Membership for parents and carers

For you and your deaf child – we’re here to make life easier.

Being a parent is a rewarding experience. It can also be challenging and sometimes stressful. If your baby, child or teenager is also deaf or partially hearing, you will have additional parental challenges to overcome.

You’re not alone. There are 35,000 deaf and partially hearing children in the UK, and two more are born every day. 90% are born to hearing parents with no previous experience of deafness. That’s where we come in.

Your membership gives you access to our online family support resources, award-winning publications, local services and events.

Read on for ten great reasons to join NDCS, or join us online now.

Members enjoy exclusive access to our Family Support resources on the largest website in the world solely devoted to families with deaf and partially hearing children. It has regularly updated pages on all key topics, including information on hearing aids, parenting tips, financial support and much more.

Our specially trained Information Workers will listen, explore your concerns, and give clear, unbiased information. Call the NDCS Freephone Helpline on 0808 800 8880, from 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday.  

Our Family Officers can offer personal and confidential support. They can introduce you to the range of local services available. Our Family Supporters are themselves parents of deaf and partially hearing children and understand the issues personally. They can offer further practical and emotional support.

We hope you won’t ever find yourself in a situation where you need legal help on your deaf child’s education and support. But if you do the NDCS Casework Service – our team of legal experts – may be able to help.

Across the UK there are 100 local deaf children’s societies. From coffee mornings to information days to family weekends, they give parents and children the chance to share experiences, and have fun. When you join NDCS we can put you in touch with your nearest local group.

Time and again families tell us how they and their children and young people gain enormous confidence from meeting each other and making new friends. There’s something for everyone:

• NDCS Family Fun Day – thousands attend our popular annual event featuring dozens of exhibition stands, parent workshops, and children’s activities

• We have over a hundred fun-packed children’s events each year – from football to art, nature outings to drama workshops, musical events to children’s fashion.

• Personal development activities to empower young people to get involved, build confidence, work with other people, and use their initiative

• Newly Identified Family Weekends for families with deaf or partially hearing children who have been newly diagnosed in the previous 18 months

From flashing alarm clocks to television subtitles to webcams, today’s deaf and partially hearing children need not miss out on the experiences other children take for granted. At first the range of equipment can seem confusing to families. Join NDCS and we’ll explain it clearly.

• Our website's technology section gives you clear, unbiased information about the wide range of products available

• The Blue Peter Loan Scheme allows families to try out radio aids and other products at home. This fund was established with the support of the BBC's Blue Peter.

• The NDCS Equipment Fund, supported by Thales UK, lets families with a low income apply for a free computer and broadband access to support their deaf child’s development and education

Insight, ideas and inspiration – The NDCS Magazine is packed with news, real-life family stories and practical features.

Our magazine is so highly rated by families and professionals alike that it was awarded the prestigious Memcom Charity Magazine of the Year award.

Our regular email Update brings the very latest news and developments straight to your in-box.

Every day, NDCS campaigns for your child. The more people who join us, the stronger our campaign voice!

Some of our campaign victories:

• A National Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) to ensure every newborn child’s hearing is tested immediately.

• More teletext subtitles on children’s TV.

But while we’ve made great progress, there’s still much more to do before we achieve our vision of a world without barriers for every deaf child.

By joining NDCS, along with thousands of other families, your membership adds strength in numbers to our campaign work.

Membership is free for parents and carers of deaf and partially hearing children and young people.

Join us online today