Action on Hearing Loss news

Deaf Awareness Week Events

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:53:44 +0100

Action on Hearing Loss will be hosting over 50 events across the UK, which promote and raise awareness of the issue of better access to health care services by people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Key events to look out for

Talks to healthcare professionals

There will be a number of communication open surgeries happening in Manchester, Liverpool and Wirral, which raise awareness of the issues surrounding those with deafness or hearing loss, who have had problems accessing healthcare services.

View all events in the North.

Action squads

Action on Hearing Loss volunteers will be visiting healthcare and other services to promote better access for people with hearing loss.

Find out more about Action Squads in Rotherham and Glasgow.

Information stands

These will be within specific hospitals, supermarkets, fairs and events which offer information within the UK.

Collections

Action on Hearing Loss will have volunteers around London raising money, so if you see them in Camden, King’s Cross or the City of London why not donate money during this year’s Deaf Awareness Week.

Go to the movies

In support of Deaf Awareness Week Odeon cinemas will be putting on extra subtitled screenings of big new releases for the whole of the week, across their range of cinemas.

Take a look at their website to see where and when you can see these films (choose your local cinema, then click on Filter events by Accessible).

Who can attend?

Whilst some events may be restricted to specific groups, most allow access by both the public and healthcare professionals.
We have aimed to make the majority of the events during Deaf Awareness Week accessible for those with various ranges of hearing loss, but please double check our website about this, before attending an event.
Some events do require registration, but most allow you to drop in.

Information about all the events we have going on are available in the News & Events section of our website, so see what’s happening in your area and get involved!

It’s not all about us

If you’re doing something positive or unique to raise awareness for Deaf Awareness Week tell us about on Twitter or Facebook.

Are you running an event for Deaf Awareness week? We want to know about it!

Please tell us via our Facebook page or Pinterest board, or get in touch with our campaigns team.

Action on Hearing Loss President Lord Ashley passes away at the age of 89

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:18:51 +0100

He didn't let his own deafness limit or label him

Action on Hearing Loss President Lord Ashley of Stoke died Friday night, after a short illness, at the age of 89.

The former MP Jack Ashley campaigned throughout his long career for better legislation for people who are deaf or disabled, as he firmly believed in equality for all.

He had been president of the hearing loss charity since 1987 and had many notable achievements. After becoming profoundly deaf at the age of 45, Lord Ashley realised from sitting at the Houses of Parliament how isolating deafness can be and relied on his wife to repeat all the words spoken in the chamber. It was through this experience that he successfully campaigned to have live captioning on television.

Action on Hearing Loss Chief Executive Jackie Ballard said: ‘Jack was a great role model to anyone with hearing loss. He was such a gentleman, very kind and very giving. He had a brilliant career before and after losing his hearing. But he wasn’t just a supporter of the deaf; he was a champion for people of all disabilities.

‘Jack never stopped working for what he believed in right up until his death and would always speak up on behalf of people who are deaf or disabled. He was a tireless campaigner and there are many people in this country who have a lot to thank him for.’

Lord Ashley’s family have created a website where you can leave your own tribute to Jack.

Role model

Jack Ashley was also interviewed in one of our most popular magazine features. Find out why many of our members and supporters thought of Jack Ashley as a role model.

Read a Lord Ashley tribute blog post by Dominic Stiles from the UCL Ear Institute.

Life in a war zone

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:09:04 +0100

John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor, tells Chris White how a career on the frontline has affected his hearing.

John Simpson has been reporting from war zones into the homes of BBC viewers for over 40 years. His illustrious career has brought him to some of the world’s most volatile places at the most dangerous times. He has dodged bullets in the 1989 Tiannamen Square massacre and was one of the first journalists to enter Kabul as the Taliban regime fell in 2001, famously disguising himself in a burka.

In 2003, whilst reporting from Iraq, John Simpson and his production team were hit by US friendly fire. The bomb blast left him deaf in one ear. It was a horrific accident, which killed 18 people including John’s translator whose legs were blown off and who died of blood loss almost immediately. “It was horrible,” he recalls. Recent events in Syria have shown that this line of work is undoubtedly dangerous, and John considers himself very lucky not to have been more seriously injured in the blast in Iraq. “A big lump of shrapnel got stuck in my flak jacket near my spine; I could have been in a wheelchair. I didn’t get killed like so many other people so I feel that it’s rather bad karma to complain about the deafness.”

