UK Council on Deafness

February 2002 Bulletin

New Full Member

Welcome to STAGETEXT who have recently become a Full Member of the Council. STAGETEXT is a registered charity that seeks to raise awareness of the value of captions in increasing access for people with a hearing loss. For further details, contact: Peter Pullan, STAGETEXT, 75 Canfield Gardens, London, NW6 3EA. Tel: 020 7372 1246, Text: 020 7624 2161, Fax: 020 7624 2161, enquiries@stagetext.org.uk www.stagetext.co.uk

If your organisation is a charity or professional body working in the field of deafness and has an interest in national issues you may be eligible for Full Membership of the UK Council on Deafness. Please contact us if you wish to be considered for Full Membership.

Affiliate Members

Welcome also to our first intake of Affiliate Members:

Addington Citizens Advice Bureau
Leicestershire & County Mission for the Deaf
Scottish Course to Train Tutors of Lipreading
Wales Council for the Deaf

Dundee Education Department Multi-Sensory Service
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
Fife Council Deaf Communication Service
Leeds City Council Modernisation Team, Disability
London Borough of Barnet Sensory Impairment Team
Royal Schools for the Deaf Manchester
Sandwell Council Deaf Team
Surrey Social Services Deaf Services Team

Affiliate Membership is open to Voluntary Organisations, Public Sector Bodies and Companies that work with deaf people. Please contact us if your organisation would like to become an Affiliate Member.

UK Council on Deafness Events

Some dates for your diary:

Council Meetings

The programme of regular Full Council Meetings is for our members to network, to develop a greater understanding of each other's organisations, identify potential joint initiatives, discuss the issues effecting deaf people and formulate joint policy. Attendance is free and each Full Member Organisation can send 2 representatives. Themes this year include EC Article 13, Human Rights and Education.

26th February 2002: EC Article 13
23rd May 2002: Human Rights
26th September 2002: Education
12th November 2002: AGM

Conferences & Seminars

There will be a series of Conferences this year addressing issues of great importance to our members:

25th April 2002: Human Aids to Communication
11th July 2002: Deafness & Mental Health
16th Oct 2002: Black & Ethnic Minority Deaf People

The Seminar Programme covers specific areas of the work of our members and provides an opportunity to share experiences, update skills and learn of the latest examples of best practice.

21st March 2002: Good Practice in Fundraising
9th May 2002: Deaf People in the Workplace
25th June 2002: Helplines
10th September: Youth Work

You do not have to be a member to attend the Conferences and Seminars. Please contact us for details of how you can attend these events. Discounts are available for Full Member Organisations.

Recognition of BSL

A delegation of leaders of deaf organisations met with Maria Eagle, the Minister for disabled people, on Thursday 31st January 2002. The Minister asked UK Council on Deafness to organise the meeting so that she could find out what 'recognition' would mean and what practical differences it would make to deaf people. Representatives from BDA, FDP, RNID, NDCS, RAD and SIGN called for BSL to be included in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, for the government to establish a Taskforce to look at what changes to legislation are required and for the government to encourage the European Parliament to recommend that member states comply with the resolution that indigenous Sign Languages be recognised. The organisations expressed their frustration and disappointment at the lack of progress by the government towards recognising BSL, especially given the strength of feeling and unity between all the major D/deaf organisations Despite no firm outcomes from the meeting, Susan Daniels, Chief Executive of NDCS said that it was "A good opportunity to show the Minister that a wide range of deaf organisations are united behind the call for the recognition of BSL."

Criminal Records Bureau

Our application to the CRB to be a registered umbrella body for accessing Criminal Records Checks is being processed and should be ready for the launch of the scheme in April 2002. It is now a criminal offence to knowingly hire someone to work with children who has a criminal record. Similar conditions apply to people who work with vulnerable adults. Organisations are entitled to ask that staff and volunteers reveal details of convictions if they are working in a position of trust, not just with vulnerable people, but also as Accountants or Charity Trustees for example. Applications for Disclosure must be countersigned by a Registered Body and it costs £300 to register with the CRB. Please contact us for details of how you can access the Disclosure service without having to register your own organisation.

Deaf Broadcasting Council

The Deaf Broadcasting Council seminar on sign language and employment issues in TV will be held on Saturday 2nd March, 2002 at the Institute of Child Health from 10am to 4.30pm. The Institute is 5 minutes walk from Holborn and Russell Square stations.

The seminar is open to anyone with an interest in sign language and employment in TV, if you are interested, contact Ruth Myers by fax on 01923 283127 or email rmyers@waitrose.com Admission is by ticket only and costs £5.

Communication Issues for Hard of Hearing and Deafened People

The UK Council on Deafness Focus Group is meeting on 6th February to consider members' responses to our draft paper and how to incorporate them into the final draft which will in due course be sent to all members for their comments.

Genetics and Deafness

There has been a disappointing response to our request for member's views on the implications to deaf people of developments in Genetic Technology. Only 7 members have completed the Genetics Questionnaire, and a further 4 have stated that it is not part of their brief. It would be very useful to know why the other organisations did not respond. There will be further discussion of this very important issue at the next Council Meeting on 26th February.

Human Aids to Communication Conference - London, 25th April 2002

Call for papers - We would welcome proposals for papers from organisations and individuals who have opinions to express or research to report at the Conference (Deadline 1st March 2002).

If you would like to submit information for the next Bulletin, please send it in by 20th February 2002

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