Making leisure activities deaf friendly

Transcription

1 Making leisure activities deaf friendly Helping you include deaf children and young people in your activities

2 Our vision is of a world without barriers for every deaf child.

3 Foreword There are over 45,000 deaf children and young people in the UK. Deafness makes it harder to communicate which can be very isolating. As a result, many young deaf people find it difficult to participate in leisure activities in a mainstream setting. By signing up to the Me2 Deaf-friendly Leisure Activities Pledge and through reading this booklet and adopting some of the small and simple steps you and your organisation are breaking down communication barriers and are becoming genuinely inclusive of the needs of deaf children and young people. We hope that you find this booklet useful and informative as a starting point to becoming a deaf-friendly club or organisation. Acknowledgements NDCS would like to thank all the partner organisations that have been involved in developing the project, including the Football Association, Woodcraft Folk, Girl Guiding UK, Rugby Football Union and the Scouts. We would also like to thank our project sponsor, the Children s Workforce Development Council. Please note: NDCS uses the term deaf to mean all types of deafness, including temporary deafness such as glue ear. 1

4 Contents Introduction 3 Activities for everyone 4 Understanding deafness 7 The ear 8 What is sound? 9 Impact of deafness on children and on their language skills 12 Hearing aids and cochlear implants 13 Communication options and approaches 15 Communicating with deaf children and young people 17 Communicating by telephone 20 British Sign Language (BSL) 21 Working with BSL communicators 21 Visual signals and demonstrating 24 Health and safety considerations 25 Resources Fingerspelling alphabet 30 Communications do s and don ts 31 Deaf-friendly activities and awareness-raising activities 32 Useful addresses and contacts 35 Contacting local organisations 36 Further reading 36 2

5 Introduction Welcome to this, the first ever guidance for supporting deaf children and young people in leisure activities in the UK. The purpose of this booklet is to provide anyone involved in running leisure activities with support, ideas and guidance on how to include deaf children and young people. This booklet has been designed primarily for those working with deaf children and young people; however, much of the guidance is equally applicable for use with all ages and roles within any leisure activity. By the end of the booklet readers should be able to apply their knowledge to meet the needs of deaf children and young people feel more confident when working with deaf children and young people have improved awareness of deafness and a better understanding of the needs of deaf children and young people use basic communication skills when working with deaf children and young people identify appropriate safety considerations plan a range of activities that are suitable for deaf children and young people. There are over 45,000 permanently deaf children and young people in the UK. Around 1,600 babies are born with permanent deafness in one or both ears every year. Other children develop permanent or temporary deafness during childhood. By deaf we mean anyone with permanent or temporary deafness and this could range from a mild, moderate, severe or profound degree of deafness. Just like their peers, deaf children and young people want to be able to access a wide range of leisure activities. The booklet is designed to provide the people who run those activities including: coaches instructors leaders play and youth workers volunteers with ideas and guidance on how to adapt, where necessary, to include deaf children in leisure activities including after-school clubs, weekly clubs, holiday schemes and one-off events. Leading activities for deaf children is no different from leading activities for any other group of children. The skills and qualities needed to be a good leader will be the same no matter who the participants are. With the right awareness and adaptation techniques, leaders should be able to help all participants, regardless of their hearing ability, to fulfil their own potential and individual aspirations in a safe, supportive environment. 3

6 Activities for everyone Deaf children and young people have the same wants, needs and desires as their hearing peers, as recognised by Every Child Matters and Every Disabled Child Matters. be healthy stay safe enjoy and achieve make a positive contribution achieve economic well-being. Activities such as sports, scouts, guides, drama club or the many more that are on offer enable deaf children to have a sense of belonging, to make friends, have fun and build their self-confidence and self-esteem. There are a number of activities and groups across the UK that organise activities solely for deaf children, such as NDCS, local deaf children s societies and deaf centres. Many deaf children are being educated through mainstream schools, so there is a greater demand for access to mainstream activities and events where deaf children can take part alongside their hearing siblings and friends. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on promoting physical activity, active play and sport for all children and young people up to the age of 18 in family, pre-school, school and community settings recommends that children and young people should do a minimum of 60 minutes of at least moderate-intensity physical activity each day. Studies show that these levels are not being met: in a recent survey only 45% of 15-year-old girls and 68% of 15-year-old boys questioned reached the recommended levels of activity. Physical activity not only contributes to both physical and mental well-being, it is essential for good health. It can help to prevent or manage conditions and diseases including coronary heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Physical inactivity in England costs an estimated 8.2 billion each year this includes the direct costs of treating diseases linked to lack of activity and the indirect costs caused through sickness absence. (Source: Play England 28 January 2009) 4

