A DEMONSTRATION day showing deaf people the different types of help and support available to help them is being organised by the Manx Deaf Society.
The session later this month is at the Manx Blind Welfare Society headquarters in Onchan and is being run in association with Preston-based charity Deafway.
A range of skills will be demonstrated by a team of people flown into the island specially for the event. These include sign language interpreters, a lipspeaking translator and an electronic captioning touch typist.
The Manx Deaf Society’s new deaf champion, Gareth Foulkes, who took up his two-year post earlier this year said the idea was for deaf people to see the range of support available so they could decide what might be of use to them.
‘There are many hard-of-hearing people on the island, maybe as many as one in six of the population, but this event is focussed on the smaller number of profoundly deaf people whose ability to communicate is compromised by the current lack of available communication support on the island.
‘Only by knowing what individual deaf people’s needs are can we then hope to put the correct type of support in place,’ he said.
‘The idea is for deaf people attending to watch different role plays involving a lipspeaker, sign language interpreter or electronic captioner, and then in small groups discuss which type is most appropriate for their needs and in what situation would they use the communication support if available – medical appointments, meetings at work or other more general meetings.’
The session will also give people a chance to see the latest developments in remote online sign language interpretation using the internet.
The Manx Deaf Society has contacted its members across the island inviting them to attend the event which is on Saturday, April 13, from 9.30am to 3.30pm.
The society would also like to hear from other deaf people who might not be on its current membership list. Free lunch will be provided.
For more details contact Mr Foulkes by email on {mailto:gareth.foulkes@deafway.org.uk|gareth.foulkes(at)deafway.org.uk}
Voice messages can be left with Julie Smith, chairman of the Manx Deaf Society, on 852988, or write to Mr Foulkes, care of 3 Somerset Road, Douglas, IM2 5AD.