Deafblind UK is committed to providing information, advice and support to all people affected by Deafblindness. Our Black and Ethnic minorities (BME) project has raised the levels of deafblind awareness within BME communities in London. The BME project was funded by the Big Lottery Fund which ended in July 2009. As part of our commitment to all deafblind people, Deafblind UK will use the learning experiences from this project to ensure that the needs of BME deafblind people are mainstreamed within our work.
Our project aims:
To identify BME deafblind people living in London.
To encourage BME deafblind people to lead independent and fulfilled lives, by ensuring they are aware of the support that is available to them, and their entitlement to receive such support.
To raise awareness of Deafblindness and the services that Deafblind UK can offer to BME deafblind people. Our project officer can provide free awareness sessions to BME groups and clubs on request.
To produce and disseminate information targeted towards statutory, voluntary and community organisations enabling them to provide inclusive and appropriate services for BME deafblind people.
To provide deafblind awareness to people from BME communities, particularly volunteers, in order to create better levels of support and service.
To encourage BME deafblind people to become members of Deafblind UK.
This project is specifically targeting:
People from BME communities with combined sight and hearing loss
Deafblind people from BME communities
Older BME people, as deafblindness is more prevalent in old age
Our activities:
Our project has successfully worked to identify hidden BME deafblind people through our outreach activities and our presence at cultural events. This work has also built greater levels of deafblind awareness amongst BME communities and groups. Once identified BME deafblind people have benefited from greater access to healthcare services and referrals to other agencies providing support. We have also produced some basic information leaflets and bookmarks in six BME languages (Bengali, Gujarati, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi).
Our project (now in year three) is continuing to make contact with statutory, voluntary and community organisations. In addition, we will be contacting places of worship to further spread information about Deafblindness and Deafblind UK. We want to ensure that BME deafblind people and their families are aware of the support that is available to them. We are continuing to deliver awareness sessions to community groups and clubs in the London area. Our evaluation report of this project will be made available at the end of the project.
Click on the following link to view our good practice guide.
Good Practice Guide
If you would like further information about the project or would like to book a free awareness session please contact us on info@deafblind.org.uk or 01733 358100
