Local HEARING community helps save deaf centre.

Perhaps time the deaf community realised they can no longer survive on Local Authority hand-outs ? A great community-led endeavour indeed. LOCAL people have rallied to save Camborne's Cornwall Deaf Centre which was on the verge of closure.

The building in East Charles Street provides social and educational activities for the profoundly deaf and the hard of hearing of all ages. But recently bosses were advised to close after an independent report condemned the electrics and highlighted problems with the roof.

But this week the smiles returned with news that local tradespeople have moved in to make repairs free of charge. Garrie Thomas, who works for Coastline Housing and is a member of the centre's management committee, said: "We had a letter that told us all the work that needed doing, and that basically condemned the building.

"We applied to BBC TV's DIY SOS to see if they could help. Then last week we were having coffee at (secretary) Jackie Gainey's house and we still hadn't heard back.

"So I suggested we did it ourselves – a sort of DIY Deaf-SOS." Next day, Mr Thomas e-mailed all his trade contacts from Coastline Housing and sat back and waited. He said: "We had a fantastic response, much greater than we expected and it's snowballed since then. We believe if DIY SOS can do a project like this in a week, then DIY Deaf-OS can do it in a month."

Committee member Kate Ballard-King said: "The kindness of strangers has been amazing and heart-touching. We have had builders, roofers, gardeners and apprentices coming forward to offer us their help completely free of charge." Cornwall Deaf Centre opened on March 25, 1989, and has provided a meeting place ever since. Profoundly deaf Wendy Meagor, speaking through an interpreter, said: "I love coming here for the company and the support.

"Without it, I would be at home on my own, feeling isolated. It's amazing that we are going to be able to stay open." Barry Curtis was one of the founders. He lived for a while in Nottingham, where there was a thriving centre for the deaf. He realised the deaf community in Cornwall deserved something similar and helped raise the money to buy the building more than 20 years ago. He said: "We used to have an annual grant from Cornwall Council, that was our main source – that and our own fundraising. We've been putting off maintenance jobs and now after all these years, things have caught up with us.

"The centre could have closed. I feel relieved and happy that all these people have come forward to help us. I want to say thank you to all the people who responded to our cry for help." Cornwall Deaf Centre is due to reopen in four weeks, in time for a Hallowe'en party for deaf children. Among those who have come forward to help are R Kellow Builders, DR Building Materials, MacSalvors, Prestige Signs, Cornwall Wood Services, Penventon Hotel and Trevaskis Farm.

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.

Forget Access Rights, YOU Pay for it !

GPs tell deaf patients to pay for own sign language interpreters.

GPs in Haringey have attracted criticism after telling deaf patients they must pay for their own sign language interpreters at consultations. The commissioning cluster for north central London said it received multiple complaints about “the refusal of GP practices to provide sign language interpreters”.

A report to the cluster’s board said: “Patients alleged that they had been informed that they would need to fund the interpreters themselves. Following investigation, it was established that interpreting had been decommissioned in the borough of Haringey.”

The cluster said “urgent” steps were being taken to re-commission the service to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Source

Deaf Passengers an 'Security Risk'

So if cabin crew cannot understand your language, you get kicked off the plane ? Deaf Travellers were Kept Off Flight for 'Security Reasons' Air Méditeranée “regretted” the incident, said a spokeswoman, but under its policy, "a deaf and dumb person is considered a person of reduced mobility," in which case the airline typically beefs up its cabin crew to one crewmember per five people. The airline acknowledged that it should have had the pilot explain the situation, the Local reports. "They felt they were being excluded because of their disability when, in fact, it was just for security reasons," the rep added. But "on an airplane, a deaf person is in the same situation as someone who doesn't speak the language of the cabin crew," said a government minister.

SOURCE

Still looking for the cure ?

Still searching for the deaf cure, here is another one. China (As Charlie Swinbourne recently discovered), has it all... but really all you need for nerve deafness is herbal tea, massage, and acupuncture, so who needs an CI or hearing aid ? Although one treatment is mostly used for those with the 'bends' (An issue deep sea divers can suffer from). This patient was deaf and nil speech from birth to 19 years of age, now has one ear OK and the other on the mend....

