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Cross sector support for statement of common purpose
Almost 60 organisations are already supporting the statement of common purpose on deafness and hearing loss.
The list already represents the breadth of the sector. It includes organisations that work with or represent
- people of all ages who are Deaf, deaf, deafened, deafblind or have a hearing loss;
- the myriad of responses to deafness and hearing loss, from people whose only language is sign language to those who have a cochlear implant; and
- communication and language professionals, education institutions, communication agencies, and politicians.
Significantly, it includes organisations that aren’t exclusively concerned with deafness or hearing loss. They include NHS Grampian, the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies at Heriot Watt University, and Southampton City Council’s Reablement Team.
Craig Crowley, chair of the task force that has led the work, said: “We are pleased so many have already signed the statement and look forward to more doing the same.
“The diversity of organisations shows we have gone some way to identifying the core of what our sector is about. We knew there is much we agree on – we just needed to have the conversation.
“Likewise, the work that will be done as a result of this process will be led by organisations across the spectrum of deafness and hearing loss. We are already talking to high profile hearing aid manufacturers, telecommunications providers and others about their involvement too.
“We therefore hope the list will have grown to at least 80 organisations before we formally launch the statement in late autumn. Then we will be in a good position to realise our vision of a world that benefits from people who are deaf or have a hearing loss being able to fulfil their potential.
Six mission groups will develop a collaborative programme of work. They are
- awareness, chaired by Jim Edwards of Signature;
- education, chaired by Lindsey Rousseau of NatSIP;
- employment, chaired by Jan Sheldon of RAD;
- information, chaired by Lorraine Gailey of Hearing Link;
- services, chaired by Jeff Skipp of Deafblind UK; and
- prevention, chaired by Paul Breckell of Action on Hearing Loss.
The chairs will make up the majority of the steering group that will oversee all the work. They will be joined by Jane Cordell of Getting Equal and Craig Crowley of Action Deafness.
The statement of common purpose initiative is facilitated by the UK Council on Deafness. For more information see https://ukcod.org/ukcod/outcome-common-purpose.
If you want to join the list of founder signatories and help promote the statement please email dan.sumners@signature.org.uk.
Signatories
- Action Deafness
- Action for Deafness
- Action on Hearing Loss
- ADEPT
- appa
- APPG on Deafness
- Association of Lipspeakers
- Association of Sign Language Interpreters
- Association of Verbatim Speech to Text Reporters
- BID Services
- Brian Archbold
- British Association of Teachers of the Deaf
- British Deaf Association
- Cambridgeshire Hearing Help
- Chief Officers’ Group of Third Sector Deaf Organisations
- Clarion Interpreting
- Cochlear Implanted Children’s Support Group
- Cumbria DeafVision
- Deaf Direct
- Deafblind UK
- Deafconnect
- Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre, University College London
- Deafness Support Network
- deafPlus
- Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, Heriot Watt University
- The Ear Foundation
- Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education
- Gloucestershire Deaf Association
- Gwen Carr
- HearFirst
- Hearing Link
- Hearing Loss and Deafness Alliance
- Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service
- Home Counties Cochlear Implant Group
- Jane Cordell
- Louise Tonks
- Manchester Deaf Centre
- National Association of Deafened People
- National Cochlear Implant Users Association
- National Community Hearing Association
- National Deaf Children’s Society
- National Sensory Impairment Partnership
- NHS Grampian
- Nottinghamshire Deaf Society
- Phonak UK
- Reablement Team, Social Services, Southampton City Council
- Royal Association for Deaf People
- Scottish Council on Deafness
- Sense
- Sign Solutions
- Signature
- SignHealth
- Social Research with Deaf People, University of Manchester
- South Wales Cochlear Implant Support Group
- StageTEXT
- UK Deaf Sport
- Visual Language Professionals