Jen Dodds: Five reasons why ‘2 Deaf Foot’ are so important for the Deaf community (with BSL translation!)

The 2 Deaf Foot fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/2deaffoot?utm_term=95XY4Bk3b&fbclid=IwAR1GQCBDk9NOX6XRavZ8jqpd4osdtmxbmbez-BUMZq0IihIft0M4NRiikb0

It’s been a while since I wrote/signed for Limping Chicken – I’ve no idea where the time has gone – but I’ve been so inspired by recent events that I’ve just had to share.

I’m talking about 2 Deaf Foot.

To watch Jen signing her article, click play below, or scroll down to continue in English!

You’re quite possibly thinking what I initially thought; “What the heck’s that all about?!”  They kept popping up on my Facebook feed; I knew it was something about two Deaf men walking, but I didn’t really pay much attention to it all until a friend excitedly inboxed me and told me they were coming to my area, Hebden Bridge.

That got my attention: my area is rural and Deaf events are very rare in our part of West Yorkshire!  So, I checked out their Facebook group… and I was hooked.

2 Deaf Foot are two Deaf men, Daniel and Mark (not forgetting their support driver Chris) who are doing a sponsored walk to raise money for SignHealth and Deaf4Deaf, plus awareness of Deaf mental health issues. 

This isn’t any old sponsored walk, though; they’re trekking from John O’Groats at the top of Scotland to Lands End at the bottom of England to raise money for mental health services for Deaf people! Incredible.

As well as having a fantastic Facebook group for supporters, they regularly post updates to their official Facebook page.  You can keep an eye on their daily progress – which is quite addictive, I admit!

I was lucky enough to meet Mark and Daniel and walk with them when they came to Hebden Bridge.  We covered nearly 10 miles, which might sound impressive, but in reality it’s nothing compared to the 800+ miles that they’re doing!  

Now, please allow me to give you five reasons why I think 2 Deaf Foot are so important to the Deaf community:

Reason 1: They’re bringing the Deaf community together.

The tight knit community feel of their Facebook supporters’ group is quite incredible. 

It’s brought together all sorts of Deaf people from different backgrounds, lifestyles and locations. 

We’ve all come together to support them and raise money in a myriad of ways; donations have poured in from Deaf clubs and Deaf sports clubs, and people have been making craft items, art and cakes to sell, to mention just a few fundraising methods.

Everyone seems to be full of ideas, inspiration for art-works and jokes… all because of 2 Deaf Foot.

Reason 2: They’re much needed role models.

We all know that everyone needs role models, but I’ve never seen anything quite like what happened when Daniel and Mark arrived in Hebden Bridge. 

There were over 70 of us waiting patiently for them for five hours (it was worth it!)… and as we all waited and chatted, I started to realise that we were their fans and they’d sort of become like celebrities, which isn’t something I’ve really come across in the Deaf community before!

So, when they arrived, we were all awed (and they were overwhelmed!) and then loads of people asked them to pose for photographs and sign autographs!  It was a brilliant thing to see – so good for the children who were there, and the grown ups too, of course! Quite remarkable.

When I walked with them the next day, I could see that they’re not getting carried away with the attention, though.  They’re just two really nice blokes.

Reason 3: They’re raising the Deaf community’s profile.

The 2 Deaf Foot walk from John O’Groats to Lands End is certainly raising awareness of Deaf issues along the way.  My local paper had an article about them and I posted in a local Facebook group about their visit, so local hearing people were aware that they were coming… and why.

At one point, their van was parked up and we were standing chatting by it when a random hearing person came over to us, said they’d seem them in the paper, donated a fiver, shook their hand and left! 

That sort of thing happened a few times, including when we were walking at the top of a hill and bumped into a hearing friend who was equally enthusiastic about sponsoring them!  

It’s not an easy walk to do, so people tend to be impressed by that… and then when they realise that Mark and Daniel are Deaf and they’re walking to raise awareness as well as money, they learn something new, too.  That’s working really well, I think.

Reason 4 (the most important reason): We NEED more mental health funding and awareness.

The main reason that 2 Deaf Foot are walking is to raise money for Deaf4Deaf and SignHealth, for Deaf mental health support. 

They’re also raising awareness of the current situation with Deaf mental health, and the barriers to access to counselling that we face, which means that many Deaf people are reaching crisis point because they’re not getting the help that they need.

As we know, several deaf men have committed suicide recently; this seems to keep happening and no one really knows why; it could be because of the lack of access to counselling.  It could be that they feel that they’ve waited for too long and it’s too much in the end. We don’t always know.

So, it’s really important to raise money for counselling services that some people desperately need, and for other things like research too, to find out how people can be supported so that they don’t reach crisis point.

During our 10 mile walk, we actually found out that another deaf man had very sadly committed suicide.  His name was Tom. Such a terrible and tragic thing to happen. We were lost for words.

Reason 5: They’re not going to give up.

I’m quite sure that Daniel, Mark and Driver Chris aren’t going to give up – they’ll reach Cornwall, I know they will!  But, they need your support, too! There are lots of simple things that you can do…

• Share information – tell your friends what’s happening!
• Donate whatever you can afford;
• Welcome them when they pass by your area – get a crowd together – you could even make a banner!
• You could walk with them – do ask them first, but they’re generous with their time – get some fresh air and exercise!

Bonus point: I learned a lot from Daniel, a history buff, during our walk!  He told me a lot of interesting stuff about Vikings, including how I’d been signing “Viking” wrong since forever (see the video if you’re interested)..!  It was a lovely day.

So – best of luck to 2 Deaf Foot!

Some links:

The 2 Deaf Foot fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/2deaffoot?utm_term=95XY4Bk3b&fbclid=IwAR1GQCBDk9NOX6XRavZ8jqpd4osdtmxbmbez-BUMZq0IihIft0M4NRiikb0

Their Facebook page (there’s a link to the group there): https://www.facebook.com/2DeafFoot/?ref=br_rs 

Their website: https://www.2deaffoot.co.uk/