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Breaking Down The Barriers 1

Breaking down

the barriers

Reaching out to Deaf people

and their organisations:

A guide for the Third Sector


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Acknowledgements

This guide has been written by members o Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Dea Forum on

Interpreting (The Forum) at Nottinghamshire Dea Society in collaboration with the National

Equality Partnership.

The National Equality Partnership (NEP)

NEP supports the third sector to challenge inequality and promote equality and human rights.

It is a three-year project, (2008-11) unded by Capacitybuilders, under the Improving Support

Programme. The national programme covers the whole o England.

NEP believes that people with direct experience o discrimination are best placed to develop

solutions to address it, and aims to ensure that all work on equality, diversity and human rightsin the third sector is done with the close involvement o equality organisations.

What do we do?

We oer training, inormation and one-to-one support to umbrella organisations to help

them challenge disablism, homophobia, racism, sexism and other orms o discrimination

and human rights abuse. We enable organisations to increase their voices so that inequality is

tackled eectively. All o our work promotes collaboration and partnerships, sharing expertise

and encouraging long-term relationships between equalities organisations and the wider third

sector.

Our work is closely inormed by our reerence group encompassing all equalities sectors as

well as generalist organisations. The partnership o NEP is made up o:

Womens Resource Centre (WRC) Voice4Change EnglandConsortium o Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Voluntary and Community

Organisations

National Association or Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)

Womens Resource Centre is the lead partner with core sta based at our London oce.

National Equality Partnership

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.improvingsupport.org.uk

Tel: 020 7324 3030
mailto:[email protected]://www.improvingsupport.org.uk/http://www.improvingsupport.org.uk/http://www.improvingsupport.org.uk/mailto:[email protected]


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4 Breaking Down The Barriers

Nottinghamshire Deaf Society

The Nottinghamshire Dea Society set up the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Dea Forum

on Interpreting (The Forum) in 2006 to bring together Dea users o interpreting services,

employees o the Nottingham Sign Language Interpreting Service (NSLIS) and local reelance

interpreters to provide a cultural exchange on the perspectives and experiences o users and

providers in a relaxed, respectul, honest, constructive and positive atmosphere o dialogue.

Currently, there is a core membership o twenty Dea users, ve reelance interpreters and

representation rom NSLIS. The Forum also enables the local Dea community to engage in

policy changes to the interpreting service and identiy the training needs o Dea users and

interpreters.

Nottinghamshire Deaf Society

Email: [email protected] Web: www.nottsdea.org.uk

Tel: 0115 970 0516 (Voice and Minicom)
http://www.nottsdeaf.org.uk/http://www.nottsdeaf.org.uk/http://www.nottsdeaf.org.uk/http://www.nottsdeaf.org.uk/


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Contents

Page 6 Introduction

Page 7 Information about the Deafcommunity

Why a capitalD in Dea?

How Dea people see themselves

The historical oppression o Dea

people

Page 8 Civil and human rights

Page 10 Deaf peoples experience of

accessing services providedby the third sector

Case Study 1

Page 11 Exercise

Case Study 2

Page 12 Exercise

Case Study 3

Exercise

Page 13 Deaf peoples experiences of

volunteering

Case Study 4

Case study 5

Page 14 Case study 6

Exercise

Page 15 Actions for third sector

organisations

Understanding the Dea

community Reaching outto the local Dea

community

Raisingstaawareness oDea

peoples needs

Page 16 Improving Deaawareness

Reviewyour external

communications

Page 17 Consider thephysical

environmentoyour organisation Learning howto meet andgreet a

Dea person

Page 18 Learning about booking an

interpreter

Learning about the role oaninterpreter

Page 19 Working with an interpreter

Help with advocacy

Page 20 Case Study 7

Facilitatingmeetings with Dea

people

Page 21 Case Study 8

Providing accessible inormation

Page 22 Supporting the Dea communityto gain unding

Campaigning or Dea peoples

rights

Page 23 Provide training targeted at Dea

peoples organisations

Checklist

Page 24 Resources

Organisations

Publications

Videos

Dea Studies

Page 25 Bibliography


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Introduction

This guide aims to give organisations working in the third sector an insight into Dea peoples

lives, their experiences and ways to involve Dea people in the services you provide. The guide

examines the barriers to eective participation experienced by Dea people and providesexamples o good practice.

Within the guide are case studies, exercises and checklists to help you improve the way you

reach out to the Dea community.

