David, 21, doesn\u2019t do parties. The graduate from Reading University lip-reads because he lost his hearing when he had meningitis at the age of two. As it\u2019s almost impossible to lip-read in a group, it makes parties a challenge. \u201cIf I\u2019m in a group I tend to stay at the back because I can\u2019t hear what\u2019s going on at the centre. That makes me feel as though I\u2019m on the outside looking in,\u201d\u009d he says. \u201cI told myself I didn\u2019t mind not going to parties, but then I\u2019d find I wasn\u2019t invited and I\u2019d think: \u201d\u02dcWhy wasn\u2019t I invited?\u2019 It would be nice to feel that someone was inviting me.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
On his first day at Reading, David discovered the chaplaincy, a homely place where you could go to be quiet or chat or just chill. \u201cThe kind of people you find at the chaplaincy are people who also feel on the outside of groups,\u201d\u009d says David. \u201cPeople go there to find a connection with somebody and that\u2019s what I would find there. It\u2019s where I met Mark [the Anglican Chaplain] who became my confidant and counsellor.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n