Loss of hearing

Despite being just 12 yards away from the blast, John survived with shrapnel wounds and a damaged left eardrum. “Funnily enough, it wasn’t too bad; I only lost about 30% of my hearing,” he says, “I had a new eardrum built quite quickly; that worked fine until 2005. I haven’t done anything about it since, as it could take me out of work for about two months."

“In 2006, I went to Kosovo. My colleague and I were walking down the street late one evening when we were jumped on by a group of six or seven men,” he recalls. “One of them hit me on my bad ear a couple of times. That made it much worse. I can hear much less now than I could and I’m always turning my good ear toward whoever’s talking.”

He also found that the tinnitus that developed as a result of the bomb blast in Iraq has worsened. “It’s very loud and quite irritating. Again, that’s much worse since I got beaten up.

“It’s louder – not more highpitched, thank God. Now it’s just the loudest noise in the room to me. The thing is, it’s a steady tone and you can ignore it. I’m more aware of it right now because I’m thinking about it, but most of the time I’m thinking about something else so I’m not terribly bothered about it.”

At his last check-up, John had 70% hearing loss in his left ear, though his right ear is undamaged. He is grateful not to have been blinded by shrapnel in the explosion in Iraq: “Being blind creates sympathy. When you’re deaf, people have to speak louder and repeat everything; it’s a nuisance rather than something that creates sympathy. Even my five-year-old son sometimes gets a bit sick of having to say everything loudly and clearly for the second or third time.”

Noise damage

Having spent so many years reporting from the field, working alongside the military, John is all too aware of the impact of noise-damage on hearing. Estimates suggest that 22,000 people in the UK have hearing loss related to damage sustained at work. The implications include no longer being able to do the job. “Members of the Armed Forces hide their deafness for fear of being thought ‘sissy’ but, more importantly, it would seriously affect your abilities as a soldier; you wouldn’t be able to listen to instructions,” John says.

He is honest about his hearing loss, “I don’t have any problems discussing it; I don’t feel anybody will judge me harshly, and I’ve often said ‘I’m sorry, I can’t hear in one ear’. Many times I’ve found soldiers say, ‘Oh, I am too!’”

Part of the problem is the unpredictability of explosions. John was terrified after an incident driving in Kabul jeopardised his own career. An explosion blew in the car window beside him, on his good side. “For a moment, I was just terrified because I thought ‘That’s it – I’m finished now’. I don’t think I could carry on [with work] if I were deaf in both ears.”

Making adjustments

Thankfully, it did not cause lasting damage to his good ear. Despite his deafness John is showing no signs of giving up war reporting, and has most recently reported from the conflict in Libya. He makes adjustments for work, such as asking his director and cameraman to speak into his right ear and he has had earpieces specially made for his ‘good’ ear so he can hear questions from anchormen in the studio. “When I go to a press conference, I’ll try and get my producer to come so that if I miss something he or she will pick it up.”

Naturally he has made adjustments in other areas of his life too. “I don’t like big parties in closed-in places. I never did like them much, but I actively avoid them now.” He laments his hearing loss in some duties, like distributing certificates to the graduating students at Roehampton University, where he is Chancellor. “I would like to use their first name and congratulate them; it’s one of the most important days of their lives.” He also misses some of the simple pleasures in life; “I used to swim every day and was a keen scuba diver but I’ve had to give them up because I find that I get infections in that ear.”

He acknowledges that his hearing is getting worse, but that it’s part of his life now. He does not wear a hearing aid, as he has been advised it would not be helpful for him, although for many people with noise-induced hearing loss they are. “I think it’s because all the bones in my ear are so out of kilter that it wouldn’t work. But if it would, I’d do it like a shot.”

Become a member

This article was also published in the Action on Hearing Loss magazine. If you would like to read more news, interviews and features linked to hearing loss, become a member of Action on Hearing Loss and receive our award-winning magazine every two months.

