Job club to help deaf and hard of hearing people find employment

Action on Hearing Loss Scotland has set up the initiative to offer those involved the same opportunities as others reports STV (27/04/12).

A new club aimed at helping young deaf and hard of hearing people find employment is to be set up in Edinburgh.

Organised by Action on Hearing Loss Scotland, monthly meetings will help participants aged 16 to 25 with every aspect of applying for a job.

Activities will include help with making up a CV, searching for a job, completing an application form and interview skills.

British Sign Language interpreters and electronic note-takers will also be made available to ensure sessions are fully accessible.

Barbra Wylie, an employment advisor with Action on Hearing Loss Scotland, said: “We want young deaf and hard of hearing people to have the same opportunities as everyone else and the job club will allow them to acquire the skills they need to enter the job market.

“The other benefit of the job club is that it allows for ideas to be exchanged and for people to look at what careers they may be suited to or identify training that they might need to reach their goals.”

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the club, which is part of Action on Hearing Loss Scotland’s On the Move project, will be held at Skills Development Scotland in Edinburgh.

Patricia Thomson, Skills Development Scotland’s Area Manager for Edinburgh, said: “We are delighted to be working with Action on Hearing Loss Scotland on this job club. I would say to any young deaf or hard of hearing person who is looking for employment or training to come along and be part of the job club.

“We have people who can give advice on all aspects of finding a job in an environment that is friendly and supportive.”

The first meeting of the job club will take place at Skills Development Scotland, Shandwick Place, on Wednesday, May 2 between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.

Anyone interested in attending should contact Barbra Wylie on 0141 341 5350 or email barbra.wylie@hearingloss.org.uk.

Profoundly deaf Woodford Green runner smashes his 2011 time

A profoundly deaf runner from Woodford Green knocked more than an hour off his time in last year’s London Marathon Writes Alastair Kleerbauer for the Ilford Recorder (24/04/12)

Martin Pampel, 28, of Lambs Meadow, took part in his second race on Sunday to help other deaf people by raising funds for charity Action On Hearing Loss.

Cheers from the crowd pushed Martin, who benefits from a cochlear implant to improve his hearing, to a finish of three hours 38 minutes.

He said: “It is always great to hear the words ‘come on Martin’ from complete strangers in the street.”

Martin was born profoundly deaf and used hearing aids until he was 17 when a sudden illness meant he lost “the little hearing that remained”.

He opted for the implant aged 18 which has made his hearing better than ever but said Action on Hearing Loss provided support in the “difficult and distressing time” after losing his remaining hearing.

He said: “I don’t think being deaf has an effect on my running but I have the choice of hearing or silence, just by switching off my cochlear implant.

“If I wanted to really concentrate, I could simply switch it off and carry on.

“I was still able to lip read many members of the crowds calling my name.”

He joked that he would struggle to better this year’s time without performance-enhancing drugs or the use of wheels, but is keen to run it again.

He has raised £1,600 so far and donations can be made on his Virgin Money Giving page.

Read more about Redbridge’s London Marathon runners who raised thousands for charity in this Thursday’s Recorder.

Judges hail deaf writer from Leicestershire who tells of living in silent world

Lando Hilton was just five years old when he lost his hearing – and now he is gradually losing his sight reports the Leicester Mercury (27/04/12)

Although the 23-year-old, from Rothley, became deaf at such a tender age, after contracting a flu-like illness, he learned to live with it and has since had an implant fitted to help him hear.

But the biggest blow, he says, has been the deterioration of his eyesight following a diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa three years ago.

The disease, which damages the eyes' retinas, could rob him of his sight altogether.

Despite this, Lando is studying for a psychology degree at the University of Leicester and hopes to become a health psychologist or researcher.

Lando penned what it was like to live a day in his shoes for a national writing competition.

So moved were the judges by his prose, which told them of his daily struggles to walk around campus, how bright sunlight hurts his eyes and how he wakes up to silence every day, that they awarded him second prize out of hundreds of entries.

