Helen staffs on adventure Abergavenny Wales with 29 deaf children

It was such a fun week climbing, canoeing, high ropes, bush craft and much more. The children had a fabulous time; from strangers at the start of the week to best friendships by the end of it. Sadly, child protection rules prevents us showing a group photo.

    Welsh signing was a learning experience but a few of the children were keen to have a go at learning Ugandan and American signs which they noticed me mistakenly using. Interestingly, as the week progressed many oral deaf children were adding British Sign Language and shifting towards total communication. The National Deaf Children’s Society(NDCS)continue to do a great job of improving lives for countless numbers of families with deaf children in the UK. Helen

Vuvuzelas

This article on addressing preventable causes of deafness caught my eye as we are working alongside deaf who have had little or no control over the cause of their deafness.

RNID, the largest charity in the UK working on hearing loss, has been in touch with FIFA President, SeppBlatter, to express disappointment with his refusal to allow sound levels in World Cup stadia to be measured because football fans deserve to know the impact the noise is having on their hearing and get appropriate advice on how to protect themselves.

RNID's Audiology Specialist, Crystal Rolfe, says: "One vuvuzelajust behind you will hit you with more than 125 decibels of sound –much louder than a road drill –which will really hurt your ears and, when added to hours of partying with loud music in pubs and clubs, can cause permanent hearing loss over time. With thousands of fans playing vuvuzelasat the same time, the accumulated noise will be even greater."

For information on earplugs and how to protect your hearing, visit http://www.dontlosethemusic.com

Go-SIGN Deaf Bible Weekend

was a great time of learning with, and through, old and new deaf friends from across the U.K. We looked at what Jesus modelled at the Last Supper.

Action for Deafness - Hearing Aid Clinics

Chair of Trustees, Jenny Fielder gave my uncle Leon’s hearing aids a wash, cut and blow-dry when I visited him and my aunt recently.

The service is voluntary and just one of many the charity provides deaf and hard of hearing with in West Sussex.

BATOD update: Causes of children hearing loss.

... was the subject of a British Association of Teachers of the Deaf (BAToD) meeting I attended recently. The speaker, a specialist in this field, observed that currently the causes of hearing loss in children she saw was split almost equally between environmentally (e.g.infections, perinatal factors, ototoxic drugs, head trauma and noise induced hearing loss) and genetic causes.

Can sign-language help people with speech difficulties?

I remember meeting a man in his 20’s who’d lost most of the use of his voice box as a result of a car crash. He was learning sign fast! So when I met Joyce, pictured here with her son David recently, this question arose again. She has had a tracheotomy and is the third person we have met who has speech difficulties and for whom sign-language could make communication easier. Thanks to Janine at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and Grace Academy’s Auction of Promises, for their student’s Africa trip, we were able to take Joyce and Dave to a signed performance of ‘Allo Allo’.

Thanks to Peggy, a deaf-blind lady ..

… her communicator guide, Lorna, and the support of the Herbert Gallery in Coventry, I have gained many insights into hands-on signing and how I can safely and effectively support a deaf-blind person. Staff at The Herbert Gallery made my visit with Peggy really enjoyable by organising a tour for us in which Peggy would be able to touch all exhibits. Peggy loved it. She then went on to meet one of my sign students, Julia. Both really enjoyed themselves.

25th Deaflympics take place in Taiwan 5th Sept – 12th Sept.

is a forthcoming event we are hoping will get good TV coverage this year. I was invited, as a comminication support volunteer, to the joint City of Stoke Athletics Club/DUKA Deaflympics trials for Britain's top deaf athletes on the weekend of 18-19th April.

In the event I wasn't needed, but it was good to learn that such events are happening in the NW Midlands. Helen

Deaf Youth 4 Christ Camp

The deaf 18-35 year olds I'd recently met locally either had work commitments or were reluctant to go on a camp with a deaf group they were not familiar with. Adam

Midland Deaf Sports Association Ball

This was a great night out to which 150 + deaf came. The disco was signed and subtitled to maximise access. Signing rather than speech was THE way to communicate! Good to learn how other deaf people have adapted to succeed.

Deaf-bikers

was another deaf organisation that I came across lately. They have a rally in June which I hope to attend, having done our compulsory bike training (CBT). We plan to have a motorbike in Arua, Uganda as it will be a quick and economical way to get about. Feel the breeze is their tag-line.. Ad.

“At Work With The Deaf Community In The West Midlands”..

