Marie-Hélène Abrond talks to Rose Paynel, who will be taking an active part in Sound Week in January 2026.
Deaf since the age of 19, Rose Paynel has made it her mission to make the voices of people with disabilities heard.
Followed by over 100,000 subscribers on social networks, she raises public awareness of deafness, inclusion and mental health through engaging, humorous and caring content.
In 2023, she was appointed French ambassador for implanted deaf people at the Cochlear Foundation Summit in London, alongside Malala Yousafzai. That same year, she published her first book, “Vivre avec une surdité – Le son de vie” (Mango Édition), in which she shares her journey and her view of difference.
Now a lecturer, actress and health ambassador for the 23rd edition of UNESCO’s Sound Week, Rose campaigns for equal opportunities in education, better representation of disability in the media and luxury goods, and free speech around young people’s mental health.
