Research Report Your Thoughts about Sport Key findings Deaf children and young people (dcyp) enjoy a vast range of sports and leisure activities. Swimming and Football are the two most popular sports, both in terms of the sports played and the sports dcyp would like to participate in. The majority (52%) of dcyp participate at mainstream sports clubs, 22% at deaf sports clubs and approximately only 10% participating at pan-disability sports clubs. The remainder (16%) play at both mainstream and deaf sports clubs. The majority state they don t mind if they play at a deaf sports club or a mainstream sports club. Many dcyp state that communication is very easy or easy for them, however many also report communication difficulties and negative experiences when asked further. This may be due to dcyp accepting the service from a sports club being of a lower quality than the service provided to a hearing young person. Background In summer 2012 the National Deaf Children s Society (NDCS) put together a short survey, to gain the views and opinions of dcyp people on sport. All the young people were aged 12 to 18, the questions focused on their sports participation and preferences. Distribution The below was the text used to attract deaf children and young people to complete the survey; Your thoughts about sport! We want to know what you think about sport! With a Summer packed full of the Football European Championships, Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the Greatest Show on Earth - the London 2012 Olympics it s clear that sport is really important to us! We realise that sport is also really important to deaf children and young people. Here at the NDCS we are always looking for your advice to help us shape our work, what we provide and how we support deaf children and young people. So we want to know if you like sport, if you want to play more sport, the reasons you don t play sport and loads more! All your experiences are really valuable to us, so if you tell us about a club that wasn t accessible maybe we can help the club or if you say you want more tennis opportunities we can look to get more tennis clubs being fully accessible to deaf young people. If you are aged 12 to 18, please fill in the below questionnaire. The survey was placed on the NDCS website, Buzz website, posted on various social media networks, sent through school and youth group contacts, taken to NDCS events, family fun days and a school visit to Jack Hunt school was coordinated by Me2 Assistant; Mei-Yee Jones. Response The survey gathered a total of 84 responses, from 12 year olds to 18 years. 73% of those completing the survey were female. The respondents attended a variety of schools, including deaf schools (for example, Mary Hare Deaf School), Hearing Impaired Resource Bases (Jack Hunt School) and mainstream education (Larkmead School). Questions Do you play sport? Nearly all of those who completed the survey did already play sport (94%), either at school, a sports club, youth club or other venue. What sports do you play outside of school?
Athletics Badminton Ballet Basketball Boxing Canoeing Climbing Cricket Cycling Dance Fencing Fishing Football Golf Hockey Horse Riding Ice Skating Judo Kick Boxing Netball Rounders / Softball / Baseball Rugby Skateboarding Skiing Snowboarding Squash Swimming Table Tennis Taekwondo Tennis Gymnastics / Trampoline Football was the most popular sport, with swimming and tennis also coming up highly popular. Netball, cricket and badminton were also frequently selected. Sports had a wide range of selections, with other 25 different sports being listed by the deaf children and young people who completed the survey. Diagram: Sports played outside of school by dcyp (percentage) 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 How often do you play sport outside of school per week? 18% did not play sport outside of school, 59% played sport 1 to 3 times a week outside of school, while 25% played sport 4 to 7 times a week outside of school. Initially these figures would look very encouraging, with the vast majority of respondents enjoying participating in sport outside of school and a quarter participating very frequently. Nb. The results above must be placed into the context that the majority of the respondents completed the survey as they likely had an interest in sport. See limitations. What are the names of the sports clubs you attend? The answers from this question were incredibly varied, with over 14 different sports listed. Only two children listed the same sports club (Heaton Tennis Club), indicating the breadth and width of sports clubs deaf children and young people attend. Do you play sport at a mainstream sports club or at a deaf sports club? The majority (52%) of respondents stated they played sport at a mainstream sports club, 22% at a deaf sports club, and 16% at both a mainstream and deaf sports club. Only 10% of deaf children and young people stated they played at a pan-disability sports club (sports club for children with different kinds of disabilities). I mostly play tennis, badminton and cricket with my brother and sister because they understand hearing loss and they know what to do to include me and make sure I can hear them. It much easier to play sports with my family and makes the sports fun. Some day deaf club and some day mix of H (hearing) + D (deaf) people
Would you prefer to play at a mainstream sports club or at a deaf sports club? 59% of respondents stated they don t mind if they are playing at a mainstream sports club or a deaf sports club. The other options were split relatively equally playing at a deaf sports club or playing at a mainstream sports club. It seems clear that deaf children and young people see the values and benefits of attending both a mainstream sports club and a deaf sports club. I prefer to play at a mainstream as it feels more normal and more to my ability than a deaf club I don't mind to play with a mixture of deaf and hearing people as long as hearing people are deaf aware. I would prefer mainstream because it gives you a better experience of the outside world but I would like them to be deaf aware. I would prefer to go to a deaf club because everyone would know what it's like to be deaf also I would make deaf friends which I dream of doing. I would like it if there was a deaf sports club near me. It would be nice to interact with other deaf students my age. I don't mind at all. I don't need hearing to participate in judo and kick boxing! I don't mind to get involved with a mixture of people as long as I enjoy what I do It is clear from the comments that although deaf children and young people consider communication, there really is no one size fits all answer. Deaf children and young people attend sports clubs based on numerous factors (including enjoyment, locality, ability, friends and deaf awareness). How easy do you find it to communicate with other children and adults at the club? 70% of deaf children and young people stated communication was very easy or easy. Only 6 (10%) respondents stated it was difficult or very difficult. The others were not sure. I can communicate with hearing people quite easily but most of the time I am left out and I don't understand what they are saying Swimming is hard because I cannot wear my hearing aid. It is hard to communicate It is easy as long as they know to look at me when talking but sometimes they do forget They use writing or tell teacher to tell me It appears from the statistical response that communication at the majority of sports clubs is not a major issue. However within the comments there are numerous examples of dcyp raising issues and problems they have and do encounter at sports clubs. Perhaps what is happening is that dcyp are coping with poor communication. Nb. 94% of the respondents did participate in sport, the majority several times a week. Therefore it is hard to accurately account for the number of dcyp who received such a low quality experience (potentially due to communication barriers) that they no longer play sport or were disenchanted with participating in sport. See limitations. How important it is for you to have communication or interpreter support when at a sports club?
