Deaf Awareness Week: Five people's stories on sport
One in seven people in the UK, roughly nine million in total, are deaf or hard of hearing. There are 20,000 children, aged 0 to 15, who are moderately or profoundly deaf.
The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) knows that people with sensory impairments (hearing and visual impairments) have the lowest level of participation in sport and physical activity. Just 10% of people with a hearing impairment take part in sport for 30 minutes once a week.
This week is Deaf Awareness Week (external site). and the theme this year is ‘Common Purpose’. Promoted by the UK Council on Deafness, the week long campaign celebrates collaborative work that makes a differences to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Here, EFDS looks at the stories of five people who discuss combining their experience of hearing impairments with a passion for being active.
Olive from London
I played basketball with a couple of patients at the hospital where I work, and I really enjoyed it and it occurred to me that I’d quite like to Olive on netball.
And that just happened to coincide with, locally, a deaf netball team setting themselves up and there we are. They were looking for more players, and I volunteered to play.
Prior to starting with Dangerous Hands in September, the last time I played was 12 years ago. That was it, until just last year.
Claire from Northampton
Whenever I am playing sport or exercising I feel free. It’s like I don’t need to hear to do what I’m doing and I am in my own little world. And, of course, playing sport and exercising makes me feel fit and healthy.
And there are so many other things you can gain from taking part in sport and physical activity. For one thing, you can meet new people and improve your social skills, which can in turn increase your confidence.
Any opportunity you get to try a sport, go and have a go, even if it’s something you have never thought of doing. You never know, you just might like it.
Clare from London
As a disabled parent there are some difficult situations. My daughter Amber attends a hearing nursery, so when I collect her at the end of the day I am the only parent who is deaf. Communicating can be a real challenge for me in a situation like that – they can’t sign, I can’t speak.
And in Amber’s ballet classes I find it quite tricky because she has a coach and I like to know what it is she is doing, what she is preparing for.
Callum from Sunderland
I've been involved with the Sunderland team for over two years now. This is my third season in Callum on deaf football. - I joined the team back in 2013 when the club was founded and have been here ever since.
But as for football itself, I've been playing the sport since I could walk, which is near enough 25 years ago. It really is a passion of mine, and I enjoy the competition, being able to get involved in the team effort, and trying to win games and even targeting trophies.
Samantha, London BMX Project Officer, Access Sport
We work with the National Deaf Children's Society to equip coaches with the Coaching deaf participants. We discuss, what is it and how it impacts on deaf children.
Attendees then look at developments in assistive technology and find out about the aids and equipment that deaf children use. There’s a look at health and safety and then the really fun part; learning how to adapt existing activities and also discovering some deaf-friendly games that can be played in a group.
This year to mark Deaf Awareness Week 2016, UK Deaf Sport will be sharing stories and case studies throughout the week from organisations and projects who share their common purpose – to enable more deaf and hard of hearing people to reach their full potential in sport.
