DEAF EDUCATION ADVOCACY FELLOWSHIP 2009©

NDM Productions 2009

The Deaf Education Advocacy Fellowship offers a total of seven different services to Deaf and disabled people in order to facilitate successful goal achievement:

DEAF RELAY INTERPRETER

• We are able to provide a Deaf Relay Interpreter for Deaf people with minimal language skills to enable access to information in their own language and at their preferred level.

ADVOCACY WORK

Using an Advocate is different from using an Interpreter who can only pass on the information given and received. An Advocate can find sources of information and relay them to the client and help in the decision making process, enabling a client fulfil their needs and assert their rights as a human being.

We can offer support in dealing with a wide range of situations:

• Making complaints
• Assist in the completion of forms or applications
• Represent you in meetings or benefit appeal tribunals
• Contacting your local authority or other service provider
• Assist mental health survivors on their rehabilitation journey
• Assisting youth offenders with their reintegration into society

DEAF AWARENESS

Our Deaf Awareness Curriculum covers:

• The Deaf Experience
• Deaf Cultural History
• The Disability Equality Duty
• The Disability Discrimination Act
• How to identify individual communication needs
• Technological aids currently available to Deaf people
• Current statistics relating to the number of Deaf people living in the UK

BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE (BSL)

Our British Sign Language Curriculum covers:

• How to feel confident when communicating with a Deaf person
• The BSL alphabet
• Word groups, such as days of the week; time; emotions, questions, transport, numbers; directions

This list is not definitive and can easily be tailored to suit individual needs.

EMPLOYMENT

• We provide training, lectures, workshops and work placements for our clients.
• We provide a daily one to one support system for those clients in search of employment
• We liaise with health and social care professionals in order to provide appropriate support for deaf and disabled people wishing to enter the employment market.
• We provide a bespoke consultancy service for those wanting to set up their own business.

EDUCATION

• We provide training, lectures and workshops for those of our clients wishing to gain further and ongoing education.
• We liaise with health and social care professionals in order to provide appropriate support for Deaf and disabled people wishing to join the education system.
• We work in liaison with the various education authorities in order to assist an individuals’ smooth transition into education.

DEAF ROLE MODEL

• We provide a one stop advice shop for parents of Deaf children from the initial diagnosis to the successful completion of their child's degree course (if this is what the child wants!).

DIVERSITY

• We organise events, workshops and festivals.
• Provide support into finding and accessing employment, education and training opportunities
• Offer benefits advice sessions.
• Raise consciousness about diversity and equal opportunity issues.
• Support and encourage clients to become volunteers within their local communities