Join the conversation

Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter, or on our Deafness and hearing loss or Tinnitus forums.

Banking on better services

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:05:11 +0100

HSBC spent an afternoon at our offices to gather your views on banks. Johanna Taylor reports on their visit.

In our 2010 national survey of loop systems we visited more than 1,500 high street services, including a dozen HSBC branches. Ten of these had loops, but only half of them were switched on and ready for use.

Since then we’ve been working with HSBC to encourage them to improve access for customers with hearing loss. HSBC is a large, complex organisation and getting the needs of people with hearing loss on the agenda is a challenge – particularly at a time when banks are under fire.

So we were delighted when HSBC’s Customer Diversity Manager, Neil Shadbolt, picked up the phone in February to say the bank’s senior decision-makers had launched a review to evaluate the way it supports customers with disabilities.

Neil, who champions the needs of people with disabilities, had used the findings of our loop survey to encourage the bank to take action and asked to meet some of our members to get fresh insight into the needs of people with hearing loss when accessing banking services.

We realised this was a golden opportunity to get your needs recognised and jumped into action! We invited Neil and his colleague, Kerri Ricketts, to spend the afternoon at our headquarters where they had in-depth conversations with 10 people with a range of levels of hearing loss, including lipreaders, hearing aid wearers, British Sign Language (BSL) users and cochlear implant wearers.

Our volunteers did a fantastic job in bringing to life many of the key problems found in our 2011 members’ survey, such as communications procedures that ignore the needs of people with hearing loss, loop problems and the need for greater deaf awareness amongst staff.

A common frustration was the use of the telephone to verify the identity of customers such as when a card’s been stolen – even if the bank has been told they have hearing loss.

A compelling insight

Thanks to our members’ invaluable input, Neil and Kerri went away with a compelling insight into the issues you face and a clear idea about what needs to change to make sure that their services are accessible.

“It was great to hear people’s real-life experiences from them directly and to find out what is working for them and what isn’t,” said Neil. “This will help us to improve our practice and develop new deaf awareness training for staff.”

We will continue to work closely with HSBC to ensure that the needs of people with hearing loss remain high on their agenda.

Join the conversation

Discuss this issue on Facebook or Twitter, or on our Deafness and hearing loss or Tinnitus forums.

End the care crisis - take action

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:13:55 +0100

Action on Hearing Loss is worried about recent developments in the social care system. We know that local authorities’ provision of equipment for people with hearing loss is already patchy – in some areas equipment, such as TV listeners and flashing smoke alarms, is free to people with hearing loss while in others people buy their own equipment. We’ve heard reports that the cuts to government spending mean that this type of equipment is being restricted even more. This will mean that some people with hearing loss will no longer be able to access the equipment that can improve their quality of life and ensure that they are fully able to benefit from their hearing aids.

Similarly, we’re worried about cuts to the services provided to people in residential care and to people who receive home care services. If staff levels are cut, staff are likely to prioritise other issues over hearing loss; for instance, they may not check that hearing aid batteries have not run out.

For this reason we’re working with the Care and Support Alliance to urge the government to take action on social care. In the current economic climate it would be easy for the government to shy away from making tough decisions about the future of social care. We are running out of time to act. We need to show MPs how important it is that the failings in the current system are addressed.

Take action now

Please urge your MP to put pressure on the government to ensure that something is done about the crisis, by sending a message to your MP via this Care and Support Alliance link.

For further information, contact Melissa Echalier at Action on Hearing Loss. You can find more information about the End The Care Crisis Lobby in our previous news story or by visiting http://carelobby2012.org.uk/.

Positive thinking

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:35:55 +0100

What mental health issues can affect older people with age-related hearing loss? We take a look. Alice Lagnado reports

Becoming older is a different experience for everybody. Some people enjoy the freedoms of retirement; others find stopping work difficult.

If you develop hearing loss as you get older, that can be an added challenge. Hearing loss can make you feel isolated and frustrated. You may also be managing other health problems, as well as a change in working patterns after retirement, difficulties sleeping, loneliness, or bereavement. Some people find that they become prone to anxiety or depression.