Time the west caught up with it don't you think, are they keeping us deaf to sell us the electronics lol....

READ HERE

Deafies at War

On the front line of MISRATA, Libya — Khalid Mustafa Sati fights in silence. He can feel the vibration of the bombs that fall around him, but this member of Libya's rebel forces cannot hear their explosions. Sati can see the smoke and flames from his gun as he fires at Muammar Gaddafi's soldiers, but he cannot hear the sound of the bullets. Nor does he have a voice to speak of the death and violence he has witnessed during this upraising.

Sati is one of Misrata's many heroes, praised for his courage and quick thinking on the battle field. He now heads a unit of 86 men. What sets them apart is that they are deaf. "In the early days there were not so many men fighting," Sati said. "I wanted to show everyone that we needed to get out there; show the people I can't hear, I can't speak, but I can fight. If I could do it, they had no excuse not to be out there, too."

“I want to show everyone that I can't hear, I can't speak, but I can fight. If I can do it, they have no excuse not to be out there, too.” Of the 86 members of the Deaf and Mute Brigade, only 7 can hear, and they are fluent in Libyan sign language and act as interpreters for the others. The majority, like Sati, were born with their condition. Others have lost their hearing later in life through injuries or disease.

None of these men are expected to fight, but many, including Sati and 18-year-old Abubakar Mustafa Awene volunteer to fight every day. They are distributed among the other units to fight alongside those who can hear. "It’s not difficult to fight, but there is a lot of danger,” said Awene. “Rockets fall around us constantly, but if I die I will go to heaven because I am doing what is right."

The men who fight with Awene speak highly of his bravery and dedication. Without the ability to hear, other senses often become more acute. "People rely too much on sound," Sati explained. "They are not very observant."

SOURCE

International week of the deaf

No, I've never heard of it either. International Week of the Deaf - the last full week of September - is an opportunity to promote the human rights of deaf people through events, marches, campaigns and meetings. (That's the UK out then.)

In 2011, International Week of the Deaf is celebrated from 19 to 25 September. During this week, deaf associations throughout the world organise events, marches, campaigns and meetings to highlight topics that they wish to be addressed by local or national authorities.

The aim is to direct the attention of decision makers, general public and media to the problems and concerns deaf persons face. Read more below, including thoughts from several CBM people worldwide.

SOURCE

Access ? it's an hearing conspiracy against culture.

"It is an conundrum deaf demand access but an sector of it, sees access as an discrimination against them. Is it all just a defence mechanism to protect culture ?"

Following on from the debate about captioning ASL or indeed BSL vblogs. Purists who refuse to caption their vblogs on political/access grounds, that is, we should all be learning sign to follow them, and captioning is the forbidden access example of audism, that is English. To caption in that format is too betray the ideals of signed culture. To insist they must if able caption, is to discriminate. Ergo you don't sign - why should I caption ?

The reality is and always has been, mainstream en masse are not going to learn sign language as an alternative language on the off chance they may meet an deaf person at some point, most often they will never meet an deaf person at all, if I never attended an deaf club I would rarely if ever meet an deaf person at all.... if they see an signed vblog not accessible, there is no further interest in deaf culture they will show. 2 years ago here I asked America the question of unsigned BSL Vblogs, and most said they wouldn't even bother to look at them. I questioned then the global nature of sign as access... when deaf were showing no interest in other deaf people's sign forms, AND these deaf asked for captions, who didn't caption their own !

I put one up yesterday, I wonder how many Deaf.Read readers followed any of it ? Now think how HEARING and NON-ASl people will view those un-captioned vblogs.. Strangely many look on these vblogs as 'awareness' ? for whom we are unsure, unless it is fellow ASL or BSL people. It's not wider awareness for mainstream or even awareness for other signers worldwide. You do not even see world sign access to ASL and BSl, they are an very secular lot these signers ! Awareness seems to have by-passed most of them,and the fear of wider acceptance too.....The necessity to acquire signed language isn't there. Spare a thought (A small one maybe !), for mainstream and hearing people, initially the UK has at least 150 languages spoken (One school near Dover had 100 in one school).