It is important to note that while some o the guidance given will apply equally to Deablind,

Deaened and other Dea people, who do not use British Sign Language (BSL), this guide has

been written rom the Dea cultural perspective o BSL users.


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Information about the Deaf community

The British Dea community is ormed o Dea people who use BSL as their rst or preerred

language. The community exists across the country with a national cultural lie, strong

coherence and a sense o common identity. Dea people have established centres, socialclubs and societies in their local towns to acilitate interaction, access services, hold religious

services and social gatherings.

The community is proud o its heritage, rich culture and language (BSL). It has sought over the

past three decades to achieve a sense o equality within the mainstream o society. However, it

is clear that the Dea community remains marginalised. It is rare to nd Dea people engaging

at any level within local and national communities.

Why a capital D in Deaf?

The capital D is used to describe culturally Dea people who are members o the Dea

community. The other orm o the word dea is a generic, medically-based term used to

encompass all dea people, although the particular needs o Deaened and Deablind people

are oten given emphasis by mentioning them in addition to Dea people. The term Dea is

used to reer to a particular cultural and linguistic group rather than to the physical condition o

deaness.

How Deaf people see themselvesDea people do not see themselves as lacking hearing and thereore as disabled, but instead as

having Sign Language and an attitudinal Deaness brought by sharing a positive Dea identity,

a common language, cultural heritage and lie experiences (Baker and Padden, 1978).

In 1981, disabled people were beginning to develop what was to become the social model o

disability, identiying negative attitudes, environmental actors and social structures, rather

than their medical conditions as the barriers to disabled peoples participation in society. At

the same time, Dea people were making demands to be recognised as an ethnic body with

their ownlanguage, culture and mode o thinking (Dimmock, 1981).

Parallels can be made with ethnic minority groups who have established centres across Britain

or members o the community to meet, worship and celebrate their cultural lie.

The historical oppression of Deaf people

Dea people identiy their oppression as oralism, a philosophy rooted in the medical model o

disability that has been compared with colonialism (Ladd, 2003).

Historically, Dea people have seen the education system as the source o their oppression.


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For most o the last century, the ocus or Dea children was on the development o speech

rather than knowledge o BSL. This ocus is seen by the Dea community as detrimental to

linguistic development, educational, social and employment opportunities.

Oralism denies access to BSL and many Dea people give personal accounts o the abusivetreatment they have experienced as punishment or using BSL (Taylor & Bishop, 1991).

The medical model o deaness seeing deaness as a decit in hearing rather than as a

cultural and linguistic heritage is another example o oppression elt by the Dea community.

It is this dierence in the lived reality o deaness that is at the heart o Dea peoples hostility

to the cochlear implantation o children. This device is portrayed in the media as a bionic ear,

transorming dea children into children who hear normally, rather than a surgically implanted

hearing aid. It is a symbol o societys wish to change Dea people into speaking and hearing

people, rather than recognising BSL users as a minority group.

In common with other minority groups, Dea people are also able to identiy their oppression.

Arthur Dimmock, in his writing, identied the parallels with other groups in Britain, using

languages other than English.

In 1976, the linguist, Mary Brennan, recognised that BSL was oten as complex as spoken

languages in its ability to express sophisticated thoughts and emotions. Following her

observations, the British Dea community campaigned or over twenty years to have BSL

recognised by the Government as one o Britains indigenous languages alongside Welsh,

Gaelic and Cornish.

The campaign nally achieved its goal in 2003 but it could be argued that this recognition

has yet to be implemented. There have been ew changes in practice, and Dea people oten

remain invisible on television and in other spheres o national and political lie.

Civil and human rights

A resident o any country will have diculty participating as a ull citizen i they are unable to

gain inormation and engage with current debates. Dea people struggle to gain access to manyareas o lie including:

educationmedical and social provisionsparticipation in political and democratic processesactivities in their local communitiesemployment


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As well as ace-to-ace communication, Dea people experience diculties in using the

telephone, and obtaining inormation provided in the media, especially through television,

radio, newspapers and the internet. The rarity o interpreters on national stages and

particularly on television, gives some indication o how marginalised and socially excluded the

Dea community remains.

Oten it is assumed that because Dea people have limited access to inormation conveyed

by speech, this can be circumvented by providing written inormation such as a handwritten

note, a leafet or being directed to a website. However, research has shown that Dea people

oten have a lower than average reading age. For example, Dea people, who let school in 1975,

had an average reading age o nine years. Twenty-ve per cent o school leavers, who were

described as less dea (hearing loss below 85dB) had no reading comprehension and 50% o

school leavers with deaness greater than this were also illiterate (Conrad 1979).

