#WeSupportDeafAwareness was set up by Simon Houghton during Covid-19, as a direct response to the difficulties he encountered as a deaf individual. For example the challenges of communicating in public when a large percentage of the population wore face masks, made lip reading impossible. The aim of the campaign is to help organisations and their staff communicate more effectively with the deaf and hard of hearing. There are several parts to the organisation – the campaign and promotion, as well as the training.
How it works
Organisations joining the campaign place the WeSupportDeafAwareness posters in their shop window, reception, office, GP practices and hospital departments. This tells visitors, staff, patients and customers that the organisation is deaf friendly, and that they have completed the online deaf awareness training.
The training is self-paced, and covers a range of topics including
- What exactly is deafness?
- Deaf statistics
- The challenges facing someone who is deaf
- Identifying the signs that someone maybe deaf
- Tools that the deaf and hard of hearing use
- What’s it like to be deaf?
- Tips for communicating – face to face, video and telephone
- Basic BSL (British Sign Language) phrases
The story so far…
Currently over 325,000 people have access to the training. Organisations joining the campaign include:
The Body Shop, The Samaritans, Hampshire Constabulary, PepsiCo, The Oracle Centre, Reading, Festival Place, Basingstoke, Hampshire Football Association, UNISON, Dementia Support, The Alzheimer’s Society, Hampshire Fire & Rescue, over 31 NHS Trusts
If you are an organisation that wants your staff to be more empathetic towards others who have hearing loss, or perhaps you are aware of other hidden disabilities within your organisation, such as ADHD, autism, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, and want your staff to provide a better inclusive experience for them, do get in touch with Simon to find out more about WeSupportDeafAwareness, or the upcoming hidden disabilities movement.
Follow this link to find out more about the campaign
Follow this link to sign up to #WeSupportDeafAwareness
