Feeds
316 items (0 unread) in 9 feeds
Grumpy Old Deafies
-
New BDA CEO makes an appearance
Posted: August 21st, 2008, 1:54pm BST
As seen on Sign-tube (if you can't get the below video to work, click here), the new BDA Chief Exec took to the stage at the BDA's recent conference in Cardiff... ... it seems he has been learning BSL. As he should indeed! We at GOD didn't make it to the conference this year - did you? Any thoughts? See also: New BDA CEO: Simon Wilkinson-Blake ... -
Charlie Swinbourne: Waiting for baby
Posted: August 18th, 2008, 6:38pm BST
Charlie Swinbourne has penned an article for BBC Ouch around his forthcoming fatherhood. When we passed the magic three-month mark, we decided to tell everyone the news. It was then that I noticed something interesting. As happy as my hearing friends were for us, I kept being asked the same question in response - and it wasn't whether our forthcoming arrival was a boy or a girl. "Do you think the baby will be deaf or hearing?" The question didn't offend me, but I can honestly say that until then I had never thought about it. I'd just been thinking, simplistically perhaps, that we were going to have a baby, and preparing myself for all the ... -
Monkhouse Deaf Support Centre Closes
Posted: August 18th, 2008, 4:32pm BST
GOD was quoted in The News Guardian last week, around the closure of Monkhouse Deaf Support Centre, Tyneside. The decline is down to: More and more parents of deaf children are choosing normal schools causing a drop in the number of people using the centre, the council claims. The use of labelling such as "normal schools", is derogatory and can be standard terminology in education. In fact, much of education terminology is littered with terms that really need to be thrown in the bin yesterday, but that's a post for another day. For instance, I attended a mainstream school for my entire schooling, but it doesn't give me or anyone else the green light to label ... -
Parliament: Police Forces & BSL / Lipspeakers
Posted: July 23rd, 2008, 7:11pm BST
Cheryl Gillan (Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, Wales; Chesham & Amersham, Conservative) To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces have procedures in place to provide British sign language interpreters and lipspeakers on a 24-hour basis for deaf people requiring assistance at police stations; and what steps her Department has taken to facilitate police force compliance with the requirements of the National Agreement on Arrangements for the use of Interpreters, Translators and Language Service Professionals in Investigations and Proceedings within the Criminal Justice System, as revised in 2007. Tony McNulty (Minister of State (Security, Counter-terrorism, Crime and Policing), Home Office; Harrow East, Labour) This information is not currently held centrally. All chief ... -
Parliament: Jobcentres and BSL
Posted: July 23rd, 2008, 6:38pm BST
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North, Labour) To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what facilities jobcentres offer to deaf people who arrive to make enquiries (a) with and (b) without an appointment; and how many front line jobcentre staff have qualifications in British Sign Language. Stephen Timms (Minister of State (Employment and Welfare Reform), Department for Work and Pensions; East Ham, Labour) The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested. Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 22 July 2008: The Secretary of State has asked Lesley Strathie to reply to your question ... -
Parliament: Disability Discrimination (General Qualifications Bodies) (Relevant Qualifications, Reasonable Steps and Physical Features) (Amendment) Regulations 2008
Posted: July 22nd, 2008, 8:17pm BST
Maria Miller (Shadow Minister, Children, Schools and Families; Basingstoke, Conservative) To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons the Disability Discrimination (General Qualifications Bodies) (Relevant Qualifications, Reasonable Steps and Physical Features) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 have not been the subject of a disability equality impact assessment. Jim Knight (Minister of State (Schools and Learners), Department for Children, Schools and Families; South Dorset, Labour) We have consulted with the interested disability organisations about laying the draft regulations (dated 19 June 2008) without carrying out an equality impact assessment. A consortium covering Scope, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Skill, the British Association of the Teachers of the Deaf, the British Dyslexia Association and ... -
Parliament: Deaf Literacy
Posted: July 22nd, 2008, 6:57pm BST
Michael Gove (Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Children, Schools and Families; Surrey Heath, Conservative) To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what arrangements are in place to ensure that the teaching of literacy is accessible to deaf children, with particular regard to the use of phonics; (2) what arrangements are in place to ensure deaf children who fail to attain level 3 at key stage 2 English are receiving catch-up support tailored to their needs; Simon Hughes (Shadow Leader of the House of Commons; North Southwark & Bermondsey, Liberal Democrat) To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what steps he ... -
Parliament: Regulation of Hearing Aid Dispensing
Posted: July 16th, 2008, 9:59pm BST
It appears that the Hearing Aid Council is being abolished next year, and its work merged with the Health Professions Council. The Hearing Aid Council describes itself as: We are the Government body that regulates the private hearing aid market. To sell a hearing aid in the UK you must be registered with us and meet our standards of education, training and conduct. You can complain to us if you are worried someone may not meet our standards or is selling hearing aids illegally. With the HPC describing itself as: We are a regulator, and we were set up to protect the public. To do this, we keep a register of health professionals who meet ... -
Parliament: Deaf Education, No Official Statistics
Posted: July 11th, 2008, 10:25pm BST
Deaf children's education or rather the standards, has been a subject that has been buried under the carpet by consecutive governments. Its a subject that plays like a broken record, and the same mistakes made decade after decade, with no-one actually listening. There was a question in parliament around educational attainment: Stewart Jackson (Whip, Whips; Peterborough, Conservative) To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what proportion of deaf and hard of hearing children gained five or more GCSEs at grade C and above in the Peterborough City Council area in the last year for which figures are available; (2) what proportion of children gained at least two A-levels in the ... -
New BDA CEO = NEW BDA blog?
Posted: July 10th, 2008, 4:06pm BST
Great to see a letter from the new BDA CEO here. Seems quite an interesting bloke, so I guess all we can do now is cross our fingers and hope for the best for the BDA.. We've been doing that for years, anyway, as well as nagging suggesting that they get a blog. I've forgotten how many times I've suggested that now, and I know quite a few other Deafies have done too, including Alison. So how about it, BDA? The world needs more UK Deaf blogs, and I'm quite sure that the UK Deaf community would love to read/watch what's going on with you all. Again, we nice people at grumpyoldeafies.com offer our help if you need it. Have ...