7 The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) gives disabled people protection against disability discrimination in a wide range of areas, such as education access to goods, facilities and services membership of, and access to, private clubs functions of public bodies. The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 improved and extended the rights provided by the Disability Discrimination Act The 2005 Act introduced a new duty, the Disability Equality Duty, which requires public authorities to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. Leisure and activity providers should make provisions for disabled and deaf children through providing reasonable adjustments. In practice this means you should do things differently if the usual way would substantially disadvantage a deaf or disabled person. Or it might mean providing additional services or equipment. Reasonable adjustments could include changing standard procedures, such as forms people need to complete adapting the activities, modifying leadership or providing alternative forms adapting facilities providing additional services, such as a sign language interpreter or materials in alternative formats training staff and volunteers to understand their responsibilities under the DDA altering the physical environment to make it more accessible. As a leader, one of the most important issues to understand is why deaf children become involved in activities and what benefits they get from this involvement. This will help enable you to provide all participants with a positive, welcoming environment that challenges and engages them. 5

8 Why do deaf children take part in activities? Below are some of the reasons that deaf children and young people have given us for taking part in activities. You will notice that they are the same reasons why anyone else, deaf or otherwise, would choose to take part! Develop new skills Try new things Have a hobby or interest Achieve and gain recognition Make friends Experience a personal challenge Improve fitness and health Experience the thrill of competition Enjoyment. You may also have recognised that activities can offer a great deal more than simply an opportunity for participation, friendship, enjoyment and success. They can help individuals to improve confidence and self-esteem learn how to take responsibility handle pressure and stress cope with disappointments and setbacks as well as success. These are valuable skills for all people. They will be particularly important for deaf people who may gain greater confidence in social situations through participating in sport and other leisure activities. 6

9 Understanding deafness NDCS uses the term deaf to mean all types of deafness, including temporary deafness such as glue ear. According to RNID, there are almost 9 million deaf and hard of hearing adults in the UK. Around 700,000 of these are severely or profoundly deaf. NDCS research shows over 45,000 children with a moderate or profound hearing loss in the UK. Together this amounts to roughly one in seven of the UK population*. It is important to be aware that every individual s experience is different, and the extent of people s hearing loss varies. This means there is a range of classifications for deafness and a wide variety of equipment, such as hearing aids, designed to help deaf and hard of hearing people. This section of the booklet is designed to give you basic background knowledge of how the ear works, an understanding of deafness and the solutions and technologies available to enable deaf people to communicate more effectively. This knowledge will give you a better understanding of the deaf children you may be supporting and enable you to understand why adaptations to your leadershipstyle may be necessary for the benefit of both the young people and yourself. *Source and 7

10 The ear The ear has two functions hearing and balance both of which are closely connected. Hearing involves the ear, part of the nervous system and part of the brain. All three must work together for the brain to receive sound and be able to interpret it so that it becomes meaningful and is understood. Balance involves the semicircular canals. These are three tubes filled with fluid that work like spirit levels sending messages to the brain when we move around. The ear can be divided into three main sections: Outer ear Middle ear Inner ear How the ear works Sound waves enter the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are passed across the middle ear by three tiny bones: the hammer (malleus), anvil (incus) and stirrup (stapes). These act as levers, increasing the strength of the vibrations before they pass into the cochlea via the oval window. In the snail-like structure of the cochlea there are thousands of tiny sound-sensitive hair cells, which are set in motion by these sound vibrations. The movement of the hair cells is converted into electrical signals that travel along the auditory nerve to the brain where they are interpreted and given meaning. 8

11 What is sound? Sound is an invisible vibration. It travels in waves, spreading outwards from the source of the sound and is made up of small and very quick changes in air pressure. Individual sounds are different in both loudness (intensity) and pitch (frequency). Loudness can be measured in decibels (db). The decibel scale is logarithmic which means that for every increase of 10 db the sound gets 10 times louder. For example, if you turn the television up from 50 db to 60 db the sound you are listening to is 10 times louder than before. However, a sound of 100 db is actually 1 million times louder than a sound of 10 db and not 10 times louder as you d imagine. The pitch of a sound is also important. A high-pitched sound is where sound waves occur at a very fast pace; this is why it is referred to as high frequency. Low frequency is where low-pitched sound is made up of slower sound waves. Frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz). Speech is a mixture of high and low frequency sounds. Consonants are generally higher in frequency than vowels. The crowd at a football match, for example, can generate around 120 db, a comparable sound to that of a jet plane taking off! 9

