Deafness workshop takes place at Elgin High School
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Deaf children and young people in Moray were given the opportunity to learn all about deafness on Tuesday, September 24, with a series of workshops from of the National Deaf Children’s Society’s Roadshow.
The Roadshow is an eight-ton purple lorry that tours the country and turns into a high-tech classroom. The Roadshow visited Elgin High School and passed on support, advice and information to some of Moray’s 35 deaf children and young people, as well as their hearing friends, teachers and parents.
The workshops are designed specially for deaf children and young people and focus on building confidence and self-esteem, as well as raising awareness about deafness among hearing people.
Some of the top tips for communicating with deaf children provided were: speak clearly and naturally to make lip reading easier; don’t cover your mouth; be visual, write things down and, importantly, never give up.
The National Deaf Children’s Society also showcased the latest technology and equipment available to deaf children, including things like flashing doorbells, vibrating alarm clocks and the latest apps that can transform how deaf children communicate.
The National Deaf Children’s Society’s Roadshow was made possible thanks to a generous grant of over £39,000 from the ScottishPower Foundation. The grant has enabled the charity to take its innovative Roadshow to schools in Scotland and across the United Kingdom during the year and offer more support to deaf children.
Mark Gill, of the charity’s Roadshow team, who is deaf himself, said: "We’re travelling the country to help empower deaf children and young people and raise awareness of deafness among their friends, family and teachers.
"The Roadshow has such a fantastic impact on the lives of deaf children and young people and it’s amazing to see that first hand. By sharing information and developing everyone’s understanding of deafness, we are working towards a world without barriers for every deaf child.
"Most importantly, we want to remind every deaf child that they have incredible potential and should be aiming high. With the right support, they can do anything anyone else can do."
