Welcome to The Limping Chicken, the UK’s independently-run deaf culture and news site.
Since 2012, we’ve published writing by Deaf people across the UK and the world, laying eggs every week, clocking up over 8 million views. We get around 20,000 unique visitors each month – sometimes many more.
The site went global in December 2013 when we broke the story of the fake interpreter at the Nelson Mandela memorial service, which temporarily caused the site to crash and clocked up 90,000 views in one day. Our story was linked to across the globe.
This site was created by its Editor, deaf journalist and photographer Charlie Swinbourne (who has written for the Guardian, Mirror and BBC Online, and has also worked as a scriptwriter and director making comedies, dramas and documentaries telling deaf stories).
The site’s Assistant Editor is Rebecca Withey , and is also a scriptwriter and consultant. Find out more about her here!
Supporters
The Limping Chicken is supported by a range of charities and organisations linked to deafness, all of whom offer services that enhance deaf lives.
Click on the links on the right-hand side of this page or go to our Supporter’s page to find out more about them.
If you would like to support us, please get in touch!
Contact us
To contact us, just email thelimpingchicken@gmail.com.
Write (or sign!) for us
We have published writing/signing by over 400 deaf writers. Click here for information about how you can write for The Limping Chicken!
Why the name?
In the Facebook video below, our Editor Charlie Swinbourne explains how this site got its unusual name!
If you can’t see the video below, or if the subtitles don’t appear, click here to see it directly on Facebook. Or read on below.
In February 2012, BBC3 broadcast a documentary about five deaf teenagers. In one scene, a university notetaker told a deaf student that she couldn’t take notes for the whole lecture because “my chicken is ill.”
The notetaker’s only fault was being too honest (read this blog in her defence) but nevertheless, those words sparked an online craze in the deaf world, with social networking sites being overrun by jokes, spoof images and tribute videos about her chicken within just a few hours of the programme going out.
Those words hit a nerve because they reminded deaf people everywhere of both how random and frustrating deaf life can be.
‘Chickengate’ not only revealed the common ground deafies share, but also just how connected we are online.
So this site was named in honour of how a limping chicken briefly united the deaf world.
anotherboomerblog
April 19, 2013
Wanted to let you know that AnotherBoomerBlog nominated Limping Chicken for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award. To accept, go to: http://anotherboomerblog.wordpress.com/awards/ and congratulations!
Melanie
December 31, 2013
I do like the hilarious name Limping Chicken as I do remember about the interpreter who could not do the interpreting for the young lady because her chicken was ill. I thought that was hilarious and your name for this website is brilliant. Your website is fantastic. Keep up the good work!
Editor
January 1, 2014
Thank you!
karl Chnaner
December 10, 2014
i wonder anyone have good memories old days what like the days have deaf technology. it compare today. or deaf old days without technology example 2nd world war etc… tell the story
78522587
August 28, 2015
hello…i am deaf…..friendship it is about not finding simarities,is about respecting difference happy…friendship day!!!!
Josephine Namirembe
July 14, 2017
i love this thank you for answering some of my questions. my son is 10 years old and deaf i hope one day he can make a contribution on the blog.
Editor
July 14, 2017
That would be great! We’ve had some young writers before so he doesn’t have to wait btw!
Bel
April 14, 2018
Not sure if this is the right form to use for my following question:
As pre-recorded subtitles on the majority BBC News App Videos are not yet available why is it that the BBC do not show the text of these videos online?