In his dreams, however, life is different. He does not squint, there is no tunnel vision and he can see everything that lies before him.

He sprints across sands with boundless energy and it is there that he forgets what it is like to have no hearing or sight.

Lando captures this in his tale entitled "To all the lovely people who still have their hearing and vision".

He said: "I have no natural hearing but I've had a cochlear implant since I was eight which pretty well resembles normal hearing.

"I'm totally deaf when I take off the outer part of my implant, but I just took my hearing loss on board when I was five and didn't question it.

"It wasn't until my teens that I started to get upset about it because it affected my social life so much.

"At that age, people don't give much consideration to deaf people and they're always talking over each other, or choosing to sit in noisy places.

"But being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa was a massive blow. I'm still very hopeful about future treatments and I have some sight, but it's pretty poor."

Lando's aim was not to make people feel sorry for him, but to give others an understanding of what it is like for people living with his conditions.

The competition, by deafblind charity Senses, hopes to empower those who do not normally have a voice.

Once he started writing, Lando said he found it difficult to stop.

"I've got a lot to say when it comes to disabilities the words just flowed. The article took a couple of hours to write and I did it during breaks from making revision notes for my psychology exams."

He said just getting around the university campus was a challenge for him, but he allows extra time to get to lectures as he walks slowly.

"The university's AccessAbility Centre helps a lot by providing note-takers and my computer is set up for a visually-impaired user."

Lando entered the competition on the suggestion of his mum, Annette, who subscribes to the Senses magazine and spotted the opportunity.

He is "chuffed to bits" at coming second and hopes other people with sight and hearing loss will realise they are not alone.

At a ceremony in London, actress Rebecca Front, best known for The Thick Of It and Grandma's House, presented Lando with a certificate. She said: "I was compelled by the stirring power of these words that have so much joy and pain, life and living and the real spirit of deafblind people's experiences at their very heart. They were very powerful words."

Deaf man complains of lack of interpreter at job fair

An unemployed man who is profoundly deaf is campaigning for better facilities to help people like him get work reports Get Reading (26/04/12)

Piyush Bharania, 41, was keen to attend a job fair at pentahotel last September. He emailed the office of Reading East MP Rob Wilson, who co-organised the event, beforehand asking for a deaf interpreter but was told there was no budget available.

He went to the fair and communicated using pen and paper.

Mr Bharania, of Linden Road, Whitley, who has been deaf since birth, said: “I find it hard to believe the event did not have a budget.

“I feel incredibly let down and upset by what has happened. I’m sure you will appreciate that without an interpreter I would not be able to communicate.”

Mr Bharania complained to the Equality and Human Rights Commission but was advised the commission could not comment on allegations of discrimination which would have to be decided through the courts. In his formal response to the commission, Mr Wilson wrote: “Reading Job Fair is co-ordinated by my office in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and Reading UK CIC. It is a completely free event to attend for both exhibitors and job seekers and everything needed is donated by local companies.”

He said his assistant had suggested Mr Bharania could take a friend to interpret and had also offered to be on hand at the fair.

But Councillor Peter Ruhemann, who chairs the access and disabilities working group on Reading Borough Council, said although the duty to make “reasonable adjustments” for profoundly deaf people was subject to financial constraints, “that does beg the question as to why no budget was identified to deal with issues like this or other contingencies”.

Mr Wilson said on Tuesday: “Reading Job Fair makes every effort to accommodate the needs of those who wish to attend. In this particular case, we were unable, with a day’s notice and with no recourse to funds, to organise a translator for Mr Bharania at our September Job Fair. However, we did offer Mr Bharania alternative suggestions, including providing a member of staff to aid him in communicating with employers.

“As we have had more notice, for tomorrow's Job Fair we have been able to arrange a translator for Mr Bharania through a third party organisation, as well as making deaf loops available at the venue.

“We are totally committed, with the minimal resources at our disposal, to giving everybody an equal chance of getting a job. It would be very sad indeed to see Reading Labour Party jumping on another bandwagon to try to destroy a very successful event.”

