In the UK alone, there are over 10 million people living with some form of hearing loss, whether it is mild or profound. Deaf Awareness Week ( 2 -8 May ) is all about promoting the positive aspects of living with deafness to raising awareness of the isolation that deaf people can experience and promoting the importance of social inclusion around the deaf community.
Every year there is a different theme and this year’s event is all about celebrating deafness.
One of the reasons to particularly celebrate this year is that British Sign Language has now been declared a language in its own right in England, Scotland and Wales due to new legislation, the BSL Act, which was passed last week and is supported by a package of measures !
A Moment In My Day, set up by hearing loss charity RNID shows how how taking action and small changes can have a positive impact on everyday life for deaf people and those with hearing loss.
Deaf Awareness Week also sees the launch of the latest stage in NHS Sheffield’s project, ‘From Striving To Thriwing: Digital Stories Of Working With A Disability’ as British Sign Language has now been added to all four videos to increase accessibility and raise awareness of the language.You can see details and view the videos here.