So what can you do to look after your mental health as you get older?

In terms of managing feelings of isolation due to a growing hearing loss, there are steps you can take to minimise this. Some people find lipreading classes a source of support as well as a way to ease communication. Getting hearing aids as soon as possible and often for both ears, can give you the best technical support you need.

You can also look into other technical help such as telephones with volume control that connect to your hearing aids, doorbells, TV subtitling and a range of other gadgets. Or go online and join in the discussions at our forums.

You may find it helpful to explain clearly to hearing people what you need. You may find it helps to ask people to face you and speak clearly, or simply to slow down, for example.

Older people often have a lot to manage, starting with retirement. As Mind, the mental health charity, says, it’s easy to underestimate the impact that retirement can have. Work can provide status, a sense of purpose and often, a social network. Retirement is high on the scale of stressful life events.

It can help to develop new interests, stay physically active, and make sure your day has a structure. The Age UK charity has resources aimed at helping older people make the most of retirement, covering finances, health and community involvement.

Whatever you do, remember that there are plenty of people out there to talk to, and lots of resources to access. Stay healthy!

Further information

Visit our forums and exchange information and ideas
Our Hearing Matters report highlights the latest research on hearing loss and mental health issues.
To find out more about products that can help you maintain your independence, stay in contact and enjoy life, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/shop or call us for a copy of our catalogue on 01733 361199 (tel), 01733 238020 (textphone)
Read Feeling good - the previous article by Alice Lagnado
Visit the Mind website
Age UK is at www.ageuk.org.uk or telephone 0800 169 6565.

Want to read more?

This article was also published in the Action on Hearing Loss magazine.

If you would like to read more news, interviews and features linked to hearing loss, you can become a member of Action on Hearing Loss.

Mental health problems twice as prevalent in deaf people

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:16:56 Z

Provision of specialist services needed to improve access to mental health services for this population (The Lancet)

In response to the article The health of deaf people: communication breakdown, published in The Lancet on Friday 16 March, Action on Hearing Loss’ Director of Research, Policy and Government Relations, Roger Wicks said:

‘Action on Hearing Loss welcomes this review. Our own research, carried out in Scotland in 2010, confirms the authors’ findings. In conjunction with Glasgow Caledonian University, we found deaf people faced numerous barriers when accessing mental health services, such as a general lack of deaf awareness, lack of communication support (for example, BSL interpreters) and a lack of technical support (for example, hearing aid induction loop systems).

‘We want to see policies and procedures in place in to enable communication support professionals to be booked in line with individuals’ needs. We recommend that health services only use communication professionals who are registered with the National Register of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind people (NRCPD).’

Get in touch

For further information on our research, please contact:

Information Line

Telephone: 0808 808 0123
Textphone: 0808 808 9000

Email: information.line@hearingloss.org.uk

Alternatively, you can download our report 'Unheard, unseen - the state of mental health services in Scotland for people who are deaf or deafblind' (PDF).

End The Care Crisis lobby

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:22:00 Z

Action on Hearing Loss supported the End The Care Crisis Lobby on 6 March 2012, when more than 1,000 people came to meet their MPs to tell the government that the social care system in England urgently needs reform. This was organised by the Care and Support Alliance, a consortium of organisations, including Age UK and RNIB.

We are supporting this because we’re worried about how government cuts are affecting people who receive support from social services. In addition, this problem will only get worse if the government doesn’t do anything. As our population gets older, we’ll make more demands on the social care system – with no more money available to fund it. Therefore, we’re urging the government not to shy away from making reforms to social care funding. With the government expected to publish its white paper on social care reform in April, the lobby was an important opportunity for the Care and Support Alliance to get this message across.

As well as the lobby, the Care and Support Alliance organised the #twobby, a lobby that used social networks. Thousands of people interacted with the lobby and their MPs online via twitter and Facebook, enabling people who couldn’t make it to London to be involved and have their voices heard by their MPs.

Melissa Echalier, from our Health and Social Care team was stewarding the event outside the Houses of Parliament. ‘It got really busy during the afternoon. It was a great experience to see such a large number of people who care about our social care system and had made the trip to Westminster to let the government know their views’.