These school leavers will now be around the age o 50. Currently only a third (32.9%) o

dea children achieves good results at GCSE compared to over hal (57.1%) o their hearing

peers(source: www.ndcs.org.uk). Research does not suggest that the literacy levels o dea

people aged over 50 or between 19 and 50 will be higher than these averages (Boddis 2007).

Without doubt, Dea people have diculty accessing inormation.

We lag behind on information

on a daily basis. I feel like its a

constant catch-up game with

the hearing community. Wejust have a lack of up-to-date

information.

(Eckhardt 2005)

"

"


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Deaf peoples experience of accessingservices provided by the third sector

When Dea people try to access a service provided by a local and community voluntary

organisation, they oten struggle. Some dont know they have a right to ask or an interpreter.

Generally, people only have access to sign language and community support i they go to a

Dea Centre. They dont have that access elsewhere. This is a major source o social exclusion

or Dea people.

To illustrate Dea peoples experiences, we have included three case studies o Dea people

accessing services. These are ollowed by exercises to help third sector organisations to

understand these experiences and think about ways to overcome barriers to eective support

or Dea people.

Case Study 1

Ive got a Dea son who attended ootball coaching provided by the Foundation

Football Club at his school, we had an interpreter or that and he loved it. He elt

equal with the other children. Then budgets were reduced, and they had to stop

the interpretation provision.

They said to me that as a parent I could apply or a government grant, which is

available, to provide support or any disabled person with access needs e.g. an

interpreter. I got help to ll in the application orm, but was told that I had been

unsuccessul because they were not prepared to pay to meet the needs o just

one child although they were prepared to help a group. But i there is only one

Dea child living in the area we would have to go urther away to nd other children

who may be interested in ootball coaching, in order to get support. My child has

experienced the same problems with Cubs and Scouts. Hes given up going now

as he cant attend the social events.

Hes tried going with somebody whos got Stage 1 skills in BSL, but thats not high

enough. Its better than nothing, but someone at Stage 1 cant pass on all the

inormation that other children are saying in the group.

Communications ne at home and at the Dea Club. But out there in society

as a whole, theres no access. And its a budget issue or other services. The

school budget does not have the capacity to pay or interpreters or ater-school

services; theyre not unded to provide or his social lie. And i I want to attend

school unctions as a Dea parent its dicult, as again, its an issue o budgetaryconsiderations.


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Exercise

Reerring to the case study above, please consider these questions:

How might a child eel i they were involved in an activity and then, they were1.

excluded?

How would you eel i you had helped someone to ll in an application and you2.then learned that they had been unsuccessul?

What would be your next step in this situation?3.

As this case study demonstrates, the issue is not just about budgetary considerations, but

structures and attitudes.

I a group wants to include someone who is a BSL user, and it is committed to social inclusion,

the group will nd a way to break down the barrier that excludes the person, by providing

accurate advice about unding and nding eective ways to provide support.

Case Study 2

A second Dea mother gave an account o diculties her daughter, Mary,

experienced attending the Brownies and Girl Guides.

The amily was encouraged by parents at their childrens school to join the

Rainbows. Jane, the leader, had known them or a long time and could use BSL.

When the child was ready to move to the Brownies, it was ne as Jane was the

Brown Owl (leader o the Brownies group). However when Jane let, Marysinvolvement began to ragment. Even though, Ruth, a member o the school sta

stepped in to provide communication support, this was not ideal.

Marys mother has never been given the ull story o what happened, but she

suddenly received a message rom Marys teacher to say that her daughter had

been banned rom attending the Brownies because o her behaviour.

She then discovered that Ruth had not been at the Brownies or our weeks, and

although Marys mother tried to get an explanation, she was unable to contact the

Brown Owl directly, with all communications coming to her via the teacher. The

mother explained her eelings:

Im so angry because they see it as all my responsibility and they have the cheek

to award a badge to Brownies or communication with Dea people.

The school said that they could not help any urther because they had, unknown

to the amily, paid or the support through the Childrens Fund and this had now

been exhausted. The mother was also incensed because in order to keep Mary

involved in social activities she now had to apply to Social Services or money toadd to the payments she made or communication support.


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Exercise


How would you eel i you were Marys mother?1.

How could the Brownies have handled this situation better?2.What should be the next step in this situation?3.

Case Study 3

Peter has an ambition to run 100 races beore he loses his sight due to retinitis

pigmentosa, a condition which, combined with deaness, is called Usher.

