At a time filled with much uncertainty, Signature is proud to be supporting the UK Council on Deafness by celebrating Deaf Awareness week.
Deaf Awareness week not only challenges perceptions of hearing loss, but also provides countless opportunities to improve accessibility for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing. It was our plan to be more actively involved with Deaf Awareness Week this year, however due to the current circumstances we have had to rethink our approach. Instead we will be using social media to share fingerspelling charts, deaf awareness posters and to give some information about the theme of this year's campaign.
The theme of Deaf Awareness Week 2020 is 'Acquired Deafness'.
Acquired Deafness is the loss of hearing that occurs or develops some time during a person's life but was not present at birth. These people may therefore choose to learn BSL in later life as a way to communicate rather than through speech.
Many people view sign language as a means of communication for someone who has been profoundly deaf from childhood. However, the hard facts are that deafness can impact anyone at any point for any number of reasons. As a society, we have a responsibility to address the causes of social exclusion and isolation and encouraging the widespread learning of BSL is a means of doing this.
Happy Deaf Awareness Week to everyone!
Use #DAW2020 to share about Deaf Awareness Week.
