SEE WHAT ?

I watched with sadness the new series of SEE HEAR, UK's sole avenue on the BBC for those who are signing and deaf, except it no longer does that and is an fanzine site for an hard of hearing charity that advises hearing people they are better off as they are because deafness is the bottom of the pile. An charity that consistently promotes negative images of the deaf to get money to help people that aren't. In the past I campaigned strongly for this program to be more accommodating of all with loss, now it seems an 180 degree turn around an no deaf input is really apparent at all.

The program switch to HoH input, is blamed on deaf for abdicating inclusion and walking away from its own program, and the endless rows over deaf exclusiveness via sign etc. As the BBC knows BSLTV is on another channel, they have literally dumped the deaf, we watched an program this week with an interpreter signing an whole program dedicated almost exclusively to loops.

When we did see an lone deaf woman investigating access in Scotland (Which showed only 13 shows were accessible out of 2,500) it was like a damp squib going off, as even the 13 they knew about weren't always accessible to the signer at all. Doesn't matter loops are more important. The curious investigation of loop access seemed to be accompanied by an obvious ability to hear (?) by the person investigating the poor access. This image will not be lost on mainstream, and why sign it all ? Nor was the image lost on the deaf that watched the program as an HoH charity went on and on about 'Deaf' access when deaf don't use loops, and it was blatantly obvious the charity had no signers either.

It seems HoH charities are increasingly using sign language to raise hard of hearing awareness, while at the same time having no actual users involved. A pretty useful display of how deaf are being exploited by others with hearing loss too. The signing image as the 'face' of non-deaf ? who would have thought of that. But its an image that is changing the face of deaf access, and undermining what their needs are.

By what right did they gain our assent to speak for us all ? The SEE HEAR program months ago declared via the BBC they would close all feedback to the program, this was after an 1,000 comment topic criticising HoH charity inference into deaf issues and then claiming to speak for them, as they did again on the TV program this week. An charity that re-branded, to rid itself of deaf representation on the grounds "no-one has any idea what deaf means..." ignoring the fact that is why the charity was set up, to INFORM ! They then went on about HoH issues. Charities have an perfect right to highlight loop or HoH issues, but NOT a right to state this is what deaf want and what they are then say we will speak for them.

It's like watching an program on whaling and talking about fish fingers.... Why not just rename SEE HEAR "The RNID road show !" and have done with it ? The opening credits are the charities public remit for hard of hearing, which via their re-branding is hardly raising deaf profile HIGHER. I'm just as annoyed at the apathetic deaf who go on twitter moaning and then do nothing about it. Equal access means 50-50, it doesn't mean 90-10.

Perhaps this poor showing by SEE HEAR can be redeemed by joining with the campaigns to prevent the total break up of the UK's deaf community ? Deaf children abandoned, deaf clubs shut all over the UK, allowances taken away, hate crimes on the up against those who are deaf or sign, the chaos that is communication support, and the demise of any dedicated services for the deaf elderly, and abandoning their mentally ill, if it's an question of priorities SEE HEAR seem to have lost theirs.

The BBC's love-in with national charities is seriously undermining deaf access in the UK, but SEE HEAR is well aware how deaf feel on this and moved to shut us all up.. Do we have to wage conflict on fellow hearing loss people because of the duplicity of how their charities are being run ? If we are apart then 2 charities if we are all in it together, it's about time we saw it in action. Deaf just walk away and do nothing, and its their access going down the plughole.