COVID-19 (coronavirus): support for deaf children

With the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus), we want to reassure you that we are working hard to provide as much support as we can to deaf children and their families. We want to make sure that deaf children aren’t facing further barriers as schools close and that their families have access to information and resources to support their child.

Advice and information

The UK government has up to date guidance on the pandemic and the NHS has information and advice if you are worried about symptoms.

Following the Government’s advice, we have cancelled all of our events until the 31 May 2020. We know that, for many, our events and services are a lifeline and that you might be feeling confused and isolated. We are still here to help and support you and our helpline is still running as normal, please contact if you are uncertain about anything or need some support.

Help and advice in BSL

If you need help and advice from NHS and you are a British Sign Language (BSL) user, then you can use the new InterpreterNow service. The service is available 24/7 and has many options of how to access it. Their website provides information on how to do this in written English and BSL videos.

SignHealth are producing videos explaining the latest information and health advice on coronavirus in British Sign Language (BSL). New videos are being uploaded as information becomes available.

Information for parents, carers and families

The outbreak is affecting everyone, but for families of deaf children, there are some additional things to think about. You can get information from our guidance for families blog post, including information on audiology appointments, surgeries and school closures. This pages will be updated in line with government advice, so please check back regularly.

Information for professionals

So you can best support deaf children and young people that you work with, we have put together an information for professionals blog post with useful information, resources and reliable links. This will be updated on a regular basis so please bookmark it to come back to over the next, days, weeks and months.