Isabelle Lim, a 32-year-old full-time photographer, was born without pierced ears, and her world was deathly silent. She originally wanted to be an accountant, as it would mean minimal interaction with others, but photography unexpectedly sparked her creativity, allowing her existence to be heard and seen. Isabelle has spent the last 10 years proving that not being able to hear the world doesn’t mean you can’t be heard by it. Through her lens, she breaks down communication barriers between the hearing and D/deaf, and hopes to build an inclusive society where sign language (SgSL) is not only a tool for communication, but also a symbol of equality.

When Isabelle was in secondary school, the school arranged for a teacher who knew sign language to teach her and four other deaf students major subjects such as English and mathematics, and she got A’s in every subject. However, when she transferred to ITW to study accounting, her grades plummeted because of this lack of support. To escape reality, she would watch Korean dramas endlessly. But somehow, through her school’s extracurricular club—photography—she was pulled back to the right path in life.

A fond lover of the camera since young, Isabelle Lin said, “Although I am deaf, I have a keen visual ability, and photography is a very powerful tool that can bring joy to the people around me. I started taking photos of my family, friends, and classmates, and gained creative freedom from it.”

No one should be left behind on the road to development

After deciding to pursue photography, Isabelle enrolled into LASALLE College of the Arts to pursue a career in the arts. However, the same problem arose: understanding classes became difficult due to a lack of SgSL support. Isabelle’s mother, Jacqui, thus had to accompany her daughter to classes and hire an interpreter to take notes. With tuition, materials, and interpretation fees, the cost of Isabelle’s studies was considerable. “If society treats us equally, we still have a chance to survive; if society sees us as a burden, we will inevitably have to struggle and work harder,” Isabelle noted.

Her dream of Singapore is a more inclusive society—”regardless of physical condition, everyone has an equal opportunity to walk hand in hand. Because we are born equal, no one should be left behind. We each have our strengths and weaknesses, and only by helping each other can we make progress together. This is the true meaning of unity, and it is also my expectation for Singapore,” she added.

Dreaming of establishing a studio for the hearing impaired

Isbelle became the first recipient of the “Dare to Dream” scholarship from LASALLE College of the Arts. After graduation, she founded her own photography company issyshoots. Her works have been featured in group exhibition Turning Points, organised by ART:DIS during Singapore Art Week 2024, photo-journal exhibition As Essentials at Uniqlo’s Orchard Central flagship store for the Paralympics 2025, and the Chagee’s first signing store in Southeast Asia (run by a Deaf baristas at National University Singapore).

Isabelle’s mom Jacqui initially gave her daughter a two-year trial period to start her business. Now, Isabelle’s photography company is fully booked, offering photography services for weddings, businesses, families, and pets. “Society should be more open to hiring people with disabilities. Starting a business is actually harder than working for someone else. You have to rely on word of mouth and sell your skills to let others see your abilities, which is not easy,” said Isabelle. “Over the years, my mother has always been my ears, my eyes, and sometimes even my mind. I’m grateful to her.”

Photography is Isabelle’s cup of tea, constantly inspiring her creativity. Starting 22 August 2025 she will launch Silent Studio, an experiential project where she will converse with strangers via text on a laptop, without relying on sign language interpretation, and take their portraits. While most people may find it difficult to communicate with deaf individuals, Isabelle believes that through writing, communication is unimpeded. “My dream is to establish a studio led by deaf people, where all team members communicate using sign language—our common language. Here, everyone can understand my gestures, and creation becomes a silent tacit understanding.”

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