Deafblind Scotland
BDA Scotland have kindly shared their COVID-19 BSL News.
The videos have no subtitles or voice-over; they are aimed for BSL users in Scotland only.
Introduction
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1470165406637765/permalink/2574257372895224/
For all video updates, on COVID-19: www.bda.org.uk/coronavirus/
BDA Scotland will continue to produce regular updates.
NHS Lanarkshire have collated useful information on COVID-19 in BSL and other languages on their webiste.
Visit their website here.
Hope you are all feeling well, we know there are a lot of public health worries just now.
You may have seen lots of different views about the covid-19 virus.
There is a lot of information out there about what to do to stay healthy.
Deafblind Scotland’s top priority is to continue to provide the best service possible to Deafblind people. To make sure that no one becomes more isolated.
We will do everything possible to make sure you can continue to use the Guide Communicator service. Guide Communicators are still working.
If you are feeling lonely you can contact the DbS office phone or text new number 07715 421 399 between the hours of 10am-2pm or email.
You can still contact the DbS in your normal way. The new number is to help you not feel so lonely.
All activities at DbS Centre have been stopped until after Easter. Please do not come to the DbS Centre. After Easter we will let you know when activities are starting again.
For the time being, people over 70 years and people with underlying health conditions are strongly advised to self-isolate and stay at home. We know this is very difficult
If you are using the guide communicator service and you have no symptoms we will work hard to provide a service.
Support is limited to medical appointments, shopping and home visiting.
If you have any questions please do contact the guide/communicator service.
The situation is changing daily, please keep informed through the Scottish Government and NHS Inform www.nhsinform.scot
We know this may feel very isolating we are here to help you, we will try to help make this time less stressful. You can contact DBS for help.
Take care everyone and remember we are here for you.
Please see our BSL video of this message below:
COVID-19: Information and Guidance for Non-Healthcare Settings
Guidance from Health Protection Scotland available here:
We are extremely grateful for the support of the People’s Postcode Lottery through the Postcode Trust for awarding Deafblind Scotland £20,000 to continue supporting our Connect 2 Support welfare rights home visiting programme.
Deafblind Scotland’s Connect 2 Support home visiting programme aims to make social welfare and welfare rights more accessible for deafblind adults and has helped more than 500 people since the programme began.
Often, severely sensory impaired individuals rely totally on welfare benefits and incur additional expenditure due to the nature of their disability e.g. the cost of Guide/communicators etc. Welfare reform seems relentless and often difficult to negotiate. Welfare benefits are complex and the processes remain time-consuming, particularly for deafblind people. CABx are overwhelmed, their open-door policy in many cases no longer exists and initial contact is via a call centre. Their engagement process relies heavily on the completion of forms. For many deafblind people, this operating model is too difficult or even impossible to engage with. When deafblind people are unable to access information, this exacerbates their feelings of social isolation and loss of independence.
Deafblind Scotland (DbS) Connect 2 Support (C2S) home visiting programme aims to make social welfare and welfare rights more accessible for deafblind adults. The programme maximises the economic environment and rights of individuals so they can have a better quality of life and alleviates poverty and distress. Since 2015, the highly successful C2S programme:-
If you would like to know more about the Welfare rights programme then you can call Helen or Riley on 0141 777 6111.
Huge congratulations to Bob Nolan, Chairman of Deafblind Scotland, for winning the Unsung Hero 2018 award at the Deaf Sports Personality of the Year Awards 2018. His award was sponsored by InterpreterNow.
Here is the text of his speech from the night…
Hi Everyone,
Just want to thank you for all your kind messages and support for last night’s Deaf Sports Personality of the Year Unsung Hero award. Whilst it was focused on this year’s Three Peaks Tandem Challenge I know it had a lot to do with all four challenges over the years and my time with Deafblind Scotland and DBUK. It was wonderful to be back at the home of Lancashire Cricket Club where I spent many happy days watching cricket with a packed lunch from my mum. It was also great for Louise and I to share the evening with some dear friends who have supported us so often. I want to thank Jackie and Richard at DSPY for organising last night’s event and Andy and the InterpreterNow team for sponsoring my award.
