Members area

Loading...

Register

Don't have a login?

Join us

Become a member

  • Connect with others through events, workshops, campaigns and our NEW online forum, Your Community
  • Discover information and insights in our resource hub and receive the latest updates via email
  • Access one-to-one support and tailored services which help reduce barriers for deaf children
Donate
Open Search popup
Menu Open mobile desktop menu

Ciara: Disability advocacy in the deaf community

Ciara explains why they think advocacy is such an important thing for the deaf and disabled communities.

Hello, I’m Ciara, an 18-year-old disability activist. I have profound hearing loss with bilateral cochlear implants, cerebral palsy, and autism. For deaf awareness week, I am discussing the importance of disability advocacy within the deaf community.

Disability advocacy is acting, speaking, or writing to promote, protect and defend the human rights of disabled people. This advocacy is essential in the deaf community for several reasons. Deaf people face distinctive challenges and barriers like disabled people.

Discrimination is a massive issue for deaf people. Unfortunately, many deaf people face discrimination and prejudice in numerous parts of their lives, from work to accessing public services. A survey in 2016 revealed that 56% of hard-of-hearing or deaf people have experienced workplace discrimination.

Another challenge deaf people experience is communication. British Sign Language (BSL) is the preferred language for many deaf people in the UK, and these people often have English as their second or third language. However, BSL isn’t widely understood by the hearing population. This has, unfortunately, created barriers in education, healthcare, employment, and social settings. Last year, SignHealth reported on a survey about access to healthcare for patients with communication needs. It showed that 81% of these patients have experienced a health appointment when their communication needs were unmet. Half of the deaf people surveyed said their needs were rarely or never met.

Lastly, accessibility is a crucial issue for the deaf community. Our public spaces and services are designed without deaf people’s needs in mind. This impacts how deaf people participate in society. For example, most station announcements are delivered over tannoy systems, resulting in deaf people missing essential notifications.

Overall, disability advocacy is crucial in the deaf community to address communication barriers, combat discrimination and promote accessibility. By advocating for the rights and needs of deaf people, we can create a more inclusive and equitable society for all. However, it is essential to remember that disability advocacy should include physically disabled deaf people too.

Being a disability advocate, I have had fantastic opportunities to represent both the disabled and deaf communities. With the National Deaf Children’s Society, I have been able to talk to politicians at both the SNP and Labour conferences. I also led a workshop at the Involve, Engage, Inspire discussion, where I shared my experience about co-producing deaf awareness materials with professionals.