anyway, then I can take off my ears so that I don't have to listen to them," Verity said.

Evelyn agreed but also added that she can go to interesting places like Seaworld and if you "ask nicely" they will reserve a special spot for you so that you can hear properly.

"Something cool is that I can also put my audiobook straight into my processor, so people around me can't hear the book, but I can," she said.

The girls wished more people knew that being deaf didn't mean they were completely different.

"You shouldn't treat me differently, I don't want people to say, 'oh she's deaf, let's avoid her' and I don't want people to be nice to me only because I'm deaf," Evelyn said.

"I want people to know I am a normal person, I just have something in my life that is a little bit different."

Verity said she wished people knew what was on her ears because she gets asked a lot of questions.

"If you meet me for the first time, please don't ask about my ears, people always ask me about it, and I wish people would talk to me about other things," she said.

"There are lots of interesting things about me."

The girls have big dreams of working on a farm with animals while making and selling art or helping children and becoming doctors.

"I want to help children like she [Ms Gray] helps me," Verity said.

Evelyn wanted people living with a disability to know that sometimes it can feel like, 'why am I so different?' but they shouldn't feel sad about it.

"Don't be embarrassed about being different, be proud and embrace it. You are special and valuable, just the way that you are.

"Having a disability is hard, but that helps me grow in my character. It makes me strong and kind and brave and it teaches me a lot about life, things I wouldn't know if I wasn't deaf."