About Stephanie
The experiences that shaped how I see communication, identity, and the world around me.
Stephanie Todd is the Deaf creator behind WovenAware.
My Story
My name is Stephanie Todd.
I was born in Bermuda and moved to the UK at the age of five.
I attended a mainstream primary school with a Deaf unit before later moving to a Deaf secondary boarding school.
Growing up, I learned how to navigate hearing and Deaf spaces.
Sometimes that meant adapting.
Sometimes it meant filling gaps.
Sometimes it meant working harder to communicate.
Those experiences continue to shape how I understand communication, belonging, and access.
They also shaped many of the questions I still carry today.
Where WovenAware Began
WovenAware began in a different way.
Before there was a platform, there was Becoming Aware – a personal journey of reflection.
I began writing about things I couldn't stop noticing.
Questions about communication.
Identity.
Relationships.
And the systems that shape everyday life.
What started as a private process gradually grew.
Over time, those reflections unfolded into WovenAware.
This feels much more aligned with your homepage.
Shared Beyond WovenAware
In October 2025, I shared part of my story with The Limping Chicken.
It was an opportunity to reflect on Deaf identity, communication, belonging, and the experiences that shaped me.
It also marked an important moment in the journey from private reflection to public storytelling.
Some stories begin quietly.
This was one of the first shared more widely.
A Lived Experience Perspective
This work begins with experience.
Real moments.
Real questions.
Real life.
It grows from navigating systems, questioning assumptions, and noticing how communication shapes identity, belonging, and access.
These reflections are personal.
But they often connect with wider Deaf experiences within hearing-centred environments.
This is where many of the conversations within WovenAware begin.
A Letter to My Younger Self
A moment where past and present meet.
Motherhood and Motivation
I am a mum of three children, including one Deaf son.
Watching my children grow continues to shape why this work matters.
Deaf identity should be valued.
Not fixed.
Not overlooked.
Access is not a favour.
It is a right.
What Shapes This Work
Certain questions continue to appear throughout my life and reflections.
Questions about communication.
Identity.
Belonging.
Access.
Systems.
And the experiences that connect them.
These themes rarely exist on their own.
They overlap.
They connect.
They reveal patterns.
Some reflections begin with personal experience.
Others begin with something I notice in the world around me.
Together, they shape the questions I continue to explore through WovenAware.
Awareness is not about having all the answers.
It begins with noticing.
Then recognising.
Then reflecting.
Then understanding.
An Ongoing Journey
This work continues to grow.
With more experiences, more questions, and deeper reflection.
Awareness is not a destination.
It is a way of being.