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BBC News
14 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Call for more basic awareness of deafness after TikToker's death
The mother of TikTok star Imogen Nunn says there needs to be more "basic awareness" of deafness and communicating with those with hearing loss after the death of her Nunn, who was born deaf, died in Brighton on New Year's Day 2023 after taking a poisonous substance she ordered an inquest into the 25-year-old's death, a nurse involved in Ms Nunn's care said there was a "huge shortage" of British Sign Language (BSL) Nunn, known as Immy, raised awareness of hearing and mental health issues on her social media accounts, gaining more than 780,000 followers. Louise Nunn said when she saw her daughter for the last time, she promised she would not stop pursuing what she had wanted to achieve for deaf people."Her biggest thing always was that no-one would ever have to go through what she did," Mrs Nunn said."People are just so ignorant of deafness," she Dimmock, co-CEO of the charity East Sussex Hearing, said: "Imogen's tragic passing highlights how society as a whole fails to take hearing loss seriously. "East Sussex Hearing is challenging public authorities to do better and work with the charity, so that every person is able to receive equitable and full access to the services of Sussex councils, NHS trusts and emergency services."The charity is offering organisations the opportunity to train staff in deaf awareness and BSL. If you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line. Three days before Ms Nunn's death, she received a check-in visit at her home from care professionals after sending a text message saying she had had an increase in suicidal BSL interpreter was taken to the meeting as there was not enough time to arrange one, her inquest coroner Penelope Schofield underlined a backdrop of "systemic challenges" with the number of BSL interpreters across various UK industries and indicated she would be writing to the government about inquest into Ms Nunn's death originally had to be adjourned for two months because there were no BSL interpreters available to translate for two deaf witnesses. 'A living nightmare' Mrs Nunn estimated that about three-quarters of the time there was no interpreter at appointments for her daughter, and said she was often made to choose between going ahead without an interpreter or rebooking and waiting weeks for another appointment."I just don't think anyone realised how important it was," she said life was "like a living nightmare" without her daughter."Life's just not the same," she added. "It's never going to be the same again."She described her daughter as "the most beautiful person ever"."You just couldn't meet someone kinder than her. She just didn't have one bad bone in her body," Mrs Nunn added. NHS Sussex said it welcomed the invitation from East Sussex Hearing and would continue working with its health and care partners to learn and & Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council also said they were committed to making sure their services were fully accessible for people with hearing difficulties. Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne explained that the force used a variety of accessible emergency contact options that allowed for deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired people to communicate.A Sussex Police spokesperson added: "We are committed to ensuring our service is accessible for all and that support is in place for anyone who may have additional needs."
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Deaf TikTok star's death was ‘avoidable' says family
The family of a deaf TikTok star who died after ingesting poison claims her death was 'avoidable' after her inquest found 'failure' from mental health services. Imogen Nunn, 25, died in Brighton, East Sussex, on New Year's Day 2023. On Friday, following the conclusion of Miss Nunn's inquest at West Sussex Coroners Court, her mother said she hopes 'vital lessons' can be learned from her daughter's death. Louise Nunn said: 'Immy was our rainbow – she would make you feel so special whenever she was around and her heart was filled only with love. 'We welcome the coroner's findings, and hope that the agencies concerned can learn vital lessons from what happened to Immy to ensure that no other family has to endure the pain that we have endured. 'We believe Immy's death was avoidable and that there were several opportunities to help her, which were missed by those entrusted with her care. 'We believe that had appropriate actions been taken after the many times Immy asked the care professionals she trusted for help, she would still be alive today. 'It is clear to us that Immy didn't want to die and was, in fact, calling out for and trying her best to get help. But in the end, after fighting for so long for support, she was simply too exhausted to carry on.' Miss Nunn ran a TikTok account that had amassed more than 780,000 followers, where she raised awareness of hearing and mental health issues. After her death, her followers sent 'thousands' of messages about how she had helped them with their own problems and in some cases saved their lives, her family said. 'Whilst nothing can ever heal the pain of losing Immy, we take comfort in the knowledge that she was able to help so many others facing similar struggles to her. 'We believe this will be a lasting legacy for our beautiful Immy who will always be with us in our hearts,' her mother said. They added that it was 'bitterly disappointing' for her family when the inquest was delayed due to a lack of British Sign Language interpreters. Family solicitor Caleb Bawdon said: 'To have had their daughter's inquest disrupted by the very same issue Immy repeatedly faced herself, has been bitterly disappointing and upsetting for her family.' They have called for government ministries to act in light of the coroner's findings on Friday.