Despite the majority of dcyp stating communication was easy or very easy at their sports club, 46% viewed having communication or interpreter support as very important or extremely important. 32% stated that they didn t view it as important. The rest were unsure. This clearly shows the differing needs and support needs dcyp want and require to support them to achieve to their full potential. When the instructor is explaining the rules and I can't hear him/her or don't understand I usually ask them to repeat but they get angry at me and say that I wasn't listening. This has put me off asking them so I don't know what to do and I am put onto the bench or not included with the sports. If someone is calling me while playing the sport and I don't respond because I can't hear them, I could have lost a goal for them which annoys them, it also looks like I do not work as a team so I am labelled as a "bad team player" and "not good at sports" so I never get on the teams. It upsets me and makes me frustrated, not because I didn't get on the team but because I can't enjoy sports and I am not able to join in because of my hearing I mainly use speech and not everyone knows I am deaf and I like to keep it that way cause I worry their attitudes will change if they knew I was deaf I think I have collected all information provided but I do miss things. Interpreters are brilliant to have I can cope It appears from the comments that dcyp are in some cases getting by, purely accepting that s the way it is and potentially experiencing a lower quality experience than their hearing counter-parts. If you don t play sport outside of school, is there a reason for this? The two most popular answers from the 6 options were There s no deaf sports clubs nearby (35%) and I worry people won t be able to communicate with me (31%). Evidently there is a lack of deaf sports clubs local to dcyp; it may also be that dcyp are unaware of the deaf sports clubs nearby to them. The response also shows the worry and anxiety many dcyp are facing when looking to participate in sport outside of a school environment. Problem if no interpreter how can you listen or play Past coach retired, a young person took over and is not deaf aware and leaves me out Are there any sports you would like to play, that you don t already? If yes, please list below which sports you d most like to play 100% of the surveyed dcyp stated that there was at least 1 other sport they would like to participate in. The results were a complete cross-section of sports. 18 sports in total were listed. Football and swimming were the two most popular sports, although the degree of difference between the sports was marginal. The widespread cross-section shows the wide ranging activities dcyp wish to participate in, just like any other child or young person. Any other information This survey is only a small sample of deaf children and young people, but it is clear that deaf children and young people wish to a variety of different sports and leisure activities. And as such, the barriers deaf children and young people are completely widespread. For example, a quote from a deaf young person who completed the any other information section; I was riding my bike last week just to get some exercise and I got told off for riding on the pavement, the guy was telling me how dangerous it was and that you should ride on the road. I
have been taught to ride on the road but I don't want to risk getting injured because I can't hear the cars behind me, should I still carry on riding on the pavement? It is clear we will not be able to tackle every barrier in every sport, but if we can provide information and resources and (vitally) get National Governing Bodies to buy in to supporting deaf young people we can achieve widespread outcomes for deaf children and young people. Summary The survey has ascertained the thoughts of many dcyp, including the sports they already enjoy and the sports they would like to participate in. Swimming and football repeatedly came out as the two most popular sports, with a small range of other sports (tennis, cricket, netball and badminton) also relatively popular. The one resounding result was that dcyp enjoy and wish to enjoy a massive range of sports and activities. Dcyp all have differing preferences and support needs, the vast majority do not mind if they are playing in a mainstream, a deaf or a disability sports club. The factor viewed as more important is that the club is accessible and is enjoyable to the young person. The results to the communication questions appear to give relatively conflicting results. On one side dcyp are stating they find it easy to communicate at sports clubs, however, on the other side dcyp are stating that communication support is important and reporting several issues and negative experiences. It would appear dcyp are accepting the service from a sports club being of a lower quality than the service provided to a hearing young person. Dcyp are clearly demonstrating a concern and reporting a negative perception of sports clubs, which is clearly limiting their desire to attend and making attending for that first time a sizeable barrier. Dcyp are stating their positive experiences of clubs and coaches adapting, exhibiting tolerance and being deaf-friendly. But for every positive experience there are still many negative experiences resulting in a dcyp never really knowing what to expect when entering a sports club. Limitations of the survey The survey size is relatively small 84 responses The survey was completed predominantly by females The survey was completed almost predominantly by young people who are participating in sport and engaging with sports activities in a school, club or other environment The survey was predominantly completed by young people who are in some way already engaged in NDCS services, whether this be attending one of our Family Fun Days, being a member of the Buzz website or being involved in the Youth Advisory Board.