Disabled rights campaigner Lord Ashley dies

The Labour peer Lord Ashley of Stoke, the first deaf MP, has died at the age of 89, after a short battle with pneumonia writes Laura Donnelly for The Telegraph (21/04/12).

Tributes to the peer, who as Jack Ashley was elected as MP for Stoke on Trent South in 1966, poured in as news of his death was announced.

The tributes were led by his daughter Jackie Ashley, a journalist and broadcaster, who described her father as "wonderful, brave and adored."

Her husband, BBC presenter Andrew Marr, said Lord Ashley died on Friday night after a short illness.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "I am very sad to hear of the death of Jack Ashley. He was an outstanding servant of the Labour party and an extraordinary campaigner for equal rights for people with disabilities.

"Jack Ashley turned his own tragic experience of losing his hearing into a mission of courage and determination for deaf and disabled people. He was a pioneer as the first deaf MP to sit in Parliament, but he did much more than that.

"There are many millions of men and women with disabilities who will have better lives thanks to Jack Ashley. He succeeded in changing the law and in changing attitudes.

"Anti-discrimination legislation for people with disabilities would not have happened when it did without his tenacity, his campaigning and his support.

"Jack Ashley will be missed by his family, his friends and his colleagues in the House of Lords. He led an amazing life and will be remembered with deep affection, profound respect and great admiration."

David Cameron described Lord Ashley as a "tireless" campaigner for disabled people who had a huge impact not just through his charity work, and legislation, but also in changing attitudes.

The prime minister said: "It takes characters like Jack, with his extraordinary tenacity, to push for that kind of positive change. He will be sorely missed and my thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Lord Morris of Manchester, a fellow Labour peer of Lord Ashley's, who collaborated with him when campaigning for disability rights, also paid tribute to his colleague and long-standing friend.

"Jack and I lived in close fellowship for over five decades. We campaigned and legislated together on improving the wellbeing of disabled people and others in special need," Lord Morris said.

"His passing will be mourned by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. He was a very fine parliamentarian."

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "He was a tireless campaigner for disabled people and had a huge impact, not just through his charity work and pushing for legislation in Parliament, but also in changing attitudes.

"It takes characters like Jack, with his extraordinary tenacity, to push for that kind of positive change. He will be sorely missed and my thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett, who is blind, said: "Jack Ashley was a pioneer who set aside his disability and by doing so forged a path which others, including me, have been able to follow.

"By sheer tenacity and latterly the use of technology, he was able to demonstrate that not only could he work on equal terms but achieve a great deal more than most of us in politics are able to boast about."

Former-prime minister Gordon Brown added: "Jack Ashley was the greatest champion Britain's disabled have had.

"He was compassionate, direct, forceful and radical. The man who, speaking with the authority of personal experience, took the cause of disabled men and women into the chambers of Parliament and to the heart of government.

"He leaves behind a contribution in legislation and policy progress for the cause of tackling disability that will not easily be surpassed."

In his autobiography, Lord Ashley recalled that the last voice he heard was that of the late rugby commentator Eddie Waring.

He became profoundly deaf a year after his election to parliament at the age of 45 following an operation to correct mild hearing loss.

After initially fearing he would be forced to give up politics, the MP learned to lip-read.

Other politicians, including political foes such as Prime Minister Edward Heath, turned towards him during Commons debates so he could get a clear view of their mouths.

Lord Ashley also worked hard to modulate his speaking voice, which he could no longer hear.

However, his deafness never affected his combative attitude.

“Early on when I first lost my hearing, I think people were a little fearful about attacking me. But as I re-established my confidence, that soon fell away,” he said.In the years that followed, he campaigned for the rights of those with disability, in particular for the deaf and blind.

In 1986, the MP and his wife founded the charity Defeating Deafness, now known as Deafness Research UK.

Together the couple had three daughters.

After retiring from the Commons in 1992, Jack Ashley was made a life peer, Baron Ashley of Stoke.

Two years later he received a cochlear implant which restored much of his hearing.