If you are an child in school or an adult and need to learn an language, which one is going to get an priority ? I would suggest the language you most are likely to be in contact with, or one where you expect to travel to on a holiday or work in. In my area certainly Bengali/Urdu or polish would be THE most useful languages to learn, these are people I meet every day on my street. They have local shops I go into daily.... I don't think many hearing would assume, "There are deaf people, I really should be learning sign language and communicating with them..I might meet one, one day..." 85% of those who do learn sign are either families or workers in the field, mainly because of an direct need is seen.

It is why deaf awareness has never worked basically, I think deaf are afraid it would work, and because the dedicated sign user is unwilling or unable to adapt. The debates centre on which they are. Deaf politics has to bear an lot of blame, where it has opposed integration/mainstream areas, and signing vbloggers online toeing some obscure line, "I am not going to enable you to follow me, because you don't attempt to learn sign.." Ya-boo ! but who loses ? ignoring people's skill levels and the fact you don't lay down pre-conditions on communication if you want people to learn willingly, they will just feel you are saying take it or leave it, and deaf cannot afford to be seen with that attitude. Deaf rights is of little value if you are prevented by dogma using them.

Will ASL or BSL be less of interest if captioned ? Probably, but the pay-off is wider acceptance and awareness of deaf communications, after all wider access and acceptance IS the primary goal, it IS why we want deaf children to integrate ? Of course it appears unfair deaf have to adapt, why US all the time ? because that is the way.... you only get out what you put in, and make sign language look an worthy language to learn, rights laws are just for the system. You can't force the main-in-the-street to learn it, you have to encourage and sell the idea.

You need to show hearing people they would be welcome if they approached you or tried some kind of sign, far too often deaf adopt an superior attitude that pokes fun at sign learners or, refuses to allow them an in to deaf culture without extreme suspicion they will change it forever, and conduct discourse at distance. They need to understand this looks as if deaf do not want them there.

Deaf should be big enough to provide an captioned in to signed media without feeling culture will die if you do. There might be an place for elitism in preserving pure sign, but not excluding people, or you just isolate yourself. Glorious Isolation is for martyrs and deaf aren't that, we need all the support and understanding there is..

Bristol Deaf 'epidemic'

Ongoing problems in the Attacks on Bristol's deaf community and schools. More on the 'War' on the deaf community in the UK.... If deaf don't put up now, they will lose near all their 'community' base. Clubs, schools, and academia. This vblog will be captioned later.

Do the Deaf have any advocates ?

Not in the UK, except for deaf children. This blog intrigued me in that it asked deaf do more for themselves in the USA, which pretty much echoes most '1st world' countries, who are finding we exist off the fat from last century campaigns and there are scant if any new ones coming out. We await the next gizmo, the next operation, the next implant, the next.....We are just as deprived as before, we are still losing services, clubs, access to communication choices, and access to education and support, but we aren't particularly bothered about it. I suppose this is the modern approach to raising access and rights and equality issues, we do nothing, all comes to he or she that waits...

Should we self advocate ? was one sentence I read, should ? we MUST ! no-one else is going to do it, the breaking news is many of us have never stopped self-advocation, or we'd have nothing at all, and lose what we do have. From what we can tell grass root deaf have opted to let hearing advocates do everything or charities, and concentrate their ire via terminological warfare on each other. The battles still rage, but the war is different. Personally i've always had to self-advocate, sadly militant/strident deaf groups no longer really exist or have the backing of deaf people to make any impressions any more.

The battle has shifted online, which despite having access to the planet strangely is making little impression on access at ground level. Of course net gives access, but PEOPLE get the real results by showing up in person.

Charities were once advocates, i.e. when grass roots were involved in them, but they aren't now. Charities over the years have now become 'service industries' and not really campaigning at all for change on the street, it's all 'awareness' of the perils of hearing loss, mostly cut and pasted from online to give some semblance they campaign as well which they don't, and not willing to bite the hand that feeds them. An leading charity 'think tank' here said they didn't want to lead campaigns any more, that is not their function. which leaves the deaf with what ? Of 59 representative deaf/HI groups only 5 have actually lobbied about rights, the rest wandering around online as per wearing an sandwich board, proclaiming deafness is evil and look after your ears.