The outcome that we want to see is new fair sustainable arrangements that ensure the high quality of social care provision for those people who need it.

Find out more

For further information, contact Melissa Echalier at Action on Hearing Loss. You can find more information about the End The Care Crisis Lobby at http://carelobby2012.org.uk/.

Get out of your blocks to raise money for the UKs largest deaf charity for an Olympic challenge

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:37:28 Z

Get into the Olympic spirit by challenging yourself to Action on Hearing Loss’s 2012 KM Challenge in partnership with the British Olympic Association and Gold Challenge.

Feel a part of the excitement around London 2012 and take on a challenge that involves covering 2012km, 201.2Km or 20.12Km with the chosen distance covered via running, walking, cycling or by any means of an Olympic sport.

Alaric Shorter from the charity’s Fundraising Team, says: ‘Get into the Olympic spirit and help support the millions of people in the UK with a hearing loss whilst embarking on a memorable challenge that will stay with you as a unique reminder of London 2012.

‘You can cover the distance by taking part in Olympic disciplines such as cycling, horse riding or even windsurfing. Take part with your friends to make it an even more memorable achievement.’

To sign up for Action on Hearing Loss’s 2012 KM Challenge, call telephone: 0845 634 0687, email: events@hearingloss.org.uk or visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/fundraising.

Contact for general media enquiries:

Gurinder Duhra, PR Officer at Action on Hearing Loss, telephone: 020 7296 8057 or email: gurinder.duhra@hearingloss.org.uk.

Notes to Editors

Action on Hearing Loss is the new name of RNID. It’s the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced – and where people value and look after their hearing.

For the 2012 KM Challenge, participants are asked to pledge £250 if taking part as an individual or £500 for a team.
Gold Challenge is the charity challenge where you take on Olympic Sports and Paralympic Sports to raise money for charity.
Everyone aged 7 upwards can take part in Gold Challenge as an individual or as part of a team.
Action on Hearing Loss is one of Gold Challenge’s 125 charities in partnership with the British Olympic Association.
Gold Challenge works with the British Olympic Association, Sport England, sportscotland, Sport Wales, ParalympicsGB and the National Governing Bodies of the Olympic and Paralympic sports. It is part of ‘Places People Play’ – the official mass participation legacy programme for London 2012.
For information about all of Action on Hearing Loss’s fundraising events, call telephone: 0845 634 0687, email: events@hearingloss.org.uk or visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/fundraising.
For further information about Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk, contact the Action on Hearing Loss Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@hearingloss.org.uk.

NHS Future Forum

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:19:54 Z

MEDIA STATEMENT

For immediate release: Monday 13 June 2011

ACTION ON HEARING LOSS WELCOMES FORUM’S CALL FOR AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO MEET PATIENTS’ NEEDS

Action on Hearing Loss – formerly RNID – is welcoming the NHS Future Forum’s recommendations calling for multi-professional involvement in local decision-making about commissioning care, and the promotion of integrated services to meet patients’ needs.

Chief Executive of Action on Hearing Loss, Jackie Ballard, says: “It is essential that health and social care takes an integrated approach to meet the individual needs of patients with hearing loss, therefore we welcome the recommendations to extend the criteria for the commissioning consortia to include a wider scope of key health and social care professionals.

“It's vital that people are given more choice to address their hearing loss and better local access to life-changing services such as having hearing aids fitted, attending lipreading classes or receiving hearing therapy. We would like to see ‘hearing loss champions’ sitting within every local authority and for some consortia to become centres of excellence in specialised areas including audiology and hearing loss.”

There are currently four million people in the UK who would benefit from wearing a hearing aid, but have yet to do anything about it. Action on Hearing Loss wants to remove the barriers to treatment, and the stigma of hearing loss, to enable these people to take action and live their lives to the full. For information, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk

– ENDS –

Contact for general media enquiries:

Senior PR Officer for Action on Hearing Loss, Alan Dalziel, telephone: 020 7296 8388 or email: alan.dalziel@hearingloss.org.uk

Notes for editors:

Action on Hearing Loss is the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced – and where people value and look after their hearing.
For further information about Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk, contact the Action on Hearing Loss Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@hearingloss.org.uk.