12 Degrees of deafness NDCS uses the term deaf to cover the full range of different levels and types of deafness. The definitions below are a simple way of understanding different levels of deafness. Mild deafness: (20 40dB of hearing loss). Children can usually hear everything that is said to them in a quiet room, but not if there is lots of noise or they are far away from the speaker. A child would not be able to follow a whispered conversation. Some children with mild deafness use hearing aids. A child with glue ear will usually have mild deafness. Moderate deafness: (41 70dB). Most children with moderate deafness use hearing aids. Without their hearing aids, they could hear most of what someone says to them in a quiet room as long as that person speaks clearly, but could not follow a conversation in a group, if there is lots of noise or if they are far away from the speaker. Severe deafness: (71 95dB). Most children with severe deafness use hearing aids and, when using them, most can follow spoken conversation with one person in a quiet room. Even with hearing aids they may need additional support following speech in background noise and in groups. Without hearing aids they could not hear someone talking to them but may hear some other louder sounds like dogs barking or drums. Profound deafness: (more than 95dB). Most children with profound deafness use either hearing aids or cochlear implants. Without hearing aids or cochlear implants they cannot hear someone talking but may be able to hear or feel very loud sounds like lorries passing in the street. Even with hearing aids or cochlear implants they may need additional support to follow speech where there is background noise and in groups. Some profoundly deaf children will use signing as their main means of communication, and many others will use signing as a way to support understanding of spoken communication. It is very rare for a child to have no hearing at all but this may be caused by a congenital (born-with) abnormality of the inner ear, for example because there is no cochlea or hearing nerve or because the cochlea has suffered extensive damage caused by illness such as meningitis. In these children a hearing aid or cochlear implant would offer no benefit and they will use sign language as their main means of communication. These are very basic descriptions of the varying degrees of deafness. It is important to remember that every individual s hearing ability is different and may not be easily classified. A child s hearing may also be different in each ear. As a leader it is worthwhile getting to know how much a deaf child or young person in your group can hear and understand and what their requirements are. 10

13 Types of deafness There are two main types of deafness, which are described below. Conductive deafness This is the most common type and occurs when sound cannot pass through the outer and middle ear to the cochlea and auditory nerve in the inner ear. This is often caused by fluid building up in the middle ear (known as glue ear ). Glue ear can cause temporary deafness and often clears up naturally after a short time. However, it can also develop into a long-term condition requiring surgical intervention or the wearing of hearing aids. Glue ear is very common in the under-8s and it is likely that, as a leader, you may come across this. Some groups of children are less likely to grow out of glue ear and may have it on a more permanent basis. These include children with Down s syndrome, or those children who have had cleft palate surgery. Glue ear should not stop children taking part in their regular activities but it is useful to be aware that their ability to hear you may be reduced. Their confidence and occasionally their balance may also be affected. Adapting your sessions to fully include children with glue ear is important to maintain and improve their development and enjoyment of the sessions. The majority of children with glue ear can undertake swimming activities as usual. Occasionally children with glue ear will be advised by their doctor to avoid getting water in the ears, especially if they have recently had surgery ( grommets ), or they may be advised to use specialist earplugs and/or headbands for swimming. It is important to remember that this will further reduce their hearing whilst the earplugs are in place. Sensori-neural deafness or nerve deafness Most cases of sensori-neural deafness are caused by loss of, or damage to, the hair cells in the cochlea that means that the cochlea is not processing the sound effectively. The deafness may be genetic (inherited) or caused by an illness or infection such as measles, mumps, rubella, cytomegalovirus (CMV) or meningitis. Sensori-neural deafness is permanent. The inner ear also holds the semi-circular canals that monitor our balance. This too can be affected by the same cause as the deafness. Children are generally able to compensate for this extremely well but it is something leaders should be aware of. If you are working with young children it might be worth asking parents if their child has had such problems in the past and how they manage any particular difficulties. 11

14 Impact of deafness on children and their language skills Children develop communication, learning and social skills in their day-to-day activities. The impact of deafness in these areas will be different for individual children. No two deaf children are the same but any degree of deafness can affect a child s access to communication. Being unable to access communication often has the greatest impact on language development. English is a spoken language, and from a very early age we learn about speech patterns and sentence structures from listening to other people talking. Deaf children usually hear some frequencies (pitch) better than others. This means they may not hear all the parts of every word that is spoken. For example, m, b and d are low frequency speech sounds and s, f and t are high frequency speech sounds. This means the deaf child may only hear part of the word, for example instead of hearing footballs, they might only hear oo ball. Deaf children may have a limited vocabulary because they do not hear different words being used in conversations around them and may not be confident that they have heard a new word correctly. This includes place names and technical terms that might be used occasionally in conversations about specific activities you may be leading. Remember a deaf child may not be able to hear enough to make sense of what is said think that they have understood fully and not realise that they have missed out on important information (such as how to do a particular activity correctly or the meeting time for the next session) misunderstand what is said. It is really import to communicate clearly using gestures and sign language where appropriate as well as using visual aids such as pictures and photographs. When unsure if a group or a child has understood, it is useful to ask them to repeat back what you have just said so you can check that they have understood. Offer children the opportunity to ask you questions both in a group and individually, as many children may not want to ask for clarification in front of their peers. 12

