Deaf Direct set up a unique forum for local Deaf people whose first and preferred language is British Sign Language. This Forum was designed as a consultation and feedback mechanism for Deaf people to feed into local services and for information from these services to be relayed to the Deaf community. Run by Deaf people with a format designed to gain the maximum engagement from attendees, the Forum has grown in popularity and success since its inception.
The groups’ broad aims are:
- Deaf Direct and the local Deaf Community talk to each other
- Local Deaf people meet and talk to each other about issues and problems in their locality
- Other organisations attend the group to consult with deaf people (e.g. NHS, Police, Social Services, Council etc.) Feedback is used to improve their services for deaf people
Deaf people’s Forums are a proven way of facilitating communication and understanding between statutory bodies and Deaf people. They help to influence the decision makers in terms of how advice is delivered in the broadest sense across the counties.
We have Forums in various areas - please use the menu for locations and dates. We send out letters with Agenda for each forum, so if you are Deaf and use BSL, but did not receive anything, please contact us, and we will make sure that you are included.