The move over the last 10 years has been to remove self-empowerment as an issue in charities. There are now next to no grass roots In charities any more, self-empowerment is an loss leader, and supporting self-empowerment means no more dependency on charities, so we are in the position charities are looking after themselves and the cash cow that keeps them where they are.

I often berate other deaf for not stepping up to the line when an issue arises, but they will ignore it, or attack you, there is just no real will to campaign any more. Young deaf here drink, older deaf are isolated, god knows what the rest are doing, I can only assume they are online twittering nonsense to each other or doing pointless petitions and e-mails to offset criticisms they have gone beyond apathy, and travelled to the utopian world where we have got it all.

Couch potatoe (thesaurus for couch potato).

lazy slacker couch bum sloth tv fat loser lazy ass chill relax boring fatty mouse potato slug sofa spud unmotivated ass useless channel surfing...

This is campaigning in the 21stc.

Despite enough online notification deaf are being pushed out at every turn of access and support, they see no discriminations, see no lack of access, see no diminishing of their world, the net has given it to them ? yep we are world people now, we just don't ever personally interact any more...

Grandson might be deaf, help !

Heart-felt concern from grandmother, daughter blames herself child is deaf. How preconceptions about deafness are felt so negative still.

"My daughter and son-in-law have recently had a baby — my first grandchild.

Naturally, we are all thrilled at such a beautiful new addition to our family, so it has come as a great shock to hear the doctors are concerned he may be deaf. He has to undergo more tests for them to be sure, and my daughter is really upset and confused. She doesn’t know what to do or who to turn to and I am worried she may be suffering from depression. Her father and I have tried to help all we can but she just keeps saying she must have done something wrong.

How can I help her and, more importantly, how can I help my grandson if it turns out that he is deaf?"


SOURCE

Kidnapped Woman Deaf ?

Kiwayu Safari Village.

Kenya kidnapping The British woman abducted by an armed gang who murdered her husband in a remote Kenyan resort is deaf and will have difficulty communicating with her kidnappers, friends have revealed.

David Tebbutt and his wife Judy were staying at the Kiwayu Safari Village near the Kenya Somali border. There are growing fears that Judith Tebbutt, 56, has been taken across the nearby border into lawless Somalia after she was seized by six gunmen who broke into the couple’s £560-a-night beach hut at Kiwayu Safari Village in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Her husband, David, 58, died from a single gunshot to the head as he tried to protect his wife from the kidnappers. Friends of the couple, who are from Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, paid tribute to Mr Tebbutt but said they feared his wife would struggle to cope with the devastating ordeal. A close friend of the couple – who have a 25-year-old son, Oliver – said Mrs Tebbutt, who is a social worker helping people with drug and alcohol problems, relied on a hearing aid.

The friend, who asked not to be named said: “Judy only has around 30 or 40 per cent hearing and wears a double hearing aid.

The ultimate on newsfeeds !

Stigma ? an Myth surely ?

We get stigma from everywhere, age is immaterial, deafness has no respect for age or person. we must avoid stereotyping late-deafened as old people and dotty eccentrics with an hand cupped to the ear.... as if we have enough issues without that. What late-deaf need is an third alternative to the Deaf/deaf thing, and its polarised/secularist approach to support and communications, backed by jealousy, political correctness, and back-biting, it's just an irate free-for-all and who can shout the loudest, with the worse off afraid to say what they need in case of being identified as serial complainers and who need to get a life from those who really should know better but don't.

It's an utter diagrace and an excuse for elitism or discrimination. Unlike some I find hearing people a lot more accommodating than some deaf are, and hard of hearing shun late deaf because they fear what they may become. Their support group and charitable set-ups reflect it. It's about choice, and they have chosen to ignore you..... Its an fallacy we are better off immersing ourselves with any sector be they 'Deaf' or hard of hearing. LATE-deafened are people who have no useful hearing. I'm not really interested in debates on loss degree, either you hear or you don't. It blurs who is really deaf in the real sense and who really isn't. I fully appreciate the degrees of loss and issues, having been there done that and worn the t-shirt to buggery, but profound loss is an different ball game, with very real issues to confront for those who knew little but hearing. Late-deafness is on par with post traumatic stress disorder and needs to be recognised as the serious issue it is. Is losing your hearing any less an loss, than losing an leg ? Some of us would swap.

