A DOCUMENTARY film explodes myths about deafness by following eight hearing-impaired teenagers as they learn how to ride a motorbike.

Riding High – A Deaf Awareness Film, a 30-minute production that seeks to expose fallacies about what it means to be hearing-impaired, is available to watch through Teachers TV.

Three of the teenagers present the group’s “motorcycle diaries”, which are interspersed with some myth-busting facts about what it means to be hearing-impaired.

The youngsters were selected by Lollipop (York & District), a local charity for young deaf people.

A Teachers TV spokeswoman said: “The teenagers battle with their fears and rise to never-before attempted challenges.

“For many it is their first time on a motorbike and as hearing impairment can often affect balance, it proves a nerve-racking but exhilarating experience for all.

“Using frank video diaries and infused by their own enthusiasm and bravery, the teenagers give a clear and simple guide on how best to communicate with them.

“Common mistakes such as shouting or over articulating when talking to someone with hearing loss are soon cleared up and misconceptions about deaf people never being able to drive, go to university or listen to music are put to right.

“The mysteries and techniques of lip reading are explained between hair-raising laps of the dirt track. The difficulties faced in learning speech are interspersed with clips of the teenagers speeding round in buggies and the challenges of impaired balance are put to the test as they attempt to weave between cones as part of their road safety training.” The film, which features a soundtrack performed by some of the junior members of the hearing-impaired community in York and the surrounding district, is being broadcast as part of a week of programmes focusing on special educational needs.

The film is available on the following channels: Sky 880, Virgin Media 240, Freesat 650 and Freeview 88. It can also be viewed online at teachers.tv