In this Bulletin

Welcome to our New Members & Affiliates

Members:
Doncaster Deaf Trust
We aim to advance education, training and care for deaf hearing impaired children and adults and those with communication and learning difficulties.
Website: www.ddt-dsd.org.uk

TotalSense
To provide support, advice and training on hearing impairment amongst people with learning disability.
Website: www.totalsensedisability.co.ukwww.totalsensedisability.co.uk

Full contact details can be found in the Members Directory at www.deafcouncil.org.uk/memdir.htm

Affiliates:
SORD (Social Research with Deaf People)
A group of Deaf and hearing researchers within the University of Manchester whose work is linked by the common themes of working for equal access for Deaf and hearing people to services and strengthening the collaborations between ourselves and the Deaf Community.

Further details can be found in the Affiliates Directory at www.deafcouncil.org.uk/affil.htm

Deaf Awareness Week 4 - 10th May 2009
Deaf Awareness Week is a unique awareness campaign bringing together about 250 deaf charities and organisations. Lots of events are being organised by UK Council on Deafness member and affiliate organisations around the country during the week.

The publicity materials are now available to be downloaded from the website: www.Look-At-Me.org.uk

The posters ask people to "Look At Me" - emphasising the need to look at someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, so that that they can see your lips and facial expression. All the models are deaf or hard of hearing and the photography was organised by REMARK! a deaf production company.

To download them, go to the "Publicity Materials" section and you can click on the images for a PDF version. The leaflet focuses on interesting facts about deafness and gives examples of ways to be more accessible to deaf people and can be downloaded by clicking on the links provided.

If you are participating in Deaf Awareness Week you are welcome to use the Deaf Awareness Week logo on your publicity material. If you would like a high resolution version sent to you please contact us.

Deaf Awareness Week offers excellent opportunities for people to publicise and create media interest in deaf issues. You can do this by organising events during the week involving the public and giving the events the maximum possible coverage by informing the media. Local newspapers, radio and television are particularly receptive to events taking place in their area.

Please let us know the details of your event so we can add them to the 2009 Events Diary on the website. For hints about gaining maximum publicity for your event, check out the "Publicity Tips" section on the website. Any local media enquires that we receive will be forwarded on to the appropriate organisation. To find out more about Deaf Awareness Week or to have your event listed on the campaign website contact Clare Long c.long@deafcouncil.org.uk

UK Council on Deafness - Deaf Peoples’ Access to Healthcare Conference - Sponsored by SignHealth
If you would like to book a place, please complete the attached booking form or visit: http://www.deafcouncil.org.uk/events.htm

Venue: Church House Conference Centre, Dean’s Yard, Westminster, SW1P 3NZ

Wednesday, 29th April 2009

1.00pm Registration
1.30pm - 5.00pm

Deaf Peoples’ Access to Healthcare
For all Chairs, Trustees, Chief Executives, Senior Managers and other Healthcare Staff working with deaf people. An opportunity for all professionals working with deaf people to meet and network with colleagues and to gain an up to date understanding of developments in healthcare for Deaf people taking place across the country and across the spectrum of deafness.

Speakers:
Dr Andrew Alexander, Royal United Hospital, Bath
Dr Andrew Alexander will explain how this large district hospital is improving access for deaf people, why there is such a strong commitment to equality and inclusion and the benefits in patient care.

Dr Mike Warburton, Department of Health
Dr Mike Warburton leads the Dept of Health programme on improving GP access. He will detail the findings from a survey of deaf people and state how the DoH are proposing to improve access of deaf people.

Steve Powell, Chief Executive of SignHealth
Steve Powell will explain the latest health findings, which shows that Deaf people have poorer health than hearing people together with the launch of their revised proposal to undertake a major research study across the UK.

Jane Shaw, CEO of Action Deafness, West Sussex
“Working with the NHS to develop Audiology services” - Jane Shaw will detail how the local voluntary organisation has successfully developed audiology services for the over 50’s in West Sussex in partnership with the local PCT and the resulting benefits for the Deaf and hard of hearing community.

Deafblind UK - Charity Golf Day
On Friday 1st May we are holding our Annual Charity Golf Day at the John O’Gaunt Golf Club in Bedfordshire and we invite you and/or your Employer to enter a team to play on the day. I have attached an Entry Form which gives more details.

Our golf teams last year thought this was a super networking event and a great course to play. We hope you will decide to join us.

Please contact Amanda Spivack if you have any questions at amanda.spivack@deafblind.org.uk

Cued Speech - Press Release
Two exciting free new resources were launched this year which could transform deaf children’s language and literacy. Both involve Cued Speech, a language tool which uses only 8 handshapes in 4 positions to totally clarify the lip-patterns of normal speech so making spoken language fully accessible to deaf babies and children at home and school.

Cued Speech enables deaf children to understand English without ambiguity or delay. It also enables deaf children to learn to read using the same phonetic techniques as hearing children (research available on request).