Lord Ashley took a leading role campaigning on behalf of victims of Thalidomide, which was given to mothers to treat morning sickness during the 1950s and 1960, and against violence and rape.

In 2003 he secured changes to improve the provision of subtitles on television. In 2006, he championed a bill to strengthen the rights of the elderly and disabled.

Until his death, Lord Ashley was President of Action on Hearing Loss, formerly the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.

He was also Vice-President of the National Deaf Children’s Society with whom he worked for many years to champion the rights of deaf children.

Susan Daniels, the charity's chief executive, said: “Lord Ashley was a passionate advocate for deaf and disabled people, securing important victories for them in parliament and working tirelessly to ensure that they had a voice at the highest levels."

Lord Ashley worked in a factory after leaving school at 14, becoming a shop steward and a local councillor.

He studied at Oxford and Cambridge on scholarships, and worked as a producer for the BBC before entering parliament.

Stars get it wrong in Paul McCartney video

SIR Paul McCartney should consult Mr Tumble before directing his next video writes Gordon Smart for The Sun (18/04/12)

Deaf music fans are claiming that Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman are using the wrong signs to illustrate certain words in the promo for My Valentine


Black Swan star Natalie made the first embarrassing gaffe, signing the word tampon instead of appear. Johnny wasn’t far behind. He signed enemy while attempting Valentine.

That would change the tack on a Valentine’s card.

Mr Tumble, played by Justin Fletcher on hit CBeebies show Something Special, would have been more than happy to help out the former Beatle.

He uses easily-understood Makaton sign language for kids.

It would have saved the grief Macca’s getting from the sign language community. Comments highlighting the errors have been posted alongside the video on YouTube.

The British Deaf Association are still applauding their efforts, though.

A spokesman for them said: “It’s great that famous people such as Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman are highlighting the use of sign language. Their use of it is more a poetic expression.

“The sign for tampon does seem to come up from both Johnny and Natalie, which causes some confusion, especially as American and British sign languages are different.

“It would have been nice if genuine deaf people had been used. But it’s still great.”

Macca premiered the video in LA last week and invited Hollywood’s finest.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Dave Grohl, Gwen Stefani and Reese Witherspoon were among those to see the promo first, which was Macca’s daughter Stella’s idea.

What happens in the vid isn’t that embarrassing considering the title of his album is Kisses On The Bottom.

Watch Video

Sensory gloves: Communication, translation for the deaf-blind

For people born deaf-blind, standard forms of communication fall short. However, if your senses are limited, then others become more sensitive in order to compensate writes Charlie Osborne for Smart Planet (18/04/12).

When I worked with deaf-blind children briefly as a teaching assistant, I found it could be very difficult to interpret the actions or behavior of a deaf-blind child — if the condition was inherent at birth, then the issue was magnified. All of the behavioral cues that we learn in early stages of development — from a smile to hand gestures — fell short.

It seemed often that limited communication and fragmented information became the catalyst for isolation in these children. Learning language and being able to establish effective communication is the way deaf-blind maintain a connection to others in a silent and dark world — so we’d often use objects, routines and repetitiveness sequences to establish this and make them feel comfortable and secure.

While touch is simply one of our senses — a useful tool — for these children, without it, they would be completely cut off from everything.

That’s why a new, prototype communication device for the deaf-blind caught my attention. TheDesign Research Lab, based in Germany, has developed the Mobile Lorm Glove — a glove that uses tactile and sensory pads to facilitate communication using technology such as texting or email.

Pressure points and sensors on the palm of the prototype glove take the place of visual or spoken language. The glove translates the hand-touch alphabet “Lorm”, a commonly-utilized form of communication to translate touching, sweeping and pressure into letters of the alphabet.

The user composes their own text-based messages using these sensory pads. Once complete, a Bluetooth connection forwards on the message to the intended recipient’s mobile device — generally sent in the form of an SMS.

Naturally, communication has to work both ways. If the wearer of the glove receives a message in return, then the SMS is sent from their handheld device to the glove — tiny, vibrating motors fixed to the back of the glove alerting the user to an incoming message.

