Deaf News & Sports

The Deaf community are paying tribute to Dr Terence (Terry) Riley OBE, a prominent broadcaster, campaigner and leader from the Deaf community, who passed away on Wednesday 9th October 2019.

‘How can D/deaf people hear music’… ‘D/deaf people must really miss music’… These questions and phrases are commonly asked and is a common myth I’d like to dispel in this blog. Any D/deaf person, regardless of their level of hearing loss can experience or ‘hear’ music, they might just access it differently to the way hearing people do.

Last year I was looking for a bank to open a new account with. When choosing a bank, many customers' priorities may be; high interest rates, reward schemes or good customer service. For me, my main filter is accessibility.

After my first time at Deafrave, (Deaf Rave 2019) I could not wait to go again. After years of reading and writing about the Deaf community, that was the first time I had seen it face to face.

William Stokoe (pronounced Stowkee) is the man most responsible for ASL being recognised as an official language rather than just a mimed vocabulary. Surprisingly, he wasn't deaf or a signer. He was an English teacher who had gone to Gallaudet college (the world's only Deaf University) in 1955 to teach Chaucer to deaf students.

This week, 6-12th May we are celebrating Deaf Awareness Week. There’s so many incredible things going on this week, from UK Council on Deafness’ theme of ‘Celebrating Deaf Role Models’ to Action on Hearing Loss’ ‘#DontBeADonut Be Deaf Aware’ campaign and people sharing their stories on social media.

Around 9 million people in the UK have some form of hearing loss*. Every deaf person is different, with various degrees of loss, and using a wide range of assistive technologies depending upon their access requirements. Communication is the main barrier that deaf people face, particularly with access to services.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, here are the achievements of 5 famous D/deaf and hard of hearing British women.

Martha's Vineyard is an island in Massachusetts and was home to the world's most famous Deaf community. Even though they were never more than a quarter of the population, nearly everyone used the local sign language which would go on to form the basis of ASL.

Conventional homes are designed for the hearing majority of the population. Doorbells, fire alarms, telephones and baby monitors are all auditory. Without visual or vibrating replacements, a Deaf person will live a much more dangerous life.