Ddeaf Equality Forward's Successes
"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself." Mark Caine
Empowering – Supporting – Challenging
Ddeaf Equality Forward (DdEF) was formed in 1997, and is run and managed entirely by Ddeaf people. We believe that Ddeaf people themselves should take forward the fight for their own equality. It is DdEF members who decide the activities of the organisation and its future direction.
In the eight years since its formation, DdEF has developed a reputation for new perspectives on equality for Ddeaf people, particularly in education and employment, by promoting its ethos on Ddeaf equality. We have become a powerful local force in raising awareness of equality issues for Ddeaf people.
Some of our successes
- DdEF has run four major training projects during its history on subjects including equal opportunities and the social model of disability, equality in the workplace, assertiveness, tackling discrimination at wok, increasing confidence, the ‘Access to Work’ service, and health and social services. We have also run discussion forums on whether Ddeaf people are disabled, mental health, and Deaf pride.
- Over 400 Ddeaf people have attended our training courses and discussion forums, and a similar number have attended presentations about our work
- Our events, held at a number of venues in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, have consistently received positive feedback
- We successfully unite all Ddeaf people, Deaf (BSL users), deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, and deafblind by ensuring that communication support – BSL interpreters, speech to text, and induction loop – are provided at all of our meetings and events so that everyone can communicate effectively
- DdEF has become a powerful local force in campaigning for Ddeaf equality, lobbying local educators, employers and service providers
- We have developed strong links with local disabled people's groups, employers, educators and service providers
- We have developed relationships with national organisations, working collaboratively, with organisations such as Sign, the national charity for mental health and deafness
- Our discussion forums on mental health have lead to DdEF actively campaigning for more resources for Ddeaf people in Derbyshire. In 2004 DdEF began to lobby local Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to ensure that funding was made available to meet the mental health needs of people with sensory disabilities. To date the campaign has resulted in Derbyshire NHS Mental Health Services injecting funding of £12,000 to Communication Unlimited (a voluntary organisation that meets Ddeaf people's communication needs) which has enabled them to recruit a sign language interpreter to meet Ddeaf people with mental illness' communication needs. The funding will increase to £24,000 in April 2006. Derbyshire NHS Mental Health Service are drawing up an action plan to look at how the needs of Ddeaf people can be met.
- We have heard that a participant at one of our courses on confidence was encouraged to take a local entertainment venue to the Disability Rights Commission, as their services were not accessible to Ddeaf people. The venue is now providing accessible facilities for Ddeaf people, and is working with other entertainment venues to ensure they provide equality for Ddeaf people
- Through involvement with DdEF our members and officers have gained valuable skills and experience which in some cases have helped them to get into employment, or to improve their employment prospects
For a small local group, we have achieved a lot over the last eight years. We're not content to rest on our laurels though. It is clear from the comments and feedback we receive through our training courses that there is still a need for both information on equality issues for Ddeaf people, and education for service providers, employers, and the general public about the needs of Ddeaf people.
