Staff from Corporate and Community Services have been consulting with people from the Walthamstow Deaf club to produce communication cards for Deaf and hard of hearing people.

The aim of these cards is to improve access to Council and Health Services for Deaf and hard of hearing people.  The cards also inform staff that it is their responsibility to book interpreters/equipment or to find an appropriate way to communicate with a Deaf person – it should not be left to the customer to organise – this is actually a requirement under the Disability Discrimination Act.  In addition, the Card provides ‘Communication Tips’ for staff.

The launch that was successfully held at Walthamstow Deaf Club in May 2005 was opened by Cllr Ali, followed by speeches from Joscelind Crookendale (about WFITTS) and Beryl Streader (from JobCentrePlus, who talked about ‘Access to Work’).  

WFD had information on Council Services, Human Resources provided information on employment issues and the Sensory Resources Team had examples of specialised equipment and alerting devises such as a flashing smoke alarm and vibrating door bells.

Over 80 people attended the launch which itself was a multicultural event where cultural differences were not a barrier. Comments during the night were extremely positive and even people from other authorities were impressed with the event and the cards.

Thanks to all staff and the members from the Deaf Club that were involved in both development and the launch of the cards

What happens next?

In order to strengthen our commitment, The Council will be taking steps to achieve the RNID’s Louder than Words Charter. This charter contains 13 quality standards and is awarded to organisations that provide excellent services and employment opportunities to Deaf and hard of hearing people.  In order to achieve the standards of the charter, we will be asking the RNID to assess our premises/practices and suggest recommended steps to improve our services.

Information

You can find more information on the above through the following links:

For information on the Deaf Awareness Course, or any of the above you can contact me –

Isaiah Ncube - Isaiah.Ncube@walthamforest.gov.uk
Waltham Forest Town Hall
Tel 020 8496 4573
Fax 020 8496 478