The thin strands of communication that the deaf-blind cling to — simple, tactile points of pressure — may seem incomprehensible to those without limited sight or hearing, but a means of establishing a sensor-based language more effectively, I think it could result in improving the quality of life in many deaf-blind people.

Watch Video

"Deaf dog has learned our sign language!"

A DEAF dog dumped as a puppy is enjoying a new lease of life and has learned sign language reports Wendy Brading for Daily Gazette (18/04/12).

Springer spaniel Alice was just eight weeks old when she was abandoned by a breeder in Ireland because she was deaf.

She was taken in by animal charity Blue Cross. It was thought her chances of being rehomed were slim. But deaf couple Marie Williams, 42, and Mark Morgan, 44, from West Mersea, took her in and now she has been taught tricks using sign language.

Along with their children Liam, 17, Lewis, 14, and Owen, six, the couple have taught Alice to sit, stand, “come’’ and roll over. She can present her paws, knows the signs for walkies and going to the toilet, and how to “pray’’ when her food comes.

“She is a happy girl and we recently celebrated her first birthday with a big doggy cake.”Marie said: “Alice is such a wonderful addition to our family. We love her so much. Her training is going brilliantly and it just goes to show a deaf dog can learn just as well as any other.

Marie added: “It breaks your heart to think someone abandoned her because she was deaf. When you see her now, you can tell she is a fantastic dog and a much-loved companion.

“We believe there is a pet out there suitable for everyone. It is just a case of finding the right family.”Julie Stone, manager of the Blue Cross animal rehoming centre, in Oxfordshire, said: “We are so pleased Alice’s story has such a happy ending. She has found the perfect home.

Alice became a YouTube sensation when she went to her new home last March. More than 96,000 people viewed a video of her learning tricks with Marie.

Watch video

Serve deaf clients better 'or face claims'

Law firms could face unlimited discrimination claims from deaf and hard of hearing people if they continue failing to make ‘reasonable adjustments’, consumer watchdogs have warned writes Johnathan Rayner for the Law Gazette (18/04/12).

They claim that many deaf clients feel they have to ‘win a battle with their own advisers’ before they can succeed in a legal action, blaming firms’ ‘lack of preparation and consideration’ and failure to take into account their special needs. This slowness to engage with deaf clients prompted some 1,380 complaints and enquiries to the Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) law centre between August 2007 and September 2011, with a further 429 received in the first seven months of 2011-2012.

Most queries related to employment and welfare benefits, and to ­discrimination in the provision of goods and services. Britain has over 10 million people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Mounting concerns over discrimination have led to the announcement within the last month of two initiatives to improve ‘deaf awareness’.

According to Legal Choices, Silent Process, published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Legal Services Consumer Panel and Action on Hearing Loss, deaf clients often find that legal materials are not adapted for their needs and there are barriers to communication, such as badly maintained loop systems and poorly lit rooms. Firms often fail to provide sign language interpreters when requested, and there is confusion over who should pay for them, the report says.

The SRA says it will be issuing best-practice guidelines to address these issues, including online ‘deaf awareness’ training covering interpreting services, how the law applies, and different ways of communicating with deaf people. Case law and legal principles will be illustrated with videos, along with ­common points of law and its vocabulary.

RAD law centre head Rob Wilks told the Gazette that RAD is also to launch an initiative to ‘educate the legal profession as to the needs of the deaf community’. He said: ‘In addition to CPD-accredited training and workshops, we will be establishing a charter to which law firms committed to providing a service to deaf people can aspire to sign up to. It is intended that this will become the definitive UK benchmark for law firms and other providers to deaf people.’

Deaf rapper gives flash mob performance

A Finnish deaf rapper has performed a flash mob performance in New York reports the BBC News (18/04/12).

Singmark, who was the first rapper to sign a record deal with Warner Music, uses hip-hop artist Brandon's vocals in his songs.

The 34-year-old musician told the New York crowd that he wasn't taken seriously when he first showed an interest in music.

Watch the video