This week, from 1st – 7th May, we are celebrating Deaf Awareness week within school.

There are over 50,000 deaf children and young people in the UK. It has also been reported that people who are deaf or have hearing loss are 50% more likely to have poor mental health, meaning that is vitally important that we show support to the deaf community.

Deaf people communicate in lots of different ways. Listed below are some of the common ways deaf people communicate. Some people will use a combination of these, and some people might use different approaches depending on where they are and who they’re with.

There are at least 24,000 people across the UK who use British Sign Language (BSL) as their main language.

Many deaf children and young people communicate with others using spoken language, sign language and lip reading. Also some may use hearing technology like hearing aids and cochlear implants.

The aim of Deaf Awareness Week to increase the visibility of challenges the deaf community face and to educate others on how they can support them. Deafness is often overlooked within education and the workplace because deafness is not a visible condition, deaf and hard of hearing individuals often feel misunderstood, unseen, invisible and isolated.

Working with the children, we will be exploring:
• What it means to be deaf.
• What can cause deafness.
• Sign language and finger spelling.
• Inspirational deaf people.
• How we can be deaf aware.

If you would like any further information about deaf awareness, please contact Miss Russell – our school SENCO.