In order to nd a running partner someone who will run just ahead o him to

increase his saety Peter decided to write to as many sources o possible help

that he could nd. He wrote ty letters to voluntary organisations, the police, the

army and Dea organisations. He did not receive a single reply rom this or rom a

website, which nds running partners.

Peter approached ve running clubs in his city but all o them met in the evening,

the wrong time o day or someone with poor night vision. He ound a running club

that met on a Sunday morning and they suggested he turn up and run with them.

Peter needed to be reassured by meeting a member o the group beorehand. He

wanted some time to get to know and trust other members o the group and to

know that they had some level o understanding about deaness.

Exercise


How would you eel i you were Peter?1.

Peter needed an interpreter to assist with these rst steps, but where would2.

the unding come rom to pay or this service?

What would be the next step in this situation?3.


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Deaf peoples experiences of volunteering

As well as being service users, Dea people oten want to volunteer in order to contribute

their skills to the wider society. However, some are worried that their deaness will be seen as

a barrier. The issue o unding or interpreters is oten a problem. Sometimes a voluntary signlanguage interpreter can be engaged but it can be dicult to match the time they are available

with the Dea volunteers requirements. In addition to this, voluntary sign language interpreters

are oten people learning to sign so the standard o interpretation can vary.

A hearing person with Level 1 BSL (equivalent to the skill a tourist may have in a oreign

language), is welcomed as a volunteer or the Dea community, even though they can barely

communicate with Dea people, but it doesnt work the other way around or Dea volunteers.

Dea volunteers cant just turn up.

It involves extra work because you have to explain the

need for an interpreter, keep pushing for an interpreter,

and IF there is funding then you end up being

responsible for booking the interpreters.

The next three case studies are examples o Dea people volunteering.

Case Study 4

A woman who does voluntary work or the Dea Childrens Society and

voluntary Dea Awareness training or schools, as well as preparing

Scouts, Guides and Brownies or their nger spelling badges.

She nds it dicult volunteering at some schools or Scouts groups when

they have no idea how to try to communicate with a Dea person.

I eel uncomortable, theyre all hearing and dont

know how to talk with Dea people.

Case study 5

A volunteer interpreter who gives police cadets insight into the Dea

community. She said that she eels able to participate ully:

I really enjoy mysel! I like the challenge that voluntary work

with the police brings and I value the opportunity to bring

them ace-to-ace with the ull orce o Dea culture.

"

"


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Case study 6

A woman who had been keen to get involved with a local group

that had received government unding to develop a support

and advocacy service or parents o disabled children:

I volunteered as I am a parent mysel and I thought my

experience would be valuable to the organisation and to parents

o disabled children, especially the parents that had mental

health diculties and others who had learning diculties.

The rst problem was that that they did not have unding to include

me in the inormation and training sessions or volunteers. I wasnt very

happy about this as I knew they provided an interpreter or another Dea

person who was on their Management Committee. However, I was very

keen to be involved so I managed the training by reading all the written

inormation, lip-reading and bringing a hearing riend to interpret some

o the sessions. They said they would pay him but they never did.

Then I became aware that all the other volunteers were being matched with

amilies but there was no oer o work or me. Eventually I was told o a amily

but then told that they had pulled out. In the end I was so busy with my own lie

and volunteering at the Dea Centre that I put it behind me, but it was a shame.

Exercise

Reerring to the case studies above, please consider these questions:

How do you eel about the experiences o these volunteers?1.

Are non-Dea people, particularly disabled people and parents o disabled2.

children, missing out i Dea people cannot share their experience and

expertise?

I Dea volunteers work only in the Dea community, how best can they3.be given support and training or the many kinds o issues they may be

conronted with?

How can Dea people be supported around issues that they may be unaware4.

o (e.g. Health and Saety, working alone, domestic violence, child protection

procedures, vulnerable adult policies and legal matters).


