The UK Council on Deafness (UKCoD) hold their annual Deaf Awareness Week to raise awareness of the challenges of deafness and hearing loss faced by 1 in 6 people in the UK – that’s around 10 million.
UKCoD is the umbrella body for voluntary organisations working with deaf people in the UK. The aims of Deaf Awareness Week are to:
- improve access to education, health, social care and employment
- ensure people have the accessible information they need
- advocate and inform government and the public at large about deafness and hearing loss
- provide Secretariat support to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Deafness
- raise awareness about the importance of embracing and recognising language and culture, preventing hearing loss
- improve the quality of services for people who are deaf or have a hearing loss.
Craig Crowley, Chair of the UK Council on Deafness, said: “This year’s Deaf Awareness Week is an excellent opportunity showcasing our members proactively raising awareness of deafness and hearing loss as well as promoting and championing the many organisations that support deaf, hard of hearing, deafened and deafblind in the UK”.
More information and posters available for downloading are available from the Deaf Awareness Week website
If you meet a deaf person, remember to:
- Face the person while you are speaking, don't turn away
- Speak clearly without shouting
- Repeat yourself if necessary
- Never say “It doesn’t matter”
- If the person doesn’t understand you, don't give up
- Write it down or draw a picture
- Speak one at a time
- Keep your mouth visible
- Smile and relax
- Don't speak too quickly or too slowly
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