Deaf Community Champions Celebrated at RAD 175Th Birthday
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Get your daily news online for FREE Advertise your event or product Visit www.hearingtimes.co.uk email [email protected] HearingSpring 2016 Timeswww.hearingtimes.co.uk Disabled children miss out on play opportunities Deaf community champions celebrated vital to their development, at RAD 175th Birthday Honours Awards report finds Members of the Deaf community, along with friends, family and colleagues, were out in force on 11 February at the A report presented by Duncan awards ceremony held to mark the 175th anniversary of the Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) Blunkett, from the national deafblind charity, Sense, revealed the severe More than 370 nominees, sponsors, A B restrictions facing disabled children RAD employees and guests gathered at in accessing play The Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Place, London, to celebrate Deaf history, language and culture and applaud some of the community’s most upstanding figures, with nine categories of awards being presented by actress, comedian and author Helen Lederer. The award for Best Deaf business (sponsored by Whybrow Chartered C Surveyors) went to Signworld, for its work G supporting both learners and teachers of British Sign Language (BSL) with a dedicated Lord Blunkett (L) launched the inquiry with national disability charity Sense website – which demonstrates the various regional variations of BSL, not only resulting F The report identifies failings at every level in benefits to those teaching and learning it, that result in disabled children missing out but also helping to record and preserve the D on play opportunities that are vital to their language. In addition, Hear First Training and emotional, social and physical development. Consultancy, and Flashing Lights were highly commended. A lack of attention by government, (A) Over 370 people attended the insufficient funding at a local level and Jackie Wan, a profoundly Deaf BSL user award ceremony (B) Medway Deaf negative attitudes towards disabled children and qualified Psychiatric Nurse, was named Club - Most innovative Deaf club (C) London Borough of Islington - Most E and their families are all barriers highlighted Best Deaf role model, for her professionalism accesible mainstream service (D) in the report. and dedication as part of the Deaf Adult Lillian Lawson - Most outstanding Community Team (DACT), working contribution made to the Deaf community (E) Living Options - Best The report calls for urgent action to alongside local mental health teams. Highly employer of Deaf people (F) Jackie Wan - Best address these inequalities and to enable the commended were Dr Sarah Powell, and Deaf role model (G) DCAL - Most significant Prime Minister to deliver on his recent call to Alric Marasek, who also received a special research contribution to Deaf studies improve the “life chances” of all children. commendation for his positive attitude. Lilian Lawson, one of the UK’s leading Due to be launched in Parliament this Best employer of Deaf people (sponsored Deaf campaigners, was named the winner afternoon, the report follows a three month by Griffin Chapman Chartered Accountants) of Most outstanding contribution made to the commended were St Johns Deaf Club, who public inquiry into the provision of play was awarded to Living Options Devon, a Deaf community (sponsored by Fisher Jones received a special commendation for their opportunities for disabled children aged 0-5 user-led organisation which ensures that Greenwood). diverse activities, and Romford Deaf Seniors with multiple needs in England and Wales. disabled and Deaf people are empowered Lunch Club. Chaired by former Secretary of State for to live the lives they choose – 80% of the In 2005, Lilian was the first Deaf person Education and Employment, Lord Blunkett, organisation’s Trustees and volunteers, and in Scotland to achieve the OBE, and she The award for the Most significant research the inquiry was established in response over 50% of its staff, are disabled or Deaf. was also instrumental in achieving legal contribution to Deaf studies was won by the to parents’ concern that they had fewer Also highly commended were City Lit and recognition for BSL in Scotland, which Deafness Cognition and Language (DCAL) opportunities to access play services and SignHealth. occurred with the passing of the BSL Bill in Research Centre, for its research into the settings than families with non-disabled 2015. In addition, Dr Barry Wright and Dr relationship between language, executive children. The award for Most accessible mainstream Terry Riley were highly commended. function and wellbeing in the aging Deaf services went to the London Borough of community, including whether an earlier age Chair of the Play Inquiry, Lord Blunkett, Islington, where the Council has been Most innovative Deaf Club was of BSL acquisition impacts on an individual’s said, “We know that play is vitally important proactive in ensuring that the diverse needs awarded to Medway Deaf Club, for their ability to plan, be flexible in problem solving, for children