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Actions for third sector organisations

Understanding the Deaf community

It is important to remember that:

Each Dea person is an individual with a range o other identities and communication needsThe Dea community mirrors the wider community with its ethnic mix and includes old and

young Dea people, middle aged people, gay men and lesbians, Dea people with illnesses

and disability, people with mental health issues and learning diculties, and many others

Each individual will have their own sense o identity and place in society ormulated throughtheir own lie experiences

The knowledge and exercise o their rights varies between Dea people

Not all Dea people know o their right to ask or an interpreter or act on this right, inparticular those with additional needs and also those with limited language skillsDea people who have been segregated into the learning disability services may never have

been given access to BSL or have been introduced to it comparatively late in lie

Reaching out to the local Deaf community

I your organisation is not aware o local Dea clubs or groups you need to identiy:

Who provides services or Dea peopleWhere you can book an interpreterWhere Dea people meetAn internet search using the name o your local town and the words Dea Club will probably

be sucient to make a rst contact. You could also try the members list o the UK Council

on Deaness (www.Deacouncil.org.uk) or typing the word dea into the search acility o

your local councils website

Local Dea sports and social clubs oten link to national Dea sports organisations and tothe British Dea Association (BDA). The BDA publishes a monthly magazine giving an insight

into its current activities and concerns. Local activities are oten eaturedYou could make contact with your local Dea service, Dea Centre or Dea Club to oer your

support and to identiy local needs and concerns

Raising staff awareness of Deaf peoples needs

In order to provide an equitable service which promotes the social inclusion o Dea people,organisations must ensure that they have a commitment both to the training o all sta

in communication with their service users and to the development o an organisational

understanding o the needs o the Dea community going beyond the legal requirements othe Disability Discrimination Act
http://www.deafcouncil.org.uk/http://www.deafcouncil.org.uk/


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Make sure that your organisation is accessible in the rst stages o reaching out to the Deacommunity. For example, when you are planning public meetings it is important to consider

how to encourage Dea people to attend. I you are starting a volunteer recruitment drive,

think about how to include Dea people. And obviously make sure any services you provide

are accessibleI one person in the organisation is sympathetic and knowledgeable about Dea issues, thena Dea persons experience o accessing the service will be improved, even though in many

cases the sta member may not refect the expertise o the organisation. However, it is not

enough to have one member o sta with BSL skills as this is an unsustainable approach to

an organisations service delivery

Bren Davies, Chie Executive o Community Concern Erewash says that she and a colleague

had some BSL skills and were able to support a Dea volunteer. She eels that currently BSL is

treated as a luxury add on and not as a undamental part o provision. She makes the case

or ree access to BSL training, arguing that this should be a part o the capacity building

programme or voluntary organisations.

Improving Deaf awareness

The CEO and governing bodies o inrastructure organisations need to ensure that theyreceive and deliver diversity training

There needs to be a ocus on disability equality within diversity training and specicattention needs to be given to Dea awareness


Accessing services: Reviewing your external communications

Make sure you can respond to calls rom the text relay service (Typetalk)

Be aware that Dea people may seek to contact you by ax and emailConsider access by smsObtain a copy o the Good Practice Guide rom the UK Council on Deaness see

Resources

Ensure that your publicity is not only accessible to the Dea community, but refects theimage o Dea people

I you have a booking orm or meetings, ask people to speciy their access needs, andinclude BSL interpreter as an example o an access need

I you want to invite particular Dea people to a meeting get in touch with a local interpreting

agency to discuss this


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Consider the physical environment of your organisation

Is it easy to nd?How do people enter your premises?I there is an entry phone, how will a Dea person be able to alert you to his/her presence?

How will he/she know that you have responded?On entering the building, is it easy to nd reception?Is the reception open and well lit?Will the Dea person have to communicate through a glass panel?How easy is it to nd the way to meeting rooms, toilets etc?

Learning how to meet and greet a Deaf person

I you are meeting a Dea person, or a Dea person makes contact with you, you shouldrespond in the rst instance using spoken or written English. They may ask you to use an

interpreter

I they do not ask or an interpreter, and it is obvious that communication is notstraightorward, you should raise that with them, and ask them how they like to

communicate. Remember that Dea people would rather you attempt to communicate

through notes, gestures and acial expressions, than turn them away

When a hearing person asks a Dea person a question, sometimes they will nod and pretendeverythings understood. Its the same or hearing people: sometimes smiling and nodding

is used to cover up embarrassment. A nod or a thumbs up should not always be taken at

ace value

The ideal situation or Dea people is to nd that someone who works in the organisationis either Dea themselves or has a sucient level o competence in BSL to provide the

inormation or assistance required

Where Deaf people work,

Deaf customers go.

It is only when you have an

established Deaf contact that

Deaf people are likely to get

involved in the more social

aspects, such as user groups.

