Deaf Awareness Week runs from 6-12 May 2019. Promoted the UK Council on Deafness, this weeklong campaign provides a much-needed opportunity to raise awareness that one in six people in the UK have some form of hearing loss; and to celebrate the year-round projects, activities and support that makes a difference to deaf people’s lives on a daily basis.
As the national charity that supports and encourages deaf and hard of hearing people take part in sport and physical activity, UK Deaf Sport is proud to support Deaf Awareness Week 2019.
Celebrating Role Models
This year’s theme for the week is Celebrating Role Models. Throughout the week, UK Council on Deafness is encouraging organisations to celebrate role models at all levels, who raise awareness of hearing loss, promote social inclusion and make a positive difference to deaf people’s lives.
Each day this week will celebrate role models from different sectors that make up our communities. The theme days are:
Monday – Education and employment
Tuesday – Health
Wednesday – Sport
Thursday – Entertainment
Friday – Family and youth
Saturday – Technology
Sunday – Politics
Find out more on UK Council on Deafness website.
UK Deaf Sport’s vision is ‘Every deaf person active and inspired by sport and physical activity’. Our mission is to create more accessible opportunities for deaf people to enjoy an active lifestyle and have fun taking part in sport.
Action on Hearing Loss reports that around 11 million people in the UK have some form of hearing loss, and this number is expected to rise to 15.6 million by 2035. Previous research from Sport England’s Active People survey has shown that people who are deaf or hard of hearing are most likely to be physically inactive.
At UK Deaf Sport, our work to improve participation levels focuses on encouraging more deaf children, young people and adults to take part in sport throughout their lives. We are committed to ensuring our work connects the sport and physical activity sector together with members of the Deaf community to share expert knowledge and promote better practice in order to deliver change.
Understanding the motivations and barriers towards sport and physical activity for deaf people is vital to our work. Please get in touch with us if you would like to share your experiences of being active, or if you would like more information and guidance on how to make your activities more inclusive for deaf people.
Email us at participation@ukds.org.uk
