Welcome to Nottinghamshire Deaf Society

We are a registered charity based in Nottingham. Formed in 1890 by a group of philanthropic church and community leaders we have a vision of a society in which all deaf people can fully participate. Today NDS serves many deaf people across the county and region with a range of services including BSL interpreting, welfare rights advice and by supporting deaf community groups.

BSL Interpreting

All our in-house interpreters, lipspeakers and the freelance interpreters we use, are highly trained and are officially registered.

Request an Interpreter

Volunteering

We rely on our volunteers to be able to provide all of our services, we couldn’t operate without them generously giving their time, skills and expertise.

Opportunities

Training

Want to learn British Sign Language? Or improve your lipreading skills? Then have a look at our training courses: We have new courses, both online and face-to-face, starting in September 2021.

Find Out More

Welfare Rights

The Welfare Rights Service helps Deaf and hard of hearing people access welfare benefits and services in their preferred language, whether that’s British Sign Language or English.

Access to Work

Access to Work (AtW) is a publicly funded employment support programme that aims to help disabled people start or stay in work.
This factsheet gives individuals an overview of Access to Work.

Community Room Rental

We have space available for meetings and training workshops.

About Us

Nottinghamshire Deaf Society (NDS), is a registered charity based in Forest Road West, it was formed in 1890 by a group of philanthropic church and community leaders who had a vision for a society in which all deaf people can fully participate.

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The success of the charity today is built on the wonderful history and rich culture of the deaf community. We have an enviable reputation for providing community outreach for 400 Deaf service users from their centre on Forest Road West.

We give deaf people access to a range of tailored information and support services such as welfare benefits advice, training, luncheon clubs and befriending schemes. With a team of British Sign Language Interpreters on hand to provide vital support in times of crisis and need, NDS really is a bridge between a hearing and a deaf world.

Vision, Mission and Values

What makes us different?

Our Vision?

We have a vision for a society in which all deaf people can fully participate…

Our Mission?

Our mission is to improve the social inclusion and well-being of deaf people across the East Midlands…

Our Values?

Our Values underpin all we do and how we behave as an organisation and as individuals…

Find Out More

Deaf Awareness Week 2021

May 2, 2021
By Administrator
No CommentsPosted in Blog / News

5 Gold rules of how to communicate with deaf people

It’s Deaf Awareness Week 2021 – an annual awareness week to raise the profile of deafness, the deaf community and issues deaf people face from Monday 3rd – Sunday 9th May 2021.

Our mission and purpose is to empower deaf people so that their lives are enriched. Our ultimate vision is of a society that all deaf people can participate in equally – Deaf Awareness Week is a great opportunity to shout about that.

We’d love your support to spread the word.. here are 8 simple ideas of things you can do…

Join us for the #CaptainTom100 and help us fix our lift

April 26, 2021
By Administrator
No CommentsPosted in Blog / News

Will you join us for the Captain Tom 100 (30th April – 3rd May) to help us raise funds to repair our lift?

Unfortunately the lift at our building is out of order.

Without a working lift we can’t operate as an accessible building. Some of our groups and service users rely on the lift to access the building and when we re-open they wont be able to access groups unless it is fixed. We are planning to repair it but unfortunately the estimates are substantial.

This weekend it is the #CaptainTom100 – a weekend of fundraising and celebrating the life of Sir Captain Tom Moore. Friday 30th April would have been his 101st birthday and so from Friday to Monday 3rd May there are national events and fundraising campaigns to raise money for charities.

We are hoping to cover some or all of the cost by joining in this weekend and raising funds to help us get the lift working again.

New BSL courses enrolling now!

February 22, 2021
By NDS
No CommentsPosted in Blog / News

Introduction to BSL

We’re excited to announce our new ‘Introduction to BSL’ courses starting in March 2021!

3 courses will be running:

Mondays 10-12pm, Tuesdays 6-8pm or Wednesdays 1-3pm.

9 weeks starting week commencing 22nd March 2021.

£150.00

Certified courses, small class sizes, quality teaching.

We can’t wait to see you there! Find out more and book your place at www.nottsdeaf.org.uk/training

Testimonials

Find out what everyone is saying about us.

I’ve been using this centre for decades, I have learnt so much from those I have met here, it has shaped my life and helped me achieve fulfilment. I want to carry this on, supporting and helping other deaf people, encouraging them that they too can be a success and feel fulfilled.Christine Townsend

The staff on the course really enjoyed it and felt that they learnt a lot in a very short space of time.Nottingham Trent University Union June 2014

Lip-reading classes have helped me to understand how to deal with problems…it is useful socially as we all have the same problems

NDS gives me confidence to socialise and make new friends, be informed about hearing loss and equipment available.

Thanks for coming to my home to help me fill in my son’s DLA form. I couldn’t have done them without your help.Hard of Hearing Client

Somewhere for me to go, meet friend, enjoy myself.Deaf Older Persons Service User

This has to be the most valuable and eye-opening training I’ve had in a long time. Very well presented.Nottinghamshire Probation Trust Staff Member Feb 2014

I found the whole course very interesting and enlightening. I feel more aware of what I need to do to communicate and what to remember a deaf/hard of hearing person may be experiencing.NHCT Staff Member Feb 2014

Everyone really enjoyed the course and the presentation of it, thank you very much.Nottinghamshire Police May 2014

Thank you and your team for your support, hard work and commitments to last night’s BSL Charter event.

I really enjoyed today. I found it really fun and interesting.Headway Staff Member July 2014

Being able to meet others and also find out information on the illness I have.Deaf Older Persons Service User

I find the team very flexible to my needs. Interpreters are always professional and confidential during jobs. Interpreters are always on time and well prepared in order to do an effective job! The booking team always try to match the appropriate interpreter with the client.Deaf Professional

We have always found that Nottinghamshire Deaf Society provides a very friendly and efficient service to clients who would otherwise find it very difficult to access the advice they need.Advice Group

We really appreciated that you were able to provide Halal meat with vegan options.

Thank you so much, very prompt serviceSocial Worker, Nottinghamshire County Council

It is imperative for us to have access to an Interpreting service and we find the one provided by NSLIS to be extremely reliable and accommodating. The Interpreters we receive are all very professional and friendly with both the individual employee and the section as a whole. Without this service we would not be able to include our employee in many of the section meetings and personal training sessions. Booking the service is straightforward and reliable, to date we have not encountered any late cancellations or problems. Thank you for the service you provide, it is very much appreciatedSenior Assistant Accountant, Gedling Borough Council