"

"

"

"


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Interpreters Booking an interpreter

To nd an interpreter, you can ask your local Dea Centre or search the National Register o

Communication Proessionals working with Dea and Deablind people(www.nrcpd.org.uk). The Association o Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI) (www.asli.org.uk)

also lists their members

Ask about their qualications and experience in the type o meeting or project you haveplanned

Get a quote rom an interpreter and include this amount in the budget or your meeting orproject

It can be dicult to get an interpreter at the last minute, so always provisionally book one,and make sure you know about their cancellation requirements

Your organisation may need to create a specic budget or interpreters, i it does not alreadycome within a budget used to meet access needs under the Disability Discrimination Act,

e.g., to pay or material in Braille or inormation in Easy Read, or unding to cover translation

into dierent spoken languages

It is good practice or organisations to take responsibility or unding an interpreter or eachoccasion that communication takes place

Learning about the role of an interpreter

The role o the interpreter is to acilitate the communication between the Dea user oBSL and users o English. Interpreters will use their knowledge o the two languages to pass

messages rom one language into the other. The skill with which they do this demonstrates

their training, the level o proessionalism and many years o exposure to both cultures and

languages

As with other proessions, they are expected to maintain condentiality and abide by theproessions Code o Conduct (www.asli.org.uk)

You need to bear in mind that while the hands and aces o interpreters look very busy, evenmore work is going on in their heads as they extract the meaning o each message and nd

the best way to express it in the second language

As with any other language that is interpreted, there is not always a direct translation oreach word or sign and each language has its own grammatical structure

Sign language interpreters have a crucial role to play in bringing inormation into the Deacommunity, and enabling individual Dea people access to participate in the lie o the local

community
http://www.nrcpd.org.uk/http://www.asli.org.uk/http://www.asli.org.uk/http://www.asli.org.uk/http://www.asli.org.uk/http://www.nrcpd.org.uk/


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Working with an interpreter

You should plan where the interpreters and Dea people will sit so that they can see eachother clearly with any other visual aids you are intending to use. There should be plenty o

light. It is best to check with the Dea person i the positioning meets their needs

Direct your speech to the Dea person, not to the interpreterMake sure, through rm chairing, that the meeting is disciplined and that people do not

speak over each other. The interpreter can only translate or one person at a time so good

acilitation o competing contributions in meetings will need to be exercised

Sometimes the interpreter will have to stop the speaker (or signer) to ask or repetition orclarication o what is said to ensure accuracy. I the meeting is intense and is likely to last

beyond twenty minutes, two interpreters may be needed or breaks built into the meeting to

enable the interpreter to ensure a consistent standard

Be aware o the time delay in the interpreting process. The Chair should ensure that Dea

people can respond to others contributions and not be excluded by being let behind in thediscussion

Dont block the view. The Chair should make sure that people who are moving around theroom dont walk in ront o the interpreter

Be conscious that the interpreters job is to translate and not to engage directly in themeeting, so do not direct questions to them during the meeting

Only engage interpreters in personal conversations during the comort breaks or ater thesession, i they are willing to do this, as you need to remember that interpreting is mentally

challenging work and thereore the interpreters may need a break

You should seek eedback rom the Dea participants ater the meeting to nd out ianything could be improved upon. I you or the Dea people involved have not been happywith the standard o the interpreter, you should take this up with the agency that supplied

them or with NRCPD or ASLI (see Resources)

Help with advocacy

I a Dea person has diculties accessing an interpreter because o a lack o unds, it may be

necessary or an advocate to work on their behal. The advocate would be able to work as

a middle person, challenging any lack o interpreting support and ensuring the Dea personplayed an active role in their own support.


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Case study 7

In January 2009 Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Dea Forum

organised a meeting on interpreters. It was an opportunity or a hearing

worker to meet with Dea members, and to learn about Dea peoples

experiences accessing services rom community groups.

The acilitator o the meeting explains:

It was my rst experience acilitating a meeting o predominantly Dea people

and I ound mysel encountering the delay eect that I have heard many Dea

people talk about (this happens when receiving someones spoken word

via BSL). Dea people are oten playing catch up at events and meetings i

acilitators or speakers do not allow or this delay. This is a common occurrence.

I was looking at the Dea person signing, hearing the interpreter relay what

was being communicated, and by the time the interpreter had nished

the sentence o one Dea person, another Dea person (who had received

the inormation beore me) was already signing their response.

Until the interpreter started verbalising what was being signed, I

didnt know whether the next persons contribution was

relevant or not. By then, the individual was in ull-swing.

As my acilitation style predominantly occurs verbally, initially I didnt think to

use my hands. In a hearing environment, I would not think to raise my hand

in a stop gesture as this would, quite possibly, be considered oensive.


