Forum Brief: Deaf awareness

National Deaf Awareness Week last week prompted calls for deaf awareness training to be available to staff working in mainstream schools attended by deaf children.

A Department of Health spokesman told ePolitix.com: "The Children's National Service Framework (NSF) will develop new national standards for the NHS, social services and their interface with education. It will build on current government programmes to develop an integrated approach to supporting children with disabilities and special education needs, ensuring that care is designed around the needs of individual children.

"The NSF will promote inclusion of disabled children and children with sensory impairments into mainstream services where appropriate, and specialist services where these will best meet the expressed preferences of families. Co-ordinated multi agency services and early identification and assessment of need are particularly important for deaf children and the NSF aims to prioritise these areas to ensure that children and their families receive the best possible services.

"Under Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968, the Department of Health has powers to make grants to voluntary organisations in England whose activities support the department's policy objectives for health and social services.

"Several organisations concerned with deafness are currently in receipt of Section 64 funding from the Department of Health.

"NDCS is currently in receipt of two grants. The first is for its Best Start for Deaf Babies project and the second is for its Parenting Skills and Deaf Children project.

"The Ear Foundation receives a grant for its Communicate with Deaf Infants project; the RNID for its At the Edge of Change project; and Sign, the National Society for Mental Health and Deafness, for its mental health and deaf advocacy project.

"The UK Council on Deafness, an umbrella organisation representing charities and professional bodies concerned with deafness, is in receipt of Section 64 core funding. The UK Council on Deafness also received S64 project funding as a contribution towards Deaf Awareness Week 2003."

Forum Response: National Deaf Children's Society

Elisa Pruvost, head of policy and research for education at The National Deaf Children's Society, told ePolitix.com: "As part of Deaf Awareness Week, we are calling for deaf awareness training to be provided for all staff working in mainstream schools attended by deaf children, including receptionists and catering staff.

"It is very important that there is a 'whole school' approach to the education of deaf children. This means that all members of staff throughout the school (not just those who work with a deaf child all the time) are aware of deaf children's needs.

"Currently, for many children in mainstream schools, contact and friendships may be limited to their teaching assistant or the teacher of the deaf and a few classmates. Deaf awareness training would help broaden their social network and enrich their time at school."

Forum Response: Professional Association of Teachers

Jean Gemmell, PAT general secretary, told ePolitix.com: "We would welcome greater training in this field for all school staff. It is imperative that schools are able to provide the best possible education for all the children in their care."

Forum Response: Royal Shakespeare Company

Pat Colcutt, access consultant of the Royal Shakespeare Company, told ePolitix.com: "Accessibility for all is paramount to us at the RSC. We are supporting Deaf Awareness Week to raise awareness of the types of facilities available to our audiences as well as other theatres in the hope that it opens up further developments in access for deaf and hard of hearing people."

Forum Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Gwen Evans, joint acting general secretary for ATL, told ePolitix.com: "The Association of Teachers and Lecturers welcomes National Deaf Awareness Week. One of our concerns has long been that it tends to be a matter of chance whether school staff who deal with a deaf child, receive any guidance or information, let alone the training they need. We wish the National Deaf Children's Society well in their timely campaign."