Latest News
"What you see is news, what you know is background, what you feel is opinion." Lester Markel
Read the latest news from DdEF (Ddeaf Equality Forward) here. On the Press Area page you can also subscribe to our email bulletin.
You can also check out our news archives pages for information that has previously appeared in this section.
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. DdEF has been in existence now for ten years, and during that time we've run a number of successful training courses, publicity campaigns, and events, and we hope that the information we've been able to share has been useful to Ddeaf people.
The task of running Ddeaf Equality Forward though was increasingly falling on a small number of volunteers, and we needed a break. We intend to keep the website online as long as possible though as a source of information for Ddeaf people, and we are hopeful that another local organisation for deaf people will take over the running of the site.
We'd like to thank everyone who's attended our training courses, events, and lively discussion forums – without you we couldn't have done any of it, and we've probably learned as much from you as you've learned from us. We'd also like to thank the many volunteers who've helped us out over the years in many different ways – again, without you, none of it would have been possible.
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.
DdEF's new–look forum is here
We've had quite a few problems with our discussion forum, not least of all a big problem with 'spammers'. Over the summer we temporarily closed the forums for maintenance and to sort the problem out, changing our forum software to a more secure system. We've recently upgraded the forums and given them a bit of a facelift – check out our new–look forums.
Study reveals noisy Christmas toys can damage hearing
New new research commissioned by Deafness Research UK working with researcher Dr Brad Backus at UCL's Ear Institute in London claims that many toys available this Christmas could damage your child's hearing if used too often or too close to the ear. Almost all (14 out of 15) of the toys tested produced noise levels above the recommended safety limit of 85dB(A) when held close to the ear. Half of the toys tested had levels above or very near recommended safety limits when measured at 25cm – about an arm’s length away. For more information on the research, see Deaf Research UK's website.
Ddeaf people and the internet – online survey
How do Ddeaf people use the internet? Does the internet change Ddeaf people's lives? The University of Leeds are conducting a survey on how and why Ddeaf people use the internet, and how and if the internet can change Ddeaf people's lives. The views of all Ddeaf people are important to the project – click here ↗ to go to the survey. There is also a prize draw for £100.
Millions urged to check hearing
The BBC reports that a new service that conducts a basic hearing test over the telephone has been launched, saying, "The Royal National Institute for Deaf people (RNID) says 4m people are losing their hearing but doing nothing about it and hopes to change their attitudes. A survey by pollsters Mori suggested embarrassment was the main reason people did not discuss hearing loss. The RNID hopes people will feel more comfortable calling 0845 600 5555.
To read the whole article, go to the BBC's news website
