Deaf News: Deaf children take the fight to Parliament to stop £4million of cuts

Deaf young campaigners and parents of deaf children went to Parliament on Wednesday to put pressure on the Government to protect vital support for deaf children.

Recent Freedom of Information requests by the National Deaf Children’s Society revealed that local authorities across England are planning £4million of cuts, as councils struggle to provide the specialist support they are legally responsible for.

More than 40 MPs came to the event outside Parliament to hear about the effect these cuts will have on deaf children’s lives.

MPs with constituencies most affected by the cuts spoke to families with deaf children. They learned about the support deaf children need for their education, how specialist teachers are under threat, and how the loss of this support is affecting deaf children’s grades at school.

The National Deaf Children’s Society, who organised the event, warned that with nearly a third of councils planning cuts to deaf children’s services, “we have a funding crisis on our hands, and the Government urgently need to tackle it head on.”

Steve Haines, the charity’s Director of Policy and Campaigns said:

“Deaf children can achieve anything a hearing child can, they just need the right support in place to do it. But we have seen more than one in ten specialist Teachers of the Deaf lost in the last four years, and this year alone we are seeing £4million of cuts planned to specialist services, putting deaf children’s futures at risk. It was fantastic to introduce Nadhim Zahawi, the Minister responsible for special needs education, to deaf children and their families, and show him just how fundamental these services are for the education of deaf children.

“We know there are big funding pressures, but for deaf children a little investment will pay huge dividends in the long run. Whether it’s looking at a dedicated bursary to recruit, train and retain Teachers of the Deaf, or removing the ring-fence on the Schools Block, there are small steps that the Government can take that will make a big impact on the lives of deaf children.”

Dominic Holton’s daughter Lola is deaf. The family live in Stamford in Lincolnshire. Dominic said:

“Today’s event was a brilliant opportunity to meet so many different MPs and shows them why support for deaf children is so essential. We didn’t have any experience or information of what it was like to be deaf when our daughter was first diagnosed, which made us completely reliant on local support. We would have been completely lost without our Teacher of the Deaf and the other help we received.”

Pam Dobson from Northampton also came to the event in Parliament. Pam’s daughter Keira is deaf, and she is concerned about cuts to support for deaf children. Pam said:

“I know it can be a postcode lottery for deaf children in England when it comes to local support but Keira’s has been so important for helping her in the classroom, at home and with friends. Talking to so many different MPs about this, and making them understand how vital this support is was brilliant. If these cuts go ahead it will be devastating for so many deaf children across the country.”

Jim Fitzpatrick MP, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Deafness added: “Meeting deaf children and their families today made it really hit home just how damaging these cuts will be. For deaf children, for their families and for their teachers – the Government need to start showing that they care, and that they are taking this funding crisis seriously.”