15 Hearing aids and cochlear implants Different types of hearing aids Most hearing aids work by making the sounds going into the ear louder. Hearing aids come in various shapes and sizes and all are programmed to closely match the individual child s hearing loss. Most children use hearing aids that are worn behind the ear (BTE) although sometimes a child will be using a bodyworn (BW) model. Behind the ear hearing aids Behind the ear (BTE) hearing aids are the most common type. Most children will wear two hearing aids. A hard plastic elbow allows the hearing aid to hang on the top of the ear and joins the hearing aid to the ear mould that sits inside the ear. Hearing aids can be set to have one or more listening programmes. The child is likely to know which programme they should use at which times and should be comfortable with adjusting their hearing aid themselves. It is the parent s responsibility to ensure their child s hearing aid is working correctly and the programme used is appropriate. A hearing aid consists of a microphone and an amplifier. The microphone picks up the sounds in the environment and the sounds are then made louder. The amplified sound then travels through the ear mould, into the ear canal. Hearing aids enable people to make the most of any residual hearing they may have. They do not restore typical Example of BTE hearing aid hearing levels. It is important to remember all noise, including background noise, is amplified, making communication difficult in noisy environments. The hearing aid microphone works best at a distance of between one and two metres from the speaker in quiet conditions. Children with permanent conductive hearing losses, for example caused by a congenital (born-with) abnormality of the outer or middle ear, may use a bone-conduction or bone-anchored hearing aid. These hearing aids work by converting sound into mechanical vibrations. The hearing aid is worn on the skull bone behind the ear (known as the mastoid) and the vibrations stimulate the inner ear (cochlea) whilst bypassing the outer and middle ears. 13

16 Cochlear implants Cochlear implants work differently from hearing aids. Instead of amplifying sound they use electrodes, which are implanted in the cochlea, in the inner ear, to provide electrical stimulation of the nerves that the brain interprets as sound. These electrodes are connected to a receiver that is implanted into the skull behind the ear. This receives electronic information from the transmitter, which is attached by a magnet to the outside of the head. The user wears a microphone which is usually worn like a BTE hearing aid. The speech processor is either bodyworn and connected by a lead to the microphone, or contained with the microphone in the BTE unit. Example of cochlear implant The speech processor converts incoming sound from the microphone into electronic signals that are then passed to the transmitter and onto the receiver in the skull. These signals are then passed to the implanted electrodes in the cochlea. Both hearing aids and cochlear implants are powered by batteries. Some are disposable and some are rechargeable. The time between changes will vary depending on the length of time the child wears the hearing aids and how powerful the equipment is. Some hearing aid batteries will last for several weeks; many cochlear implants require new batteries daily. The child is usually able to change the battery themselves or can alert an adult that it needs to be replaced. All spare batteries must be kept out of reach of young children and used batteries must be disposed of safely. It is important to understand that hearing aids and cochlear implants are not a total solution for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Every individual will benefit from their audiological equipment differently. It is important for leaders to learn how well deaf children in their group or club can hear and understand. 14

17 Communication options and approaches The information below describes the variety of communication options that are used by deaf people. Most deaf people will use a combination of these when communicating. Auditory-oral/oral approaches With the use of technology such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, deaf people develop listening skills and spoken language. Lipreading This involves the ability to read lip patterns. Deaf children naturally pick up lipreading. However, many speech sounds look the same when spoken (e.g.: pot and bat) so it is difficult for deaf people to rely solely on lipreading to communicate. Lipreading is usually used alongside other communication approaches. Fingerspelling This is where each letter of the alphabet is indicated by using the fingers and palm of the hand. It is used for signing names and places or for a word that doesn t have a sign. The British Fingerspelling Alphabet is included at the back of this booklet. British Sign Language (BSL) Over 70,000 people within the British Deaf Community use BSL. It is a visual language using handshapes, facial expressions, gestures and body language to communicate. BSL is an independent and complete language with a unique vocabulary. It has a structure and grammar different from that of the written and spoken English. As with other languages, it has evolved over time and developed regional dialects. On March the Government officially recognised BSL as a minority language. BSL is covered in more detail in the British Sign Language (BSL) Introduction section. 15