Of course all sectors are equally entitled to support and understanding, but it seems late-deaf are getting the short straw, and it's an constant and daily, lifelong, sometimes bitter and difficult battle without respite for a lot of people, which is obviously going to adversely affect any sort of immersion contemplated. If you ARE elderly then your life can be virtually over on any social level, if you acquire loss at earlier ages, then life is an struggle to see where you fit in...and there is nothing to break that vicious circle. The cardinal sin of course, is stating that. That puts you in the 'whiner' and 'moaner' league, as averse to other loss sectors who are happy as Larry presumably... or afraid to challenge the Gods Of empowerment on realities.... Being deaf is an form of acceptable and collective paranoia, either side of the issue... Mamma we're all Krazee now...

You can suffer, but you mustn't say so, get over it, and get a life... but presumably because it upsets those who never face up to it, or can't. I'm really pleased cultural deaf have no issues at all, we must learn their secret one day, but it still wouldn't work for everyone else, and the hard of hearing will be OK so long as an good aid is available or an loop exists, or people learn to speak properly but.... it does nothing for late-deaf, sorry that's diversity, always an downer....can't please everyone.. Being late-deaf is a bit like being an alcoholic, the first step is to admit you drink too much, in our case, admit you cannot get by without hearing. Late-deaf are still not getting it. It's either attempting to be what you aren't, and falling somewhere near the middle, or desperately trying to hold on to an hearing background and praying for the cure, we've all done it.

It's like what was left in Pandora's box (Hope), so long as that is still there... we'll all hear tomorrow.

As a deaf Mr Micawber would perhaps put it, "Total hearing loss plus culture, equals happiness, partial or late deafness, means fear and calamity ! Be prudent with that decibel." This is not an rant, if it is maybe we need more of it. We shall now adjourn and await the 'get a life' comments to roll in !

Lip-Reading in Decline in the UK

We are apparently being priced out of classes and fewer tutors being trained, that's 10 million HI being ignored. A June 2010 report showed there were 424 lip-reading classes in England. Wales reported only 19 per 300,000 with hearing loss. Further research this year – which is still being analysed – indicates that this number has now fallen even further.

This is an continuation of an outright 'war' on deaf people by the British government, from withdrawal of deaf services to deaf children and adults, to closing their deaf clubs, as well as mounting an direct attack on allowances, and withdrawing work support entitlement, deaf are given by law. Now they target the hard of hearing, late-deafened and their communication needs. Deaf/HI in the UK are under the cosh.... even charities are abandoning the 'D'eaf. It's all about preventing deafness not supporting those with it. Deaf ? your own fault, and you are probably work-shy as well...

Be it sign language classes or lip-reading classes, those with loss and profound deafness are facing an cruel exclusion to communication access classes and courses. In reality these classes MUST be totally free to those with hearing loss, and to their families. We need deaf and HI to unite to attack the arbitrary state of access in the United Kingdom, and to demand an review of all current deaf support communication options. The system as it exists bars deaf people, prevents those with severe loss gaining help, and pays hearing people to keep us all dependent on them. Deaf people are not an commodity to be sold, and neither are their communication options, we want an end to it..

An lot is due to greed by sign language tutors,and college-run courses, who prefer to have hearing in their classes. In many respects so do Lip-reading classes exclude those with severe loss, we have to ask "WHY are those who need communication access, the ones not having access to the classes ?", and "WHY are they being CHARGED for it ?"

Article:

Although sign language is useful for deaf people to talk to other, lip-reading is essential as a link to the non-deaf ‘Where classes do exist, an increasing number are no longer free'. ‘Some courses cost as much as £240 per year. Consequently, groups have been closing due to low demand.

