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Every year we help more than 5,000 deaf people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire

 

About Nottinghamshire Deaf Society

Nottinghamshire Deaf Society (NDS) is a small charity based in Nottingham providing specialist, accessible services, activities and opportunities for deaf people. We help individuals and groups overcome communication barriers and reduce inequalities, working across the city of Nottingham and county of Nottinghamshire. At NDS 50% of our staff are deaf BSL users.

We deliver a blend of commissioned and voluntary funded services and activities, through organisations including Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board, Nottingham Citizens Advice Bureau and Nottingham City Council. We also have small amounts of funding from Trust funds, including the Jessie Spencer Trust and the Masonic Charitable Foundation. 

Who will benefit from our work and what are their needs?

1) Deaf people do not have equality of access: Any kind of hearing loss can automatically create a barrier to communication – and therefore a barrier to accessing services – leading to poor service, potential failures in health and social care, and substantial social disadvantage.

2) Deaf people suffer isolation and poor mental health: As a natural consequence of language and/or communication barriers, deaf people are at risk of isolation and social exclusion. This is particularly true of deaf people with additional needs and older deaf people. It is well established that loneliness and social exclusion contribute to poor mental health, and so prevalence of mental health problems amongst the deaf population is higher than the average (Department of Health, 2005, Mental Health and Deafness).

3) Deaf people experience barriers to employment and education: Deaf people experience fewer opportunities for employment and education. This is for a range of reasons including communication, language, complex needs and, for Deaf BSL users, poor English literacy. Herriot Watt University reported that 16-year-old deaf school leavers in the UK had an average reading age of 9 years, and employers are often reluctant to employ deaf people through a lack of understanding of equality legislation and the adjustments that are possible through Access to Work. 

What we do

We provide different services and activities for deaf and hearing people:

• Deaf Welfare Rights Advice
• Provision of, and development and support of community activities
• Advocating for the needs and rights of deaf people
• Provision of employment support for deaf people wanting to gain employment
• Supporting deaf people and employers in identifying reasonable adjustments and accessing support for those
• Providing information and signposting to others
• Befriending project for deaf adults at risk of loneliness
• Sign Language Interpreting Service
• Training in British Sign Language, Lip-reading and Deaf Awareness

However, much of our work – including community advocacy (support with issues with navigating health and social care), prevention services (promoting independence and prevention of interventions from health and social care) in the City of Nottingham and befriending services (providing company and support to people living alone or isolated) – are not funded. So in order to continue providing these services, your support is essential to help us grow and maintain the quality of our work.

Every donation makes a difference

By donating to NDS you will be supporting those 5,000 deaf children and adults – helping them to live more independent, confident, happy and secure lives. Whatever you can afford to give will go directly to our services.

If you decide to make a regular donation, you’ll be giving NDS the opportunity to plan our activities sustainably, knowing that we are supported by your donations.

 

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