Harrow Deaf Awareness Day

13th May 2013 HADC’S Harrow Deaf Awareness Day at Harrow Council  was a huge success, with attendance of over 200 delegates including our VIP Guests i.e. our Patrons John and Margaret Purnell; Michael Lockwood, Chief Executive of Harrow Council; Councillor Graham Henson, Cabinet Member of Performance, Customer Services and Corporate Services Portfolio Holder; Paul Najsarek, Corporate Director of Community, Health and Wellbeing; David Buxton, Chief Executive of British Deaf Association; Iain Sutherland, Deaf Equality Officer, Bristol City Council; Catherine Doran, Corporate Director of Children and Families; Marianne Locke, Divisional Director Community & Culture; Andrew Hoey, General Manager, Harrow VUE Cinema and Councillor Nana Asante, Deputy Mayor of Harrow. The event also had 25 stalls, which offered great opportunities for deaf people to find out what services were on offer and for hearing people to see what support/ resources/ information they needs to improve their services and ensuring on accessibility. The event was supported by The Harrow Observer Newspaper, Harrow Community Radio, Harrow Times, Harrow Borough Council, CommunityID and Hatch End High School.

http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/Resources/Hearing%20Dogs/Documents/Harrows%20Deaf%20Awareness%20Day%2013%20May%202013.pdf

http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/10415858.Deaf_awareness_day_helps_promote_accessibility/

http://content.met.police.uk/News/Borough-Commanders-blog-20-May/1400017377512/1257246745756

More information about the day is at our Gallery page.

Harrow Council’s Pledges following Harrow Deaf Awareness Day 2013

Harrow Council’s Pledges on Access to Council Services:
Following your feedback on access to Council Website in BSL, and calling for BSL Charter, ensuring better quality in access to various Council services, Harrow Council confirmed:
•Paul Najsarek, Director of Corporate Department (Harrow Council) will be having a Corporate Equalities meeting shortly to discuss feedback from the Deaf Awareness Day and to discuss the way forward.
To date at the time of the website launch on 7th June 2014, a Senior management meeting took place in March 2014, at Harrow Council, discussing the proposal of adopting the BSL Charter, no further details were available on the outcome of the meeting and the way forward. As soon as we at HUDC hear more news, we will let you know.
Harrow Council’s Children, Schools and Families Pledges:
Following your feedback, Harrow Council’s Children Sensory Team confirmed:
  • Support groups for Deaf children and their families including BSL:
    Children Sensory Team (CST) currently offer a baby group and a fathers’ group, and Hatch End school run a mothers’ group. At Elmgrove school, they run a group to support Deaf parents with hearing children and young people. CST will liaise with the other providers to ensure that a coordinated offer is in place for September 2013. CST Lead has been busy in getting these groups up and running.
  • Direct Payment for BSL training for parents of deaf children:
    There was some discussion about exploring with parents if some of them want to use the personal allowance for BSL Training. CST is liaising with colleagues to move this forward.
  • CST Courses including BSL classes:
    CST were asked if they could advertise more widely courses presently run by CST team. As a result, they will be promoting their courses and options through CDP on line for Children & Families professionals and schools. CST will work with Hatch End Deaf Resource Base to try and set up an outreach BSL group.
  • BSL skills within CST staff:
    CST are planning a BSL signing skills group for CST staff “so that we are able to maintain our skills, and a beginners’ BSL signing group for other staff at Alexandra Avenue Health Clinic”.
  • Access to new building: CST also spoke about involvement in new buildings ensuring they are accessible for deaf children and families and have requested to be involved in the planning process.

Harrow Council’s Pledges on Access to Leisure, Arts, Theatre and Cinema :

Following your feedback, Harrow Council confirmed:
  • Access to pantomime and theatres
    Council’s Arts Programmer attended the afternoon sessions and has undertaken to ensure there are more accessible services for deaf people at the Arts Centre – including on request signed, captioned or interpreted panto performance this year.

    This means if you want to go to Pantomime or theatres in Harrow Art Centre, please make sure you ask for signed, captioned or interpreted access. Please keep record of how you get on so we can continue to feedback to Council on progress.
  • Access to Libraries for deaf children:
    Following feedback from parents of deaf children and Deaf parents of deaf/hearing children, story telling sessions were not accessible to deaf children/ children of deaf parents, Harrow Council has undertaken to investigate signing for children’s sessions in libraries and has already made contact to take this forward.If you go to libraries and need story telling session accessible to deaf children or children of deaf parents, please keep record of how you get on and we can feedback to Council on progress too.