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Latest News and Information2008 - Deaf Awareness Week |
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Information Stalls will be at:
Fully accessible venues & BSL Interpreters available
For more information please contact Mike MacDonald
Disability Equality Officer, Room 6a TMBC
Minicom 912-1312 & Fax 912-1385 or Email:
mike.macdonald@trafford.gov.uk
It was a cold windy and wet Saturday afternoon outside but inside the fully
accessible Waterside Arts Centre the atmosphere was full of energy and ambition
as local disabled people together with disabled musicians and poets came
together to celebrate the International Day of Disabled People on 3rd December
2005. The original idea of having a party came from the Disability Advisory
Resident's Group, because, believe it or believe it not, disabled people like to
party too.
Inspired by the theme of 'nothing about us without us' it was a truly diverse
group of people who supported the event. People from different backgrounds,
different cultures, and different ages, with differing impairments came together
to party, united in their desire to see the world change, to become a more
welcoming place for disabled people.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Trafford Disability Advisory Group Invites you to celebrate the International
Day of Disabled People and the launch of
The Disability Partnership Board.
On Saturday 3rd December 2005 from 1pm to 4pm at Sale Waterside Art Centre.
There will be entertainment and refreshments throughout the afternoon. Fully accessible venue and British Sign Language Interpreters available.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
The Disability Advisory Group (DAG) is just one year old but already it has
been very busy advising the council on such matters as employment, building
design and access to parks. DAG aims to provide a way for Trafford Council and
residents to work together to improve facilities and services for local disabled
people. Currently 10 local disabled people sit on the DAG to advise and work
with council officers on a range of services and policies.
Trafford now wants to start a "disability debate" to find out what people want
and need and to let people comment on Trafford’s plans. Working with the council
the DAG is planning a questionnaire to residents seeking their views on a
variety of matters. This questionnaire can be made accessible to people in
different formats, such as braille. We are also planning an Open Meeting in
December where people can come together to meet other disabled people and share
experiences. There will be a chance to meet the current members of the Advisory
Group, and even to consider joining it!
We'd like disabled people who live in Trafford to make contact so that we can
include you in the questionnaire. You can do this by ringing Anne Tober or
Michael Macdonald, Disability Project Group 912 1379 or minicom 912 1312.
Programme of events on Friday 8th July 2005 at the Trafford Centre
10.30 Mayor of Trafford - Official welcome.
10.35 Delamere School - Flixton
10.50 Thorn Grove School – Stockport
11.20 Royal School for the Deaf Manchester – Stockport
11.50 Brentwood / Sale Grammar School - Trafford
12.00 Lunch Time
13.00 Kerry Firth - Loreto Grammar School (Solo Clarinet)
13.30 Delamere School - Flixton
13.45 Brentwood / Sale Grammar School - Trafford
14.00 Trophies
BSL Interpreters for Deaf people will be there on the day
Are you a disabled resident of Trafford?
If so would you be interested in joining Trafford's Disability Advisory Group?
Here in Trafford MBC we view disability as an equality issue and we recognise
that we do not have enough representation of disabled people in the workforce.
We are currently looking at the employment opportunities of disabled people
within the local authority and need your expertise as a disabled person to help
us to remove the barriers to employment that many disabled people experience
whilst seeking employment.
Recent statistics released by the Department for Work and Pension state that
'there are 6.9 million disabled people of working age in Great Britain
accounting for nearly a fifth of the working age population; 50% of disabled
people of working age are in work, compared to 81% of non-disabled people.
The income of disabled people is, on average, less that half of that of non-
disabled people'.
The only 'qualification' that you need to be part of DAG is to be a disabled
resident. If you are interested and would like to find out more please contact
Anne Tober, Manager, Disability Project Team.
Telephone 0161 912 1379
Textphone/minicom 0161 912 1312
E mail anne.tober@traffford.gov.uk
'When we lose our hearing, we lose contact with other people'
Immanuel Kant Philosopher
The above quote illustrates to the hearing world what it is like for nearly15%
of the population who have some degree of deafness. When we lose our hearing we
lose contact with other people: in the classroom: in the tutorial: in the
workplace: in the meeting: in the shop: in the restaurant: in the theatre: in
fact with mainstream life.
Starting in January plans were put in place by Trafford's HearHear Group, to
support the national Look at Me, Deaf Awareness Campaign. Held at the fully
accessible Stretford Mall in May the event was also sponsored by Boots, BT, The
Genie Project, Greggs, RNIB, Tesco's, Trafford Area Board & the UK Council on
Deafness.
During the campaign over 400 people visited the HearHear display to learn about
adjustments that can be made to help deaf and hard of hearing people access
products and services.
My thanks go to the HearHear resident's who volunteered to 'man' the displays
they did a tremendous job with great empathy, enthusiasm and commitment.
And a great lesson to be learnt by us as service providers working for the local
authority, the value of having the involvement of disabled people at the heart
of the process.
All in all quite an achievement, quite a lot of contact.
Anne Tober
Disability Project Team
Festival of Drama and Music - 'Celebrating the achievements of disabled people'
Friday 8th July 2005 in The Orient at The Trafford Centre
Time 10.30am till 3pm
Featuring performances
By Trafford's
Brentwood & Sale Grammar Schools
Delamere School
Victoria Park Junior School
&
Royal School for the Deaf & Communication Disorders
Thorn Grove School Stockport
For further details please
Tele 0161 912 1386
Fax 0161 912 1385
Minicom 0161 912 1312
E-mail: mike.macdonald@trafford.gov.uk
Deaf Awareness Week is about raising awareness to hearing people about people who are Deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind. This week gives us an opportunity to educate people that it is okay to be Deaf we are proud of it! Trafford NCH Genie Project and Trafford Disability Project Team have been working together with Trafford Deaf Partnership to present the local community with information about promoting Deaf Awareness. Trafford Deaf residents have been volunteering all week on the stall at Stretford Mall. The stall consists of information about communicating with Deaf people and sign language courses. The NCH Genie Project handed out information leaflets about communication and Deaf people, Trafford Disability Project provided information about sign language courses at North Trafford College and signing pictures for people to learn and teach their children. Deaf Awareness Week was very successful and we would like to thank our volunteers for all their hard work and support.
More
than 80 disabled or Deaf residents of Trafford attended the Disability Equality
Duty Workshop organised by the Disability Equality Team in November.
For
people interested in greater involvement with us, how would they like this to be
organised? The workshop also raised the profile of the Disability Equality Duty
with a wider audience and provided information to help the council to priorities
its actions.
"The new
Disability Equality Duty that comes into effect at he start of December is a
scary moment for me. It's scary because it's such an important responsibility
and it will have huge consequences for us. I realise just how much here is to
learn and understand both for me as an individual and for us as an organisation.