18 Sign Supported English (SSE) SSE uses signs taken from BSL. It is used in English word order but does not attempt to sign every word that is spoken. This may be an easier way to become familiar with sign language as it means that you can use signs together with your own language. As it uses the same signs as BSL, it can be helpful to children, parents and coaches who wish to develop BSL skills at a later stage. Signed English (SE) SE is an exact representation of the English language through the use of signs, where a sign is used for every spoken word. It is usually used in educational settings to develop written and spoken English skills. If a child uses only BSL to communicate they may not be able to fully understand SSE or SE due to the structural or grammatical changes. Makaton Makaton is a sign system that is used with children and adults (deaf and hearing), who may have communication and/or learning difficulties (for example, children with Down s syndrome). It uses speech together with signs (taken from BSL) and symbols and is grammar free. It is important that you do not make assumptions about a deaf child s or young person s communication method. Ensure that you ask parents and the young person joining the club or activity what communication they use so you can prepare. 16

19 Communicating with deaf children and young people It is important that deaf children and young people are given the same opportunities to learn new skills and enjoy the activity as anyone else in their group or club. As leaders you will understand the importance of good communication and the ability to offer your participants a safe, enjoyable and positive learning experience. Below are some simple communication hints and tips to ensure that you, as a leader, are fully including deaf children and young people in your activities, sessions, matches and other relevant social situations. You will find that many of these tips are useful for communicating with all participants regardless of any disabilities they may have and you may have come across them during other courses. All it will take is some simple, common-sense adaptations to give all children and young people the opportunity to access the activities and enjoy themselves. Ask the children and young people themselves if you are communicating clearly and if there are ways you can improve things. Most will be happy to tell you if you ask! Ensure you have the full attention of all the children and young people before speaking. (This could simply involve calmly raising your arm and waiting for the group to stop talking/signing and face you.) Ensure you are speaking in a well-lit area and that the children and young people can see your face. If using lights indoors/outdoors, make sure that light is shining on your face. Lights shining directly behind you will cause your face to be in shadow and make it much harder to lipread you. Try to stay in one place and maintain eye contact when talking rather than walking around the room or space. If you need to move elsewhere, for example to set up equipment, then do not talk during this period. Try and stay within easy talking distance of the children and young people. When talking, avoid standing in front of a distracting background or in a noisy area (such as near a busy road or in a room with a TV on). It can be especially hard to concentrate on listening when such distractions are taking place, particularly for children. 17

20 Relax and speak clearly. Do not exaggerate lip movements or facial expressions because this distorts the shapes you would normally make and can make it more difficult for people to understand you. Do not shout. This does not improve a deaf child or young person s ability to understand you, and your facial expressions when shouting can make you look angry. It may, however, be necessary to speak louder and clearly particularly if a child uses their hearing aids to ensure they have heard what is being said. Give out brief and simple instructions. Tell the children and young people what topic you will be discussing beforehand. Do not eat or chew gum while speaking or block your face with your hand. Many deaf children and young people rely on lipreading and this needs to be as clear as possible. Try to use as little jargon as possible and stick to one point at a time. If there is more than one leader, always speak one at a time. If a new person is going to speak, they should raise their hand first to signify they will now be talking; this allows the children and young people time to turn and face the new speaker. If possible, always use demonstrations to ensure greater understanding of what you want the children and young people to do. Try not to talk and demonstrate at the same time! Use pre-agreed visual signals for different actions during a game or training session (for example for stop, play, activity names and so on). Most can be fairly straightforward and the whole group can help you to make them up. Always check that the children and young people understand prior to a game or session. Use these visual signals as well as or instead of oral signals (shouting, whistles, and so on). Make up your own signals and involve all the children and young people in inventing them. Children will enjoy doing this and it will help improve awareness of deafness throughout the group. In a sporting or competitive context this may also give your group an advantage over other groups who won t understand what your signals mean and won t know what you are going to do next! 18

21 Create a visual timetable for the activities for your group. Take photographs of all of the activities that you do and use Blu-Tack or Velcro to arrange them on a notice board. This will help all of the group members to know what they are doing and when. It is also more colourful than a typed or handwritten timetable. If young people are spread out over the room or activity area during an activity session and you need to speak to them all, stop the session using pre-agreed visual signals and bring them in to the middle of the room or area before speaking. If you need them to remember their positions then tell the children and young people to leave a marker on the spot where they were standing (for example, their woggle or bib). Be patient. Be aware that deaf children and young people may not respond straightaway to verbal or even visual signals, especially during an activity or game. Persevere. If deaf children and young people do not understand, don t give up. Try a different way of communicating or explain again more clearly. Write things down if you get stuck; write on a flip chart or notice board or use a notebook that you carry around with you, When arranging future sessions, trips, days out or matches, it might be easier to hand out a slip of paper to all the children and young people with the details on it. This not only helps children and young people who are deaf to understand exactly what is planned, but also helps the other children and young people and their parents. They won t be able to use any excuses now for turning up late! Learn to fingerspell or learn British Sign Language. You can find details of courses and contacts at the back of this booklet. 19

