Almost 60 organisations have signed up to support the UK Council on Deafness’s statement of common purpose on deafness and hearing loss.
The list already represents the breadth of the sector. It includes organisations that work with or represent
· people of all ages who are Deaf, deaf, deafened, deafblind or have a hearing loss;
· the myriad of responses to deafness and hearing loss, from people whose only language is sign language to those who have a cochlear implant; and
· communication and language professionals, education institutions, communication agencies, and politicians.
UKCOD says:
Significantly, it includes organisations that aren’t exclusively concerned with deafness or hearing loss. They include NHS Grampian, the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies at Heriot Watt University, and Southampton City Council’s Reablement Team.
Craig Crowley, chair of the task force that has led the work, said: “We are pleased so many have already signed the statement and look forward to more doing the same.
“The diversity of organisations shows we have gone some way to identifying the core of what our sector is about. We knew there is much we agree on – we just needed to have the conversation.
“Likewise, the work that will be done as a result of this process will be led by organisations across the spectrum of deafness and hearing loss. We are already talking to high profile hearing aid manufacturers, telecommunications providers and others about their involvement too.
“We therefore hope the list will have grown to at least 80 organisations before we formally launch the statement in late autumn. Then we will be in a good position to realise our vision of a world that benefits from people who are deaf or have a hearing loss being able to fulfil their potential.
Six mission groups will develop a collaborative programme of work. They are
· awareness, chaired by Jim Edwards of Signature;
· education, chaired by Lindsey Rousseau of NatSIP;
· employment, chaired by Jan Sheldon of RAD;
· information, chaired by Lorraine Gailey of Hearing Link;
· services, chaired by Jeff Skipp of Deafblind UK; and
· prevention, chaired by Paul Breckell of Action on Hearing Loss.
The chairs will make up the majority of the steering group that will oversee all the work. They will be joined by Jane Cordell of Getting Equal and Craig Crowley of Action Deafness.
The statement of common purpose initiative is facilitated by the UK Council on Deafness. For more information see http://deafcouncil.org.uk/category/commonpurpose.
If you want to join the list of founder signatories and help promote the statement please email dan.sumners@signature.org.uk.
Signatories
1. Action Deafness
2. Action for Deafness
3. Action on Hearing Loss
4. ADEPT
5. appa
6. APPG on Deafness
7. Association of Lipspeakers
8. Association of Sign Language Interpreters
9. Association of Verbatim Speech to Text Reporters
10. BID Services
11. Brian Archbold
12. British Association of Teachers of the Deaf
13. British Deaf Association
14. Cambridgeshire Hearing Help
15. Chief Officers’ Group of Third Sector Deaf Organisations
16. Clarion Interpreting
17. Cochlear Implanted Children’s Support Group
18. Cumbria DeafVision
19. Deaf Direct
20. Deafblind UK
21. Deafconnect
22. Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre, University College London
23. Deafness Support Network
24. deafPlus
25. Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, Heriot Watt University
26. The Ear Foundation
27. Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education
28. Gloucestershire Deaf Association
29. Gwen Carr
30. HearFirst
31. Hearing Link
32. Hearing Loss and Deafness Alliance
33. Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service
34. Home Counties Cochlear Implant Group
35. Jane Cordell
36. Louise Tonks
37. Manchester Deaf Centre
38. National Association of Deafened People
39. National Cochlear Implant Users Association
40. National Community Hearing Association
41. National Deaf Children’s Society
42. National Sensory Impairment Partnership
43. NHS Grampian
44. Nottinghamshire Deaf Society
45. Phonak UK
46. Reablement Team, Social Services, Southampton City Council
47. Royal Association for Deaf People
48. Scottish Council on Deafness
49. Sense
50. Sign Solutions
51. Signature
52. SignHealth
53. Social Research with Deaf People, University of Manchester
54. South Wales Cochlear Implant Support Group
55. StageTEXT
56. UK Deaf Sport
57. Visual Language Professionals
Tim
September 10, 2015
Which mission group(s) are dealing with social security and human rights of Deaf people and how do I contact the group(s)?
If there is no consultation with Deaf people then this is oppression, not empowerment: ‘nothing about us without us.’
Oh Dear
September 10, 2015
In using the words “common purpose”, what does the UKCOD mean by that.
Is it this http://www.commonpurpose.org.uk/ ?
Tim
September 11, 2015
Here is why I asked ‘[w]hich mission group(s) are dealing with social security and human rights of Deaf people and how do I contact the group(s)?’
http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/confirmed-un-is-investigating-uks-grave-violations-of-disabled-peoples-rights/
If this group ignores Deaf people and our issues, then they have no business speaking and acting on our behalf.