‘HI charities are calling on local authorities to ensure that lip-reading classes are widely available in their areas at little or no cost to the learner.’ Another major issue is the lack of tutors and, once again, poor funding is to blame. There is only one training course for lip-reading tutors in the UK. Based in London, it presents a barrier for people living outside the South-East who want to train. ‘We know of lip-reading tutors in many parts of the UK who want to retire but aren’t doing so because there’s no one locally to replace them,’ an charity spokesperson stated....

SOURCE

Jody Dunn Accused of Scam Targeting Deaf Investors

Federal regulators have filed civil fraud charges against a man who they say raised about $3.4 million in a scam targeting deaf investors.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the charges Friday against Jody Dunn of Corinth, Texas. The SEC says in a lawsuit that Dunn, who is deaf, bilked more than 7,000 people by offering investments in life-insurance policies that never delivered on promised big returns.

Dunn allegedly used $353,000 of the money he raised to cover his mortgage and other expenses, and put the rest into a firm's offshore accounts.

The firm claimed to sell investments in insurance policies bought at a discount from the terminally ill or elderly. The SEC said none of the deaf investors' money was used for that purpose.

Dunn couldn't be reached.

SOURCE

PawPrint Appeal

New appeal for hearing dogs... with Pam Clements (From 'eastenders' soap opera).

Bristol Deaf Centre to lose funding...

The Centre for Deaf People in Bristol is to lose its funding from the city council. Currently 9 long-standing deaf clubs (One of 136 years history), are either due for imminent closure or fighting to stay alive. The reliance of local authorities over the years to pay deaf club rents and provide virtual free buildings, is now an major issue, as government and local authorities, target deaf people and services to pay the UK's huge debts....

Only very recently an court action halted an almost total withdrawal of support to Stoke On Trent's deaf children And Leeds is petitioning against the closure of their club.. Nottingham also under threat has gone online to offer services to help prevent closure there... Cardiff in South Wales has also to find their own funding or face closures too...and Newport's base has closed already.

At current rate, 27 British deaf clubs are going to go to the wall in 18 months,and have to fund their own clubs and make them pay. Bristol is also home to Deaf studies and Mr Ladd, that academic system is also under review for closure. Up until 2005 an deaf club closed every week, we had an pause, now those remaining are being heavily targeted to save money, the most vulnerable the elderly deaf and the deaf child are bearing the brunt of support withdrawal.. British deaf appear to be powerless to stop what is the last bastion of deaf culture (the clubs), closing nation-wide, since wholesale mainstreaming has zeroed most deaf schools.

NEWS ITEM:

The authority says the centre, which has been based in the city for 125 years, does not provide a good quality service. The city council said it is making £240,000 of cuts to voluntary sector grants. John Maslen, the centre's chief executive, said staff had given the best quality service they could offer.

The centre, which offers social activities, employment and training, is now threatened with closure. Funding is due to end on 1 November. The centre looking into how it can raise money itself. Mr Maslen called for a rethink. "It's devastating news," he said. "We have worked tirelessly to make sure that we give the best quality service we can offer. "We're all well aware of the savings that have to be made in the country and the local authority and are sympathetic to it.

"Dialogue has been very sparse with little consultation and we are deeply disappointed and devastated that there hasn't been more full and proper budget saving consultation prior to this announcement."

SOURCE

Don't mention you're DEAF !

Geordie Dent, director of the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations (Above).

A deaf woman didn’t get a single reply when she inquired into dozens of Toronto apartments, but it was no surprise for human rights and housing advocates.

Quinn Cruise, a 25-year-old student who is deaf, sent 30 emails inquiring about rooms advertised for rent last September. She didn’t get a single response until she removed the word “deaf” from her message. “These are barriers that are constantly being faced by people that are deaf or hard of hearing,” said Gordana Mosher of the Canadian Hearing Society.

Geordie Dent, director of the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations, said the organization’s hotline receives a handful of calls every year from deaf people who feel they’ve been discriminated against. “People who have disabilities, often landlords don’t want to deal with (them), especially in the private market,” he said. But it is against the law for landlords to discriminate against anyone with a physical or mental disability. They must also provide “reasonable” accommodations — such as a visual fire alarm in the case of a deaf tenant.

