Welcome
You think it's that easy to spot someone who's Ddeaf?
DdEF News
Study reveals noisy Christmas toys can damage hearing
Site Help
On the pages of this site you'll see three icons that appear on all of the pages – a directions sign that takes you to the site's site map, a question mark, that takes you to the glossary page, and a magnifying glass, that will take you to the search page.
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Article 1.
The end of an Era
It was with regret that at this year's AGM on 17th February that we took the decision to wind up Ddeaf Equality Forward. We're hopeful that another local group for Ddeaf people will be taking over the website shortly, but in the meantime, all of our information will be remaining online, and the online discussion forum remains open. Please see the news page for the full announcement.
Welcome to DdEF
Can you tell a person is deaf just by looking? No. Ddeaf people, like hearing people, are individuals and come in all shapes and sizes, looks and races. Everyone is an individual. Most of the time, a deaf person can do everything that a hearing person can do. The only thing a deaf person can't do is hear.
Deaf people have the same aspirations and ambitions as hearing people, but often face discrimination every day in situations that hearing people take for granted. Ddeaf Equality Forward (DdEF) is about equality for all Ddeaf people – Deaf (sign language users), deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, and deafblind.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that everyone is equal, but it's a sad fact that many deaf people face discrimination on a daily basis. Often this discrimination is unintentional, due to ignorance and lack of knowledge about the needs of Ddeaf* people. This doesn't make daily living any easier for Ddeaf people though.
* Ddeaf Equality Forward uses the term ‘Ddeaf’ to refer to all people with a hearing loss – Deaf (sign language users), deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind.
Deaf or hearing? Can you spot the difference?
For Ddeaf people we provide a source of information, support, and training. We aim to inform, support and educate Ddeaf people on their rights to equal access and equal opportunities.
For hearing people we inform, support and educate on the needs and rights of Ddeaf people, and dispel the myths and ignorance about Ddeaf people. At the end of the day, hearing or Ddeaf, we're all the same – people, with a right to equality. In the articles section of the site, we have "Ddeaf Lives" – quotes from DdEF members about their lives, Ddeafness, and how it affects their lives.
DdEF is based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and we cover the areas of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Our website tells you who we are and what we do, about training and other events we hold, and how you can get involved. Click on the links at the top of this page to find out more about us and what we do. Other pages have information on our meetings and events, projects and resources.
Ddeaf people can use our online discussion forum* and chat room. Over the coming months we'll be adding more information to our information and resources pages, so check back to see our latest changes.
* 6.8.06: our discussion forum is currently closed for maintenance but will be relaunched in September
We hope that there are things here useful to Ddeaf and hearing people alike. Go on, explore, and learn about the world of Ddeaf people!