.. was the title of a short film I saw recently. It was premiered by the Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry and produced by ‘Zebra’, a deaf run film company. It gave me a fascinating insight into deaf peoples’ experiences of work-related issues – both good and bad. e.g. access to training opportunities, health and safety, discrimination, unions and job descriptions.

One humourous story a deaf man shared was about a factory fire drill which he was oblivious to as he sat on the toilet. He was interupted by a note being pushed under the door telling him that there was a fire. His need for relief was only marginally less than his need to save his life! This event changed safety practices in the factory. How would a “At Work With The Deaf Community In Uganda “ film differ? Food for thought.. Ad

BATOD Annual Conference - Progress of Deaf students compared to their hearing peersBristol

Teachers of the Deaf (ToDs) gathered here to network, hear the latest research on the progress of deaf students compared to their hearing peers. One observation that interested me is the slower personal development of deaf students because they spend a greater proportion of their learning time with adults.

I attended a a workshop on how to conduct noise measurements for learning environments, by Campbell Associates. They highlighted three key measures they take:

• 1. Background Noise Measurement
• 2. Measurement of Reverberation Time
• 3. Speech Intelligibility Test

I can't think of many public spaces that score highly on these count but awareness is growing! Adam

Howzat!!!!!? - Elite disabled cricketers

Yesterday, the English Cricket Board gave me the opportunity to work alongside fast bowling coach 'Shine', at Loughborough University. He was giving tips and detailed practical advice through video analysis to a group of elite disabled cricketers. I () signed for deaf England players James and Paul.

Three partially sited and two blind cricketers were also present. With a rattling ball and a team mate calling from the wicket these guys were able to bowl at speed with accuracy and regularly hit the wicket.

As a sports specialist myself, I was fascinated and impressed by the quality of the whole presentation. I learned a lot about bowling and how to encourage a sportsman. A dvd is currently being compiled based on the days events, with me signing. It was a great experience.

Sensory loss can be compensated for we just need to be open to it... Cheers. Helen

Why do you want to sign?

That was the the question I asked students on the beginner's B.S.L Course I'm running. Reasons ranged from curiosity to wanting to communicate better with deaf patients to communication difficulties with a family member to a shared interest.

It was so encouraging that most of the nine students planned to use their B.S.L. skills with someone else in the group. Most courses I've ever attended consisted of students who had no-one they could practice with outside the class on a daily basis. Plans to be part of a end of course celebration alongside other evening community education courses running at Grace academy coventry are afoot.

Aboard NDCS' Listening Bus Roadshow

One of National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS') objectives is to offer up-to-date information for deaf children and their family/ carer/friends. The NDCS Listening Bus tours Britain on anual basis, providing an opportunity for them to see demonstrations of communication equipment and other resources.

Deaf children and their families/carers can try out alternatives and so make more informed choices. The Listerning Bus Roadshow been making a a year long tour of Britain for about a decade.

I helped Roadshow Coordinator, Damian set up the bus recently in a highly multi-ethnic area of East London , answer the questions of deaf children, their families/carers and friends who visited.

NDCS was pleased to be able to offer far more comprehensive information in Punjabi, Urdu amongst othe languages on this visit. With such varied needs, questions and cultural backgrounds amongst the visitors I was impressed with the help the Listening Bus offers. I was intersted to learn of damian's previous work with the Deaf in South America too.

Deaf Sports Leadership Course “Fantastic feedback.. from parents, children.. young people"

“ - It went incredibly well,” added NDCS’s Hayley Jarvis. Tyron Woolfe - NDCS Deputy Director Children & Youth endorsed these comments! Helen has been invited to run it again next year, twice!. Thanks are also due to staff, Rob Danson & Hayley Jarvis, our coaches, interpreters, and partners.

What’s special about the football in a football match for blind teams?

In mid-august I spent four days on this FA Level 1 Coaching Course to help equip deaf role model to develop football skills in deaf 10-14 year olds. The course was well delivered, fun and accessible for all ages, abilities & preferred communication styles. There was a wealth of intensive signing practice and I gained some really useful resources to equip me to use football as a vehicle to introduce Ugandan Sign Language with the isolated deaf next year. I can see a deaf football tournament overseas!

It was interesting to meet other deaf adults working in sport, to learn about national deaf football, the deaflympics and efforts being made to increase participation amongst under-represented groups in football, such as the deaf, the blind, amputees etc
(Answer to Q: the ball contains ball-bearings so that it makes a sound when it moves)