Facilitating meetings with Deaf peopleWhen acilitating a group o Dea people, establish with them what methods you should use

to keep them on track and to time. For example, should this be by using a stop hand signal

when you required a pause, in order to keep up with what was being said

It is worth having some discussion with Dea people attending a meeting to ensure culturallyappropriate signals are established

When including Dea people in mainstream meetings, dierent cultural rules would apply.Do not to expect Dea people attending to give you Dea awareness training during the

meeting

Consider whether it is useul to have a brie Dea awareness session at the beginningo meetings and events to ensure everyone is conscious o strategies and a process or

inclusion


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It is important to remember that while other members o the audience may be able toread PowerPoint presentations and hear a running commentary, Dea people cannot take

in inormation rom two sources simultaneously. You will need to give time or any written

inormation to be read, and or the Dea persons gaze to return to the interpreter beore

you speak

Case study 8

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) provides a our-minute advice video

or the Dea community on YouTube. The video which is sub-titled

and signed in BSL by a Dea CAB advisor, gives a basic introduction

to the CAB, how Dea people can nd their local CAB and describes

how they can help advise on debt or discrimination issues.

This video is an important step in reaching the Dea community, who do

not necessarily get access to advice rom broadcast mediums such as radio

and TV. We made this lm because we wanted to make sure the CAB service

had a presence on the internet and specically or the Dea community.

The video reers to the diculties Dea people experience

in getting advice, particularly on discrimination:

A lot o Dea people have no prospects o promotion they spend

many years in the same role. Very oten I see Dea clients who are

rustrated in the work place. They ace discrimination, as employers

oten reuse to provide a sign language interpreter. Some Dea people

do not know it is their right under the Disability Discrimination Act that an

employer should provide access to meetings or training courses.


Providing accessible information

Dea people oten ace a combination o unemployment, low income, debt, poor housingand discrimination. Dea people are also more likely than other people to need advice, but

will have much more diculty obtaining that advice, oten due to the lack o interpreters

Inormation in plain English benets all o us. There is a wide range o individuals and groupswho struggle with literacy. People with learning diculties and people who use English as

a second language may not be able to read inormation that uses complex legal terms or

jargon is used


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When inormation is illustrated with photos and other visual imagery, it can be easier or allo us to understand. Organisations, such as Change (www.changepeople.co.uk), work with

people with learning diculties, and would be able to provide advice and guidance about

producing written inormation in easy to read words and pictures. For some Dea people it

may be the only way to understand leafets and bookletsSending inormation through email is useul, but you need to remember that not all Deapeople have English as a rst language. This can be particularly problematic when the

inormation uses complex legal terms or jargon

I it is appropriate, think about creative ways o presenting inormation, or example,illustrations, cartoons and videos with subtitles or BSL interpretation

Supporting the Deaf community to gain funding

I Dea groups are experiencing diculty completing unding applications, they may notbe aware that other groups have been successul in meeting potential unders ace-to-

ace. For example, Islington Dea Campaign (IDC) has asked unders or help in completing

application orms. A Dea representative o IDC sits with the under, providing the answers

to their questions either directly or through an interpreter. You could suggest your local

group ollows this example

The Dea community needs to be made aware o any unding mechanisms that can help toprovide access to interpreters etc

Campaigning for Deaf peoples rights

Dea people are oten not aware o their rights and when they know their rights, they usuallydont eel assertive or comortable about complaining

The implications o the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 are oten not ullyunderstood by the Dea community and that is why there are ew cases we can learn rom.

It is seen by some Dea people as a nice bit o paper that has no power to change Dea

peoples lives

An important role or inrastructure organisations is to be aware o, and assist localorganisations to understand the specic requirements o the Disability Equality Duty under

the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 which sets a legal requirement or public bodies toinvolve disabled people in their decisions

Local Dea communities may benet rom your organisational knowledge and experiencein these and other areas. Is there training you can oer about the reasonable adjustments

that agencies must provide in order to provide equitable services to the whole community,

including Dea people?

Are there case studies that could be used as model o good practice?Can you assist local people with the processes o nding legal advice and supporting them

to work through civil court cases to implement the Disability Discrimination Act?

