Welcome to The Limping Chicken, the UK’s independently-run deaf blog and news site.
We focus on everything related to deafness, publishing blogs by Deaf people across the UK and the world, laying eggs every week.
Since February 2012, we’ve clocked up over 7 million views and we get around 30,000 unique visitors in an average month – sometimes many more.
In December 2013, we went global 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 is edited by deaf filmmaker and journalist Charlie Swinbourne (who has written for the Guardian, Mirror and BBC Online, and has also made a range of comedies, dramas and documentaries in BSL).
Contact us
To contact us, just email thelimpingchicken@gmail.com.
Contributing to the site
So far, we’ve published articles by over 300 deaf writers. So if you have something to say, or a story you’d like to tell, click here for information about how you can write for The Limping Chicken!
Our team
The Limping Chicken now has a team of deaf people writing for the site.
Our Editor is partially-deaf journalist and scriptwriter Charlie Swinbourne, who has written for The Guardian and BBC Online about deaf culture, as well as contributing to programmes on television and radio. He has also written award-winning dramas and comedies featuring deaf characters.
Plus we have a range of deaf writers who write regularly for the site.They include: Rebecca-Anne Withey, Emily Howlett, Teresa Garratty and Juliet England.
Thank you to James Norris, superstar deaf graphic designer, for designing the chicken logo!
Who are you supported by?
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: http://limpingchicken.com/our-supporters/
The founding sponsor of The Limping Chicken is deaf training and consultancy company Deafworks. This site owes thanks to Deafworks and Larraine Callow for supporting us from the very start!
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!
Impact
Here are just a few examples of our impact in wider media.
In December 2013, we had our finest hour to date when we broke the story about the ‘fake’ sign language interpreter at the Nelson Mandela memorial service – which was picked up by other news outlets before going global.
Many news sites quoted our Editor, Charlie Swinbourne’s news article breaking the story. Find out more about what happened by clicking here.
Our Editor, Charlie Swinbourne, also appeared on BBC News in July 2014 explaining the Deaf Facebook craze for challenging each other to film ourselves tipping water on our heads. Here’s the video:
Also in July 2014, Charlie was quoted on how deaf people who need support in employment are being faced by problems with Access to Work in this BBC News article about the responsibilities facing the new Disability Minister.
He said:
We were also mentioned in the New York Times in March 2015.
Sarah Invermee’s blog about adding accessories to hearing aids was mentioned in this Daily Mirror article in July 2015.
Charlie appeared on BBC1’s Watchdog programme in December 2015.
There have been numerous other appearances in the media since!
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?