Fun with deaf children and their families: My visit to an NDCS Fun Day

On 21 May, a bright Saturday morning, I arrived at Knockhatch Adventure Park in East Sussex, where the first NDCS Family Fun Day of 2011 was being held.

The day got off to an excellent start. For the first hour it was quiet as families trickled in. By 12 noon, however, we suddenly had a rush of families arriving – just in time for the teddy bears’ picnic, hosted by Ned the Ted (NDCS’s very own teddy bear mascot).

As a volunteer for the day, my first task was to greet families as they arrived at the activity area in the park. I had no idea what an inspiring task this would be. As families came through, I was able to chat to a few of them, some first time attendees and some regular attendees. With every conversation I had, there was a common sentiment – families were grateful their children could play freely with other deaf children (and they could relax a little while the children did so).

Throughout the day, children could join one of several activities available in the park – graffiti arts, laser quest, go-karts, face painting, wall climbing and a treasure hunt. For those children wanting something a bit gentler, there was a soft play area and a bouncy castle on hand to keep them occupied. Communication support was available for each activity.

While the children played, families visited information stands run by NDCS Freephone Helpline staff and the East Sussex local group (for parents/carers of deaf children). There were also stands run by specialists and parents were able to find out about communication aids, specialist schools and lots of useful advice about childhood deafness.

As the day progressed, I got to swap roles with another volunteer by helping out as a play assistant in the giant games area. It was fun to interact with the deaf children and their siblings and find out about their levels of deafness and means of communicating.

Following playtime, my final role of the day was to be Ned the Ted. As Ned, I came out on a walk through the area, greeting the children, shaking hands and giving cuddles as requested. It took a while for some of them to warm up to Ned, but once they did, Ned was a very busy ted indeed!

All too soon it was time to end. As families began to pack up to leave, the tired but happy smiles on the faces of the children were clear confirmation that the Fun Day had been a success.

Thank you for your support which made this great day possible.