Can you oer a mediation service, or negotiate with local agencies that deny Dea people anaccessible service?
http://www.changepeople.co.uk/http://www.changepeople.co.uk/


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Provide training targeted at Deaf peoples organisations

Dea people need to develop condence and be assertive enough to tell the hearing society,and their MPs, that they need a better service, and more unding or interpreters. This could

be achieved through assertiveness training, enabling Dea people to campaign or change

Hearing people listen to the radio, watch television, read the papers and have access toinormation in English, as a rst language. Lacking adequate access to English, Dea people

will be less condent and unable to campaign or their rights

Organisations that provide assertiveness training need to work more closely with local Deaorganisations

Inrastructure organisations should consider providing specic courses or the Deacommunity on managing a group, organising meetings, chairing and managing speakers,

political processes and campaigning

Checklist

Make sure your organisation:

has made contact with the local Dea communityis accessible to Dea people (e.g. physical space and written material)is improving diversity awareness among sta and volunteersreviews external communicationshelps Dea people and organisations with advocacy, unding, training and

access to rights

has a basic understanding o the needs o BSL usersunderstands that the best person to ask or advice on an individuals needs is

the person themselveshas knowledge o interpreting services and when they should be usedidenties unding to pay or interpretershas access to BSL training courseshas clear roles and procedures or volunteers and sta and that these are

applied equally to Dea people working within your organisation


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Resources

Organisations

British Dea Association (www.bda.org.uk)Change (www.changepeople.co.uk)

National Dea Childrens Society (www.ndcs.org.uk)

National Register o Communication Proessionals working with Dea and Deablind people

(www.nrcpd.org.uk)

Plain English Campaign (www.plainenglish.co.uk)

The Association o Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI) (www.asli.org.uk)

UK Council on Deaness (www.deacouncil.org.uk)

Publications

British Dea News, British Dea Association (www.bda.org.uk)

Council on Deaness (www.deacouncil.org.uk)

Forest Books (www.orestbooks.com) Good Practice Guide: providing access to public

services or Dea people 2001, UK

VideosWhat we do and how we help a 4-minute video by Citizens Advice

(www.citizensadvice.org. uk/index/aboutus/what_we_do_how_we_help.htm)

Deaf Studies

There is a range o courses across the UK, rom beginners Sign Language to post-graduate

courses on Dea studies, culture and history. Bristol, Durham, Wolverhampton, City University

(London), Heriot-Watt and Central Lancashire oer a range o courses in Dea Studies.
http://www.bda.org.uk/http://www.ndcs.org.uk/http://www.nrcpd.org.uk/http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/http://www.asli.org.uk/http://www.deafcouncil.org.uk/http://www.deafcouncil.org.uk/http://www.bda.org.uk/http://www.bda.org.uk/http://www.deafcouncil.org.uk/http://www.forestbooks.com/http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/aboutus/what_we_do_how_we_help.htmhttp://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/aboutus/what_we_do_how_we_help.htmhttp://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/aboutus/what_we_do_how_we_help.htmhttp://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/aboutus/what_we_do_how_we_help.htmhttp://www.forestbooks.com/http://www.deafcouncil.org.uk/http://www.bda.org.uk/http://www.deafcouncil.org.uk/http://www.asli.org.uk/http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/http://www.nrcpd.org.uk/http://www.ndcs.org.uk/http://www.bda.org.uk/


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Bibliography

Baker C. and Padden C. Focusing on the non-manual components o ASL in Siple, P. (ed)

Understanding Language through Sign Language Research New York, Academic Press 1978

Boddis, J. Are Hearing Impaired Students Successul in Mainstream Education? Dea Worlds

vol 23 issue 1 2007

Brennan, M. Can Dea Children Acquire Language British Dea Association 1975

British Dea News, British Dea Association April 2009

Cambridge CABs newsletter 20/11/08

Conrad, R. The Dea Schoolchild Harper & Row 1979

Dimmock, A. International Year o the Disabled People 1981 in Dea Liberation, National Union

o the Dea 1992

Disability Rights Commission Recruiting Retaining and Developing Disabled Volunteers:

Guidance or Volunteer Opportunity Providers Apr 2007

Eckhardt, E. An exploration o HIV/AIDS perceptions, knowledge, and belies among individuals

who are Dea Ph.D.diss New York University 2005

Hawcrot, L., Peckord, B. and Thomson, A. Visible Voices: Developing Dea Service User

Involvement in Local Services Joseph Rowntree Foundation undated (approx 1995)

Ladd, P. Understanding Dea Culture: In Search o Deahood 2003

Taylor, G. and Bishop, J. Being Dea: The Experience o Deaness Pinter Press 1991


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printed on 9 livesrecycled paper


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Breaking down

the barriers

Reaching out to Deaf people

and their organisations:

A guide for the Third Sector

1295965290_breakingdownbarriers

Documents