22 Communicating by telephone As a leader, you will be aware that you spend a lot of time organising sessions, trips, outings and matches and so on and you will be contacting the children s parents and other relevant parties on a regular basis. When not face-to-face, the most obvious and quickest way of communicating is by telephone. Some deaf people may be able to have a conversation via telephone but be aware that this is not the case for a lot of deaf people. If you need to speak to a deaf person and the phone would be the quickest and most logical choice of communicating, think first before assuming the person can hear on a phone. Even if you are able to have a face-to-face spoken conversation with them it is still possible that the phone might not be suitable because it takes away the ability to lipread, which may be a vital part of their ability to understand conversations. The easiest way of finding out this information is to simply ask the person if they can use the phone. If the answer is yes, also ask if you will need to adapt slightly. For example, not speaking so fast or making sure you are not in an area with lots of background noise. If the person cannot have a telephone conversation, also ask about what alternative ways you can communicate with them. Many deaf people have mobile phones for text messaging, for example. You can also use a service called Text relay formerly known as Typetalk. This is a telephone relay service that involves communicating via an operator who converts what has been spoken into text. This is then displayed onto the screen of a textphone for the deaf person to read at the other end of the line. They can either talk back to you directly or type out their reply and the operator will tell you exactly what has been typed. More information about this service can be found at 20

23 British Sign Language (BSL) BSL is a visual language using handshapes, facial expressions, gestures and body language to communicate. BSL is an independent and complete language with a unique vocabulary. It has a structure and grammar different from that of the written and spoken English and is known as a topic-comment language. For example, the question in English What is your name? becomes the sequence Name you what? in BSL. The topic of the sentence, name you, comes first, followed by the comment, what? Like other languages, BSL has evolved over time and developed regional dialects. Signs used by someone in Liverpool may mean different things to someone in London. Likewise, deaf people in different countries do not use the same sign language, just like a spoken language. The Government now officially recognises BSL as a minority language, a similar status to that of Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. There are many places to learn BSL throughout the UK. You can find information about BSL courses in the contacts section at the back of this booklet. As leaders working with BSL users, you may have a volunteer communicator, communication support worker (CSW) or BSL interpreter present to ensure that you can communicate fully with each other. The next section goes into more detail about working alongside volunteer communicators, CSWs and BSL interpreters and the difference between each of these roles. Visit our website to see some activitybased BSL clips Working with BSL communicators If there is a deaf child or young person whose first language is BSL attending your activity or club then they may require the support of a volunteer communicator, communication support worker (CSW) or BSL interpreter to ensure they can fully communicate with the leader and other participants. However, it should be stressed that this is as a last resort, especially after you have completed the Deaf Friendly Activities course! By putting into practice the communication tips and guidelines, as well as learning basic BSL and activity related buzzwords, communicating with deaf children and young people directly should be your aim as a leader. 21

24 Volunteer communicators NDCS uses volunteers to communicate during children s events and activities. Volunteer communicators will have achieved Signature, formerly known as CACDP* (Council for the Advancement of Communicating with Deaf People), Level 2 or above and will be able to sign your instructions to the group. Please remember, if using NDCS volunteer communicators, that they are not professionally trained interpreters. Communication support workers or CSWs help with communication between deaf students and hearing tutors. They are based mainly in educational settings, schools, colleges, universities and so on. CSWs will have a minimum of Signature/ CACDP* Level 2 signing and are working towards or hold the Edexcel Professional Development Award in Communication Support Work with Deaf Learners. BSL interpreters BSL interpreters are professionally qualified to translate between English and BSL. Junior trainee interpreters (JTIs) have a minimum of Signature/CACDP* level 3 BSL skills; trained interpreters hold level 4 and have proven knowledge of interpreted standards. Interpreters are registered with the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI) and are booked for professional meetings, interviews, training and conferences. Cost costs vary depending on the interpreter and agency that you use but can range from 25 to 40 per hour. Interpreters usually charge for a minimum of two hours along with additional travel expenses. You may already have your own volunteers or staff members who have completed BSL level 1 which will be beneficial to any deaf child or young person who joins your group. However, it is important to assess whether this is sufficient to meet the child s needs. The best way to do this is to ask the child and their parents what communication method they use and the level of signing they will need for support. *Signature, formerly known as CACDP (The Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People), levels are similar to the 1st4Sport Course structure or NVQ structure with students working their way up starting at Level 1 up to Level 4. Those with Level 4 signing skills are usually full-time interpreters. 22

