UK Council on Deafness

On this page

• Vision, Mission, Aim and Objectives
• History
• How we are governed
• The Board
• How we are funded
• Annual Reviews & Annual Accounts

UK Council on Deafness is the national infrastructure organisation for voluntary sector organisations working with deaf people

For all deaf people to have the opportunity to participate fully in society

Our mission

To create an environment in which voluntary sector organisations working with deaf people can flourish

We Aim

To support members in their work with deaf people and to encourage co-operation between members in promoting and representing the diverse interests of deaf people

• be a reference point for all organisations working with deaf people

• participate in campaigns to achieve equality and rights for deaf people

• promote awareness of deaf issues and the work of our members

• provide a forum for discussion and exchange of information between members

• promote best practice among members

• provide administrative services for members

• provide support to enable members to share resources and work together

• promote access to funding opportunities for members

• promote the interests of members in the development of the voluntary sector
  

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History

UK Council on Deafness was founded by a consortium of deaf organisations to improve and extend co-operation between member organisations in promoting and representing the interests of deaf, deafened, deafblind and hard of hearing people. The inaugural meeting of the Council took place in September 1993. The 33 founding member organisations (of which 28 are still members) elected the first Executive Committee, chaired by The Rt Hon Lord Ashley of Stoke. Incorporation took place on 25th April 1994, Charity Registration on 7th June 1994 and a temporary office was established at Breakthrough (now deafPLUS) in Peyton Place.

In October 1994 Sally Hawkins was appointed as the first Director of the Council taking over from Chris Shaw who, as Acting Administrator, had successfully established the structure of the Council. In the first year the Council took on the work of two previous collaborations, Deaf Accord and The Panel of Four. Principle activities were distributing Opportunities for Volunteering Grants, holding two Council Meetings each year and lobbying government to improve Access for Deaf People through the Disability Discrimination Act.

In 1996 Lord Ashley of Stoke became the first President and David Hyslop took over as Chair. Work continued to establish the Council, campaigning to improve access to magistrates' courts and promoting Deaf Awareness. 1998 saw the first major expansion of the Council under the chairmanship of Laraine Callow. Shenaz Hayatoolah was appointed the first full-time Director and a three year grant was awarded by the National Lottery Charities Board to fund the Deaf Action Project to improve access to public services. From the new offices in Waltham Forest the Council continued to increase its influence and the theme for the spring Council Meeting was the new hot topic of Genetics, and for the AGM the theme was 'Deafness and Ethnicity'.

In 1999 two successful Conferences were held on 'Helplines for Deaf People' and 'Deafness, Justice and Equality', however uncertainty over the future funding of the Council led to Deafworks being appointed to provide temporary office and managerial support, and Ruth Myers was elected Chair to oversee the process of securing the future of the Council. During 2000 the Executive Committee and the temporary Managers successfully secured three year core funding from the Department of Health whilst overseeing the ongoing work of the Council and held conferences on the Official Recognition of British Sign Language and the Communication needs of deaf people who do not use BSL.

The Deaf Action Project was brought to a close at the end of the NLCB funding in March 2001 and a very well attended conference on Genetics & Deafness was co-hosted with Defeating Deafness (now Deafness Research UK). The period of temporary management by Deafworks came to an end in September 2001 with the appointment of Jonathan Isaac as Director. New offices were established in Colchester and during 2002 membership grew to 55 organisations; the Affiliation scheme was launched; three Conferences were held on Human Aids to Communication, Mental Health and Deafness and Black & Ethnic Minority Deaf People; three seminars on Fundraising, Deaf People at Work and Helplines; three Council Meetings, with themes such as Human Rights and Education of Deaf Children and two government consultation days; and the Council took over the co-ordination of the national Deaf Awareness Week, securing sponsorship from Boots Hearingcare.

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How we are governed

UK Council on Deafness is a Registered Charity (Number 1038448) and a Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England (Number 2922584). Our governing document is the Memorandum and Articles dated 25th April 1994. The Council's object is 'to improve and extend co-operation between member organisations in representing and promoting the interests of deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and deaf-blind children and adults and their families'. Membership of the Council is restricted to charities and professional organisations working in the field of deafness.

Memorandum and Articles (Word Document)

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The Board

Susan Daniels (Chair)
Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS)

Damian Barry (Vice Chair)
Chief Executive of Hearing Concern

Tom Fenton (Treasurer)
Chief Executive of the Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD)

John Adams
Director of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group

Steve Matthews
Operations Manager at DELTA Deaf Education through Listening and Talking

Steve Powell
Chief Executive of SIGN

Bryan Sheppard
Chief Executive of BID Services with Deaf People

Paul Simpson
Secretary of the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf (BATOD)

Bert Smale
Chair of the Association of Teachers of Lipreading to Adults

Paul Tomlinson
Secretary of the NADP and Treasurer of the National Cochlear Implant Users' Association (NCIUA)

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How we are funded

In 2007/2008 our main sources of funding are:

Department of Health Support for Implementation of TEA Initiatives
Income from Conferences
Sponsorship of events
Membership Fees
Affiliation Fees
Member Services
Sale of Publications

And in addition the Opportunities for Volunteering Grants and Communications Tactics for Healthcare Staff Project are funded by the Department of Health.

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Back to Home Page

• Annual Report and Accounts 2005-2006 (Word document)
• Annual Report and Accounts 2004-2005 (Word document)
• Annual Report and Accounts 2003-2004 (Word document)
• Annual Report and Accounts 2002-2003 (Word document)

UK Council on Deafness, Registered Charity Number 1038448

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© UK Council on Deafness, 2003-5.