But Ontario landlords say it’s not always that simple. A new visual fire alarm can cost between $500 and $1,500, according to Mosher. Small-scale landlords may not have the money to invest in such a system. “A lot of landlords have nothing against someone who has a disability, but maybe they’re a little bit concerned that they’d have to invest more to accommodate the person,” said Stuart Henderson, a spokesman for the Ontario Landlords Association.


SOURCE/MORE

First Contact.....

Nobody Plays with my son because he is deaf. An recent and heartfelt plea from an mother of an deaf child on the READ HEAR site in the UK. After taking her deaf son and his hearing sibling on holiday, she found other parents and children reluctant to engage with her or her children because although she had an good speaking voice, she was using sign language constantly with her deaf child.

"It's as if they are afraid to approach us because of the sign language... as a result my deaf son had to be content with playing only with his hearing brother. We need more deaf and sign awareness at school level..."

Worthy aims. but does awareness mean hearing people will feel more able and confident to approach the deaf ? Will deaf welcome that approach ? that is, more hearing people coming up to them and wanting to socialise and communicate ? Much issue lies with 'deaf awareness' which is more about deaf rights, than it is bridging deaf-hearing divides.

One aspect she might have ignored is basic social etiquette. Perhaps the blurred aspect of this with socialising online is to blame ? it may be easier to 'talk' to an thousand on an computer, but that won't work on the ground.

It is why I reject social sites personally,they won't equip deaf to interact direct with hearing people. Hearing may assume deaf WANT to be left alone and want their privacy respected. In some respects deaf demand it, it can be difficult to know when or not, to take the risk of walking up to them (Or their children, which can be viewed negatively), and attempting to communicate, especially with the added issue of communication, often people assume better to 'give others their space', which may mean assumptions of ignoring you. Many deaf lack confidence so won't initiate that first move.

Many of us can remember issues of hearing coming into deaf clubs and not made welcome at all, due to deaf wanting their own space, "We deal with hearing near all the time, our space is our own.." This will reinforce hearing views, better deaf are left to do their own thing, but it affects social interactions at other areas and levels.

I despair many deaf are still using this argument to maintain an hearing-deaf divide, but children won't understand that aspect. It would seem hearing and deaf 'divide' after a certain age. When at initial school start and up to about 6 or 7, children find their own level and mix with relatively few problems, then they move up a class and it all seems to change, suddenly cliques form and prejudice rears its ugly head, are we pre-programmed or what ?

E.G, I attended an event recently in a pub where deaf were socialising,they stuck together and mostly objected or were wary of any hearing approaching them, they looked for all intents and purposes as if they did not want hearing people involved at all and sat together ignoring them. Consider how this looks to others...

Social interaction will not work via awareness alone,it takes people to interact with people. This parent was upset that others 'didn't want to play with her deaf son' or approach her on social levels. It can be really difficult for anyone to know how to understand when an approach is welcome and when it isn't, so it would seem the parent has to adjust to making the first move.

By doing that the parent is saying "Hi, I am willing to engage with you, and I won't be offended..I am prepared to put up with the difficulty our communications may present." Because if they are waiting for everyone to learn sign, it's an long wait.... sometimes an lifetime.

Deaf awareness only tells people histories of deaf and their issues and communication means (Sometimes !), it doesn't tell hearing when it is acceptable for them to take the onus of establishing contact, that has to come from the deaf. Current deaf awareness is all politics and little basics of where it really matters.

First contact is important, a smile helps... but an willingness to engage is vital.

Dear John...

John you're fond of quoting successes with deaf children of deaf parents, but most families do not fit this criteria, you are not quoting 'like with like' you are championing deaf parents, and criticising hearing ones, under the guise of attacking A G Bell. Clearly you have no interest at all in hearing parents or the issues they cope with.

They aren't deaf, just get used to it. You won't anyway accept their deaf children if they don't agree with your anti-oral view. There is just nothing in your viewpoint for your version of deaf education people can compromise with. You would be happier on a desert Island only with all deaf residents. For every person that claims oralism destroyed them, many will say it didn't. This statistic mirrors much the same with hearing children, there are ALWAYS an percentage for whom the system won't work.