25 When working with communicators, it is important to be aware of the following points: Make sure that you let the communicator know in advance what you plan to do during a session perhaps hand them a copy of the session plan. This will allow the communicator time to prepare and ask any questions about the session that they may not understand. Position yourself so the children and young people can see both you and the communicator clearly. Standing with the communicator side-by-side is usually the most effective way to do this. Talk to the group/child or young person directly rather than to the communicator, even if all the group are deaf and all are looking at the communicator, you are still there to lead the children and young people, not the communicator. Speak clearly and not too fast it is hard work listening to someone speaking and then translating his or her words into BSL! Plan activities that give the communicator and the deaf child or young person(s) a break from watching. This could include scheduling regular drinks breaks or activities where there is no regular intervention from the leader. If you ask the group a question and you want a response, wait until the communicator has finished signing before allowing a response. This gives the deaf children and young people the chance to respond and the communicator more time to interpret. You cannot look at two places at once so, when demonstrating or working from a white board or flip chart, build in a time lapse so that the deaf children and young people can look at you and then turn their attention to the communicator, otherwise they will miss the explanation. Remember, leaders should not be talking during demonstrations anyway! Try and use basic sign language yourself, even if the communicator is present. This will help you communicate directly to the child or young person and help build a relationship with them as you would with a hearing group member. See the NDCS website for more information. Be aware that it is impossible to learn BSL solely from our deaf-friendly activities course or from our website. If you would like to learn BSL and communicate with BSL users then the best place to start is to take a course taught by a qualified sign language teacher. Contact Signature for more information on hiring a BSL interpreter or attending a BSL course yourself. Their details can be found at the back of this booklet. 23

26 Visual signals Visual signals are vital for activities involving deaf children and young people and are often the only adaptation needed to ensure all children are fully involved. The benefits of the signals are twofold. Firstly, for practical reasons, a deaf child or young person may not be able to hear or understand a leader speaking or hear a whistle being blown whilst they are concentrating on an activity or game. A visual signal allows them to fully understand what is going on. Secondly, visual signals are used for health and safety reasons, such as if an activity needs to be stopped due to a danger or injury. The main visual signals can include raising an arm to signify children and young people should stop what they are doing and pay attention to the leader raising and waving a brightly coloured bib/cone/flag/shirt if you want the session to stop immediately or for them to change direction, etc. (always use same colour so players know exactly what it means) in a sporting context use signals similar to those referees or umpires use to show certain actions (for example: play on, simulating throwing action to denote throw-in). Demonstrating By now you should realise that there is very little adaptation needed from leading physical activities involving hearing young people. It is simply a case of using common-sense communication techniques and using clear visual signals to ensure you are communicating clearly with the group. When delivering any activities, it is always best to demonstrate what you wish the group to do beforehand. By using demonstrations, the group will have a visual representation of how to do each activity. This helps deaf children and young people understand what to do and it s a useful tool for all children and young people! Try using the following simple steps: 1 Briefly explain what the activity involves and what you wish the group to do. 2 Demonstrate the activity, but remember do not speak while doing the demonstration. 3 Ask for understanding (repeat if anyone has not understood). 4 Start the activity. Have a practice run first so no one gets upset if they do it wrong first time. 24

27 Health and safety considerations As a leader, safety considerations are an essential aspect of all activity sessions, regardless of whether there are deaf or other children involved. Leaders must also be aware of the specific individual needs of all members oftheir group. These might be associated with deafness or other related issues. Leaders should factor in these considerations when organising and delivering their activity sessions. Wearing hearing aids during games and sporting activity Hearing aids are sensitive pieces of electronic equipment and risk being broken if they fall out of the ear during vigorous activity. For this reason some deaf people will choose to play sports and games without their hearing aids, just in case. However, others prefer to wear their hearing aids, particularly if they are taking part in games and activities in a mainstream environment, so that they can use them to hear instructions or calls from teammates. It is generally accepted that children can use their aids when playing sport and games provided they are comfortable and securely fitted. If in doubt, advise parents to ask for further advice from their audiologist (hearing specialist). When participating in matches it is worth making the referee or umpire aware that there is a deaf child or young person wearing a hearing aid before the match or game begins. Many sports have reviewed their guidelines to state that it is the deaf child or young person and their parents choice whether they wear their hearing aids during matches or games, not the referee s. Wearing cochlear implants during games and sporting activity Having a cochlear implant involves having a receiver package implanted under the skin behind the ear and an external package that is worn similarly to a hearing aid. The main risk with games and sport is suffering a blow to the head on or around the site of the internal package, which risks damaging the package or the skin around the area. Although the risk is very small this could mean that it becomes necessary to have repeat surgery to replace the package. Like hearing aids, the external equipment is sensitive and risks being broken if it falls off during a match. The British Cochlear Implant Group (BCIG) advises that people with cochlear implants do not participate in contact sports (for example rugby, kickboxing) where blows to the head are likely or inevitable. For vigorous sports (for example, football, netball, hockey and squash) BCIG advises It may be advisable to remove the external parts of the system. If there is 25

