Scotland’s Largest Deaf Organisation Expands

Two of the oldest organisations working with deaf people in Scotland, Deaf Action and Tayside Deaf Association, were delighted to officially recognise their merger on 16 March writes Andrew Edmundson in the Dundee Messenger (22/08/11).


Between them, the two charities have nearly 300 years of experience in working with deaf 
people and providing services to promote independence.

In September 2010, Deaf Action and Tayside Deaf Association announced their intention to merge; creating the largest deaf organisation in Scotland. On Wednesday 16 March over 140 people, including Councillors, health representatives, organisations and clients gathered at Discovery Point, Dundee to celebrate the launch of Deaf Action in Tayside.

The merger of Deaf Action and Tayside Deaf Association comes at a very important time; this is a difficult period for the third sector, as it is for local governments, companies and individuals themselves. Budgets are being squeezed that will affect the services many people depend on. In this environment Deaf Action and Tayside Deaf Association are delighted to be joining their history, resources and experience together to deliver stronger services for deaf people.

At the launch event, Petra Claydon, a Deaf BSL user and young mum spoke passionately of her feelings of frustration at being unable to communicate throughout her education with hearing colleagues and today with young mums at the school gates. "After discovering the Training Services available from Deaf Action and working with their staff, I am delighted that I am now in a position to deliver Deaf Awareness Training and British Sign Language Training to hearing people. It is courses like this that address the very same communication difficulties I have faced in my life," explained Petra who is now working with Deaf Action in Tayside to provide training courses to others.

Bill Nicol, a member of the Perth lip reading group, stressed what the group meant to him; "The lip reading classes cost very little to sustain but they provide members with much more than the skills of lip reading. People diagnosed with a hearing loss can very quickly become isolated; by attending lip reading classes people get valuable support, advice and companionship, it is important that these services continue and develop."

Liz Scott Gibson, Director of Deaf Action commented "We are overwhelmed by the number of people that came out to support our work. We are looking forward to continuing the great work done here and to developing innovative services to meet the needs of deaf people today". The celebrations came to close with an inspiring performance from Claypotts Primary School Signing Choir.

It is estimated that 1 in 5 people in Scotland are affected by some degree of hearing loss – that approximately 62,000 people in the Tayside region. Deaf Action is the leading provider of services for deaf people in Scotland and has a long history of providing services for and working with Deaf British Sign Language users as well as those who are deafened, deafblind and hard of hearing.