If you want links to sites that have deaf people in who hated deaf schools, feel free to ask. Most who post about deaf schools rarely mention EDUCATION, they mention the community and cultural aspect, YOU are still doing it, but the purpose of schools is to educate, and the deaf mind-set that puts this secondary is why we struggle. today we expect deaf to learn to an much higher level,to match hearing in fact. Deaf are owed an decent start in life. In the UK an mainly oralistic school Mary Hare Grammar, produces the 'cream' of talented and able deaf people, most of whom are online and in the televised medias, and acting, artistic, and lead many deaf groups too, so oralism hasn't done them much injury.

The issue is the school itself, or the lack of support, or it may be deaf people only want other deaf people so won't attempt to fit in, these have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the outside world for their own benefit, as this is where their future and work lies. Learning to get on with hearing people is an prime aim. Why are we campaigning for equality, if not to 'be there', and doing it.

You cannot name an single child that hasn't suffered bullying at some point, do you think hearing children never get bullied ? You don't need to be deaf or disabled, bullies are complete democrats. 90% of parents of deaf children are hearing, let's quit with the superior attitude they should have had deaf ones. Deaf parents have hearing children too. I suppose what hearing kids need do not matter ? Deaf parents are campaigning here for their deaf siblings and hearing siblings to attend same schools. We need to break the cycle of deaf-only areas.

Let's have something practical from you as averse to waging some 'cultural' warfare on anyone with a decibel of use, or an choice to express. Deaf people are about FREEDOM of choice, you are out of the loop obviously. I don't know American statistics, in what respect are deaf children with deaf parents visibly doing better than those with hearing parents ? fair question, and what does it prove ?

What can you expect hearing parents to do about that ? Feel guilty they aren't deaf ? Every attack you make on alternatives in education,you attack the parents who make these choices. They may well then see A G Bell as an justification for ignoring signed education. At some point you and A G Bell will have to sit down (You will need to more than they will), and discuss the issues with realism and cooperation, at present A G Bell is not going to take an blind bit of notice to you, and nor are parents who can feel your hostility from here ! Your constant blogs on access are a sham, you don't discuss issues or allow feedback, attract those unfortunate deaf who didn't benefit, and feed on it with one result.

Like Paddy Ladd you play on deaf insecurity, by feeding them more, and suggesting everyone including their parents, are against them. CI's, oral education, hearing aids, main streaming, these are facts of life. You have more windmills to tilt at, than Don Quixote ever did....

I still recognise the deaf community, but your version I don't want to be an member of..

Yours

Hands that Talk reach Lottery Final...

Do not however use the CC option ! (Subtitles may have helped). Further Information Link HERE.

Deaf denied visual prompt to compete in Sports.

From Australia, proof access to sport is what denies deaf to compete, not ability. How do they expect the deaf to amalgamate with disability Olympics or the main event, if they are denying them the start ?

When he competed in the Queensland track and field championships in August, Sekou Kanneh's speed over 100 metres and 200 metres assured him of a chance to shine at this month's national titles in Darwin. The 11-year-old Brisbane schoolboy, who can't hear the starter's gun at the beginning of a race, came second in both events.

Because he is deaf, he watches for those he is competing against to move first before he sets off. It can mean the difference becoming coming first and second, says the president of Deaf Sports Australia (DSA), Brent Phillips. To allow him to obtain a fairer start, the organisation has asked School Sports Australia to supply Sekou, who is representing Queensland at the national titles, with a visual prompt at the starting line.

"But School Sports Australia has declined, citing it would create a precedent which would create problems for the organisation in the future," Mr Phillips said in a statement on Thursday.

Competing in the "athletes with a disability" division is an option, because it would allow Sekou access to a visual prompt at the start of a race, but DSA says he shouldn't be denied opportunities to race on an equal footing with able-bodied athletes. "Through our National Schools Education Program, we have educated and motivated young deaf athletes that they can aspire to be the very best, and to see Kanneh denied the opportunity to race on an equal footing with able-bodied athletes goes against everything we have been promoting and advocating," he said. "What sort of message is this communicating to young deaf athletes?"

SOURCE & MORE

MORE COMMENT