28 some risk of blows to the head the external parts should be removed and a form of head protection worn (for example, a scrum cap). Children who have recently had cochlear implant surgery are advised against playing vigorous sports until the operation site has fully healed (approximately six weeks). It is generally accepted that children and adults will play other games and sports while wearing their cochlear implant although it is advisable that they check with their cochlear implant professional before deciding to do so. Please check with the National Governing Body, the BCIG or the Me2 project for up-to-date advice and recommendations. Other things to consider Water sports hearing aids and cochlear implants should be removed. If you know in advance which activities will take place, ask children and young people to bring a waterproof container to store their aids safely. Prior to taking part in the activity and removing hearing aids and implants, provide all safety instructions and briefings so deaf children can hear them. Ensure that everyone is aware of any visual gestures or signs that may be used while they are not wearing their hearing equipment. Helmets and hats for activities such as climbing, caving and horseriding many deaf children and young people will choose to wear their implant or hearing aid. It may be necessary to provide extra padding on the helmet or hat: please warn the relevant activity centres in advance. Gaining deaf children and young people s attention Many organisations child protection policies are designed to protect children from potential harm and also to protect the integrity of the adults who look after them. Consequently, physical contact between children and young people and adult leaders is now frowned upon. This can be a problem if, as leader of a junior group, you wish to get the attention of a deaf child who has his/her back to you and cannot hear you calling them. As this is a common issue for deaf people, it is quite acceptable to gain the attention of a deaf person by tapping them on the shoulder; this includes deaf children and young people. There are other ways of gaining their attention, such as walking around them until they see your face or asking a hearing group member who is nearby to get their attention for you, along with flashing the lights or raising an arm to get everyone s attention. Any one of these can be used if you are still unsure about tapping a deaf child or young person on the shoulder. 26

29 It is always wise to ensure that any communication between a leader and child or young person takes place in an appropriate, open environment to protect both the child and the integrity of the leader. Fire safety Knowing the fire evacuation procedure is important for all clubs and organisations, and for all children and young people. It is extra important that you are aware of the needs of deaf children and young people who are taking part in your activities. Technology can assist with this, for example through the installation of flashing fire alarms or Deaf Alerter (pager systems); however, these can be expensive to install. Make sure that everybody knows the procedure where the exits are and where the fire meeting point is. Organise a practice drill regularly it is good practice for everyone! If you do need to evacuate it is extremely important that you physically check all of the rooms, particularly toilet cubicles, bedrooms etc., as a deaf child may not hear the fire alarm. Alert the facility or venue to the fact that there are deaf children and young people in your group e.g. if staying in a hotel, inform management that staff will have to physically enter the room and wake the deaf children or adults in the night should there be an alarm and the doors are locked. It is the venue's responsibility as well as the group leader s to ensure that everybody is safely out of the building should there be an alarm. Have a buddy system. Ensure that hearing group members inform deaf members that there is a fire alarm, particularly when you are using a large building. If the event is residential ensure that you have a mix of deaf and hearing participants sharing a room. Use visual signs or signals to alert deaf members that there is a fire. Learn the sign for Fire Alarm!. Encourage your club or facility to purchase flashing fire alarms in the future. Suggest that they contact the local authority Access Officer for further information on where to purchase them and financial support for this. 27

30 Safety Guidance linked to road safety is applicable for all children and young people, not just deaf group members. However, it is important that you are aware of traffic and that deaf group members may not be able to hear cars coming up behind them or somebody using their car horn (depending on the child s degree of deafness). It is useful to make drivers aware of groups of children through the use of high visibility vests or clothing with your logos on. Lots of clubs go out wearing their uniforms or wearing caps or branded bags (age dependent). Avoid walking on roads such as country lanes. If there is no suitable alternative, make sure that you walk towards oncoming traffic. This is especially important with deaf children and young people as they may not hear the traffic coming up behind them. Other techniques that you already might use include having a staff member lead the group from the front with another staff member at the back of the group. Make appropriate use of pedestrian crossings and stopping traffic to let group members cross the road. Remember it is hard to walk while carrying on conversations through signing and lipreading. Just be aware that deaf children and young people within the group may be walking slower than other group members and that you might need to hurry them along! But keep this in proportion as we know many children get distracted when walking out and about! Safety briefings It is essential that you have safety briefings before any activities start. It is impossible for children to lipread what you are saying or watch a communicator once they are halfway up a climbing wall or out on a lake. Plan to have plenty of time at the beginning to explain the activity, allowing time for questions and additional clarification. If a communicator is signing to the group, make sure they have time to chat to you beforehand so that they are aware of any safety signs that they will need to pass on to the group. 28