with multiple needs and of its Deaf residents have been identified and diverse programme of activities, growing or inhibit responses when necessary. their families, bringing a wide range of met within both mainstream and specialist membership, and forward-thinking approach SignHealth received a special commendation developmental and emotional benefits. services. In addition, the HMRC Customer – their 125 members can not only enjoy for their Sick Of It study, while the Social However, our inquiry found that all too often and Stakeholder team, Team Marlborough weekly social meetings, but events ranging Research with Deaf People BSL IAPT Project the parents of children with multiple-needs Court and UK Power Networks were all from comedy nights to bingo, pool matches, Team was also highly commended. highly commended. and a week-long club holiday. Also highly Continued on page 6 Continued on page 2 If you no longer wish to recieve the newspaper, please return it to Hearing Times C.I.C. | The Lansbury Estate | 102 Lower Guildford Road | Woking | Surrey | GU21 2EP 2 News Hearing Times Spring 2016 Early exposure to signing has THE NEWS : IN BRIEF benefits in adulthood, US study finds Deaf children who learn to sign early may boost their brainpower in ways Eurosafe launches innovative hearing protection training unrelated to language Developed in partnership with Honeywell Safety Products, the course is designed to “Most deaf children are born to hearing enable Eurosafe’s members to add value to their business and help their customers find families, and most hearing parents do not the best hearing protection solutions. sign with their newborn deaf children,” clinical neuropsychologist Peter Hauser, who is Chairman of Hearing Link wins Points of Light award deaf, explained at the annual meeting of the Nigel Williams, 59, was inspired to support adults with hearing loss and their families American Association for the Advancement after becoming deaf at the age of 16, due to meningitis. Nigel has volunteered at Hearing of Science. Link for over 12 years and, under his steer as chairman, the charity has grown and “The deaf children, as a consequence, developed ways of helping all those who rely on them. Andy Haworth have very limited exposure to sign language,” US study suggests missing out on early sign Lost feminist play finally hits Irish stage signed Hauser, of Rochester Institute of language acquisition can have lifelong impacts A play rejected by the Abbey Theatre in 1942 and then lost for several decades is to be Technology in New York. staged in Ireland this year. Wife to James Whelan, by the Waterford playwright Teresa Deevy, depicts violence against a woman, and features several opinionated female That paucity of input derails not only normal This result “shows that it’s something that’s characters. language development, but other aspects still there in adulthood,” said psychologist and of mental performance, too, Hauser’s new language expert Jenny Singleton of Georgia Scottish Gov to recruit Deaf BSL users to BSL National Advisory Group research suggests. He and colleagues studied Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Two places on the group will be reserved for Deafblind people who use BSL, and two will executive function — high-level mental effort be for young Deaf people who use BSL. An eleventh place will go to the hearing parent that involves controlling attention, impulses Earlier work by Singleton examined of a Deaf child, and nine places will be taken by public bodies who are subject to the and emotions — by having 115 deaf children classrooms of deaf children, some exposed new legislation. draw lines between circles with sequential to signing from birth and some who learned numbers. The kids had to alternate colours to sign later. The late signers required more School kids take on mini-marathon for deaf charity, following head’s example of circles, a tricky task because it required redirection to follow signed conversations, The pupils at Baschurch Primary School near Shrewsbury will try to run as many 0.1 resisting the urge to connect circles of the she and colleagues found. “We now have a mile laps around the school grounds as possible in one afternoon. They will count up same colour. preponderance of evidence to suggest that if the number of laps completed and work out how many marathon miles they have all run they have not acquired language early, there together, raising funds and awareness for deafness charity Signal. Compared with children exposed to signing can be lifelong impacts,” she says. from birth, children who didn’t learn to sign Lipreading group raise £477 at quiz night until around age 3 took about 17 seconds That means that families of deaf children All funds raised through the quiz night will support Banbridge Lipreading Group which longer to connect the dots, Hauser reported. who receive cochlear implants shouldn’t was established in 2015 by Rathfriland residents Les and Ramona Williams after they What’s more, the late signers don’t seem to necessarily abandon attempts to sign, she discovered there were no classes in the community offering lipreading for people with ever catch up.