People ask why I do these things and the glib answer is I enjoy them! I like setting targets and stretching myself to beat them. I also do them to raise awareness of Deafblindness and money for our Field of Dreams project at DbS. I was so proud when HRH Princess Anne opened the building in October last year. However, I also do these challenges because they inspire me to do more and I hope, inspire others Deafblind or not, to do challenges of their own. What you get out of life is largely down to what you put in and I’ve been so fortunate over the years with my family and friends and some amazing adventures.
Now if I may, I’d like to add a bit more to what I said last night when I received my award and thank a lot of people. Firstly Abbie and Martin for accompanying us on our first ‘LEJOG’ tandem challenge in 2008 and for nominating me for the DSPY award. I’d like to think it was because they thought I deserved it but I wonder if it was also a thank you for not bullying them into doing any more challenges! Drena and Hammy for their support, encouragement and great company on all our challenges. Between us, we also saw some amazing scenery. Our son Josh for giving up his leaving school parties to cycle the Scottish Islands in 2011 and my godson Michael for accompanying us on our 2013 Scottish Cities ride. For the Three Peaks a massive thanks to Jerry and Fred who did all the cycling and who also completed their own 3 Peaks between them. As for the Three Peaks themselves, Judith, David, Gillian, Iain and Alison all helped Louise Jerry and Fred get me up and down safely. As well as the 3 Peaks Jerry and Judith also accompanied us on parts of our previous challenges on their yellow peril tandem. I’d also like to thank all my friends at Deafblind Scotland, DBUK, Shell and elsewhere for your generous support and sponsorship over the years.
The real unsung hero of course is Louise. She has done all the Challenges with me on the tandem including 1000’s of miles of training and she climbed all 3 Peaks this year, mostly following my tortuous progress from behind to ensure I didn’t stray from the path. She supports me in everything I do and her cooking is not bad either!
Lastly I want to remember Richard and Jane who supported our challenges so enthusiastically and Jane in particular for her brilliant blogs. Sadly, Richard succumbed to MND shortly after we completed LEJOG in 2008 and it’s hard to believe we lost our dear friend ten years ago now. I really miss him and as yesterday was also his birthday, I thought it was fitting to dedicate my award to his memory. Anyone who can come up with the immortal lyric “the prat on the tandem left his phone behind” surely deserves it.
Thanks again everyone, you’ve been great … Kilimanjaro here we come!
Robert
Could you climb the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales and cycle the 483 mile route in-between?
Could you do this if you were also Deafblind?
Bob Nolan, current Chair of Deafblind Scotland (DbS), has decided that his first project as Deafblind UK’s (DbUK) new Chair, is to take on a challenge that we believe has never been done before by a deafblind person. A challenge which supports raising awareness of these sister charities and spans 3 countries.
Guided by his wife Louise, who is also Deaf, Bob will climb Ben Nevis on 18th June, Scafell Pike on the 22nd and finish his challenge climbing Snowdon on the 25th whilst good friends Jerry and Fred will guide Bob as front riders on his tandem on the two cycling legs to complete his epic journey.
So why is Bob taking on such a daunting challenge?
“Sadly the incidence of deafblindness is growing in the UK with over 400,000 people now struggling with the everyday challenges of normal life. I want to raise awareness and let people understand that whilst dual sensory loss is so isolating for so many, it doesn’t have to be. With the right support deafblind people can lead full and active lives and still fulfil their dreams. I hope that by completing this challenge, I can inspire others to come forward and with the help and support of DBUK and DbS achieve their own ambitions whatever they may be.”