The Cued Speech e-learning website was launched at the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf National Conference and AGM in March 2009 by Cued Speech Association UK (CSAUK) Executive Director, Anne Worsfold and e-learning designer Andy Houghton. The website will enable parents of deaf children and professionals to learn the basics of Cued Speech without attending the traditional 20-hour course, although the CSAUK suggests that students continue to attend some face-to-face tuition in order to receive feedback on their newly acquired skills. It has been trialled for over a year and learners have been reaching high standards; they are also very enthusiastic:

“Wow! Fantastic and sooooo very wonderful to see!”
“That's a brilliant website!! Thanks!”
“Your website has been priceless, free, informative, with a teach yourself approach……”
The e-learning site was created voluntarily by Andy Houghton, in partnership with the Cued Speech Association UK, a national charity which provides information about and training in Cued Speech. It is being used together with face-to-face tuition as well as by independent learners and is already cutting down on the time students need for face-to-face tuition and consequently the cost to users.

The site contains information, guidance and FAQs as well as the basic tuition. Find it at www.learntocue.co.uk or through the main Cued Speech Association UK website at www.cuedspeech.co.uk

The THRASS ‘Phoneme Machine’
The Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Deafness, launched the ‘Phoneme Machine’ on 15th January at the BETT Show, Olympia, London on the Smart Technologies main presentation stage.
The THRASS (Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills) synthetic phonics programme, pioneered by British Educational Psychologist Alan Davies, is widely accepted as having the potential to more than double the normal rate of progress for reading and spelling in English. The latest version of the THRASS Phoneme Machine has been developed in response to a request from the Cued Speech Association UK to include a Cued Speech option by THRASS UK as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility Programme. The Phoneme Machine uses human lips to pronounce the sounds (phonemes) in hundreds of frequently used English words and in the Cued Speech option, which can be turned on and off, the shapes, positions and movements of the hands are displayed alongside the moving human lips, with the cueing for each of the 500 basewords of English demonstrated in a video box.

Anne Worsfold, Executive Director, Cued Speech Association said: “The Phoneme Machine is a formidable piece of software. The understanding of sound-based English has been identified as a key element in learning to read and research shows that children with weak phonological skills (dyslectic and deaf children) learn to read with difficulty. The Phoneme Machine will give, for the first time ever, a multi-sensory classroom-based resource which teachers can use to teach phonics to deaf children and which children can also use individually. I expect it to transform the way that deaf children learn to read.”

The Phoneme Machine software is an excellent resource for teachers, assistants and parents and it is used in many thousands of schools in the UK. The Cued Speech Association UK and Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education have been involved in the development of the new version of this software.

It is downloadable from: www.phonememachine.com and follow the links to DOWNLOAD. Instructions on how to make best use of the THRASS Phoneme Machine 6.0 can be found at www.thrass.co.uk/PM5/instructions.htm

The Phoneme Machine will also be available free to 800,000 teachers who will receive it on a memory stick in early 2009 through the www.memory4teachers.co.uk ICT initiative.

Deafness Research UK recognised at AMRC awards

Deafness Research UK has received a runners-up award in the prestigious AMRC (The Association of Medical Research Charities) Science Communication Awards 2009.

The awards were announced at a reception at the Royal Society, recently. Deafness Research UK's Annual Review 2007 finished runner-up in the Science Reportage in Annual Report or Review category (sponsored by the Academy of Medical Sciences). AMRC's awards reward the very best science communications practices of its 115 member charities, and is the only scheme to recognise specifically the important role played by medical research charities in engagement, involvement and public understanding of science.

The judges commented that Deafness Research UK's Annual Review was…. "Nicely designed and explains the science very well."….it is "A useful all-purpose publication, combining financial reporting with the charity's message."

Chief executive of Deafness Research UK, Vivienne Michael, said: "The Review seeks to inspire and engage people about the potential to develop new treatments for deafness and conditions like tinnitus. Through it, we communicate complex research in a way that our supporters can easily understand. Many have no specialist knowledge of science, and so it's very encouraging to know that we seem to be succeeding in this aim."

The Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) is a membership organisation of the leading medical and health research charities in the UK. Working with its member charities and partners, it aims to support the sector's effectiveness and advance medical research by developing best practice, providing information and guidance, improving public dialogue about research and science, and influencing government.

The Deafness Research UK Information Service provides free information and advice based on the latest scientific evidence and informed by leading experts. The Information Service can be contacted on Freephone 0808 808 2222.

Signature - Search for stars in deaf communication is launched
The hunt is on to reward people in the UK and Ireland who have done most to overcome the communication barriers deaf people face in everyday life.

The Signature Annual Awards will celebrate the achievements of those who excel in disciplines such as British Sign Language and lipspeaking. The awards will also recognise those individuals and organisations that champion the industry and those striving to build bridges between deaf and hearing people.

Signature Chief Executive, Jim Edwards, said: “The Signature Annual Awards are about rewarding champions in deaf communications. They are designed to bring recognition to people who have made, in their own way, a significant contribution towards a society in which deaf people have full access.”

There are five award categories in total - the Joseph Maitland Robinson Award for Outstanding Contribution, Learner of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Communication Professional of the Year and Organisational Achievement. www.signature.org.uk/awards

If you would like any further information, please contact me directly at emma.mortimer@signature.org.uk or 0191 383 7293.

NADP Conference

The National Association of Deafened People (NADP) will hold its Conference and AGM in London on Saturday May 16th 2009 at the Charity Centre, 24 Stephenson Way, London, NW1 2DP and we look forward to seeing as many members of our Association as possible on that date. We have an interesting programme on the theme of safety and security with some excellent speakers. Please visit www.nadp.org.uk/index.htm for further details.