Bob was born deaf with a progressive sight loss which started to impact on his life in his childhood years and now has less than 3% left. This has never held Bob back and as well as recently retiring from a successful and fulfilling career with Shell, he has chaired Deafblind Scotland for over 17 years, backpacked solo around the world, crossed England on foot, run numerous marathons, cycled 1000’s of miles for charity, loves open water sea swimming and even started his first deaf pop band at the age of 16. Bob’s cup half full approach to life and extra-ordinary belief in making the most of what he has, inspires us all and like Helen Keller once said, he believes “Life is either a great adventure, or nothing.”
We asked Bob what he was looking forward to most about the challenge and what he was dreading.
“I am looking forward to climbing Ben Nevis as that will mean the training is over. The thing I am least looking forward to, is cycling the hills, not the uphill climbs as you might expect, but the fast descents. I struggle to anticipate corners and changes in light anyway, but at speeds in excess of 40mph, I have to put all my trust in my guides and as the world rushes by, it’s terrifying!”
Bob is taking part in the challenge as a lead up to Deafblind Awareness Week which starts on Monday 25th June 2018. There are a number of activities planned as Deafblind UK celebrates 90 years of helping the deafblind community.
If you would like to wish Bob well, please do feel free to place a message on our facebook or twitter pages, or maybe you would like to join Bob on part of this adventure? He would welcome anyone to join him on the 3 climbs or cycling en-route, or even just to wave him on his way as he cycles the 100 miles each day. You can also make a donation to further support deafblind people by visiting Bob’s fundraising page on:
Of all the things we know about Bob, he will make this fun from beginning to end.
If you would like to donate to Bob’s JustGiving page, please click here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bobs3pc1
Hands On Interpreting Training for TSLI’s and RSLI’s
19th November 2017
Sensory impaired people using tactile interpreting methods are protected under the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015. The effect of this will become more apparent in 2018 and many BSL users with acquired sight loss will fall into this category.
In anticipation of this, Deafblind Scotland are pleased to offer a full day workshop for BSL/English Interpreters covering the strategies, protocols and practicalities involved in Hands On interpreting.
This will attract structured CPD points and will take place on 19 November at:
Deafblind Scotland Training & Development Centre,
1 Neasham Drive,
Kirkintilloch, G66 3FA
Time: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Cost: £ 95.00
To express interest please contact training@dbscotland.org.uk by 17 November 2017.
Paddington has decided to come out of his enforced retirement and embark upon one more trek next July (2018) as he becomes 60! In turn he is dragging along his reluctant fellow trekker, John Whitfield who is dual sensory impaired. In retaliation John has coerced two pals (for how long?) Mick McCourt and Robert McCourt to come along to ensure they don’t fall into a volcano or skid off a glacier!
If anyone else fancies coming along they are more than welcome. What would be more helpful is sponsor this trek to raise funds to both help and raise awareness for deafblind people.
Please contact me at: jwparticipation@dbscotland.org.uk
Or sponsor at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-whitfield2
Suitable for staff members interacting with people who have dual sensory impairment. Serves as a good introduction for professionals or front of house staff with little or no experience of deafblindness. Teaches basic communication skills and introduces resources available for deafblind people. Ideal for people encountering a wide range of people, for example staff working in shops, hospitals, residential homes. Half day. Excellent for CPD.
Upcoming dates:
19 Sep 2017, 17 Oct 2017, 14 Nov 2017, 12 Dec 2017
06 Feb 2018, 06 Mar 2018, 04 Apr 2018
Venue: Deafblind Scotland Learning and Development Centre (1 Neasham Drive, Lenzie, Kirkintilloch, G66 3FA)
Cost: £70.00 per person.
This part-time course is suitable for students who have achieved BSL level 2.
Based in the new Deafblind Scotland building in Lenzie.
The cost of the course in 2016 is £700. The course is ILA compatible and a scheduled payment plan will available.
We will offer a free induction evening to allow students to brush up their skills and complete registration documentation.
Next BSL Level 3 starts on 2nd October 2017.
Contact Stephen Joyce for more information and to book your place training@dbscotland.org.uk
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.