Charity calls on employers to end 'uncaring culture'

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:19:53 Z

UK charity Action on Hearing Loss is calling on employers to end their ‘uncaring culture’ and remove the major barriers that prevent people who have hearing loss from progressing with their careers, forcing many out of work.

In a report entitled ‘Unlimited Potential?', Action on Hearing Loss – formerly RNID – is revealing the disturbing impact that bad practice by some UK employers is having on the working experiences of people with hearing loss. According to the charity’s survey of 4,000 members, more than one in three (36%) respondents said they took early retirement and one in seven (14%) changed jobs because of their hearing loss. The survey also found that 40% of respondents said losing their hearing made them less confident, which could explain why 33% of respondents didn’t tell their employer or colleagues about their hearing loss.

Employees with hearing loss should be protected from discrimination by the Equality Act 2010, which requires employers to make reasonable adjustments to enable a disabled person to work. The Government’s Access to Work (AtW) scheme supports employers by helping fund the adjustments needed to enable disabled people to work, but the charity’s research found a general lack of awareness about the legal requirements and Access to Work amongst both employees with hearing loss and their employers.

Antonia Bond, 51, from Burton-on-Trent wears two hearing aids and took part in the research. Antonia says: “I’ve only ever managed to secure agency work and, unfortunately, got appropriate support for my hearing loss in just a couple of jobs. Companies just don’t want to know when they think equipment to help me will start costing money and, when I raised the issue with my recruitment agency, they suggested that I pretend to hear ‘because there are plenty more people who want jobs!’. I’ve had some shocking experiences with one employer shutting me away in a filing room for eight hours when top management were visiting and the same company reprimanding me for not hearing a fire alarm! I’m now doing voluntary work and doubt I’ll experience paid employment again because, without proper support, it’ll be completely unbearable!”

Jackie Ballard, Chief Executive for Action on Hearing Loss, says: “There are 3.7million people of working age with hearing loss and our research shows that organisational culture has a huge impact on their experience in the workplace. It is unacceptable that people feel they cannot continue in their jobs because their employer has failed to put clear procedures in place to support staff with hearing loss. With people expected to work longer and UK unemployment at its highest level for 17 years, the Government has a vital role in raising awareness of Access to Work funding and employers’ legal responsibilities to ensure that people with hearing loss are fully supported to stay in work and gain the same opportunities as other staff to fulfil their career potential.”

To obtain a PDF version of ‘Unlimited Potential?: A research report into hearing loss in the workplace’ visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/unlimitedpotential

–ENDS–

Contact for general media enquiries:

Alan Dalziel, Senior PR Officer, telephone: 020 7296 8388, mobile: 07944 038635 or email: alan.dalziel@hearingloss.org.uk

Notes for editors:

For ‘Unlimited Potential?: A research report into hearing loss in the workplace’, Action on Hearing Loss received more than 4,000 responses to questions about the employment experiences of people with hearing loss in the charity’s 2010 membership survey. The charity researchers also carried out in-depth interviews with 27 people with acquired hearing loss between September and December 2010 about their experiences in the workplace.
Action on Hearing Loss is the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced – and where people value and look after their hearing.
For further information about Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk, contact the Action on Hearing Loss Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@hearingloss.org.uk

Action on Hearing Loss are charity partners for music industry Oscars

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:40:12 Z

We’ve been the chosen charity of the Music Producers Guild (MPG) Awards for the fourth year in a row, as they are big supporters of our music hearing protection campaign.

The awards are the biggest in the music industry for producers, engineers and other creative talents. It’s being held at the glitzy Café De Paris in the West End on February 16 2012 with a whole host of A-list celebrities attending. Last year, Chris Martin, Plan B and Gary Numan all presented awards.

And, every year, Action on Hearing Loss holds a prestigious raffle. This results in thousands being raised for the charity. This year, we’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the response from companies helping with the raffle. We’re absolutely delighted so many organisations are taking notice of our music hearing protection campaign, which encourages people to listen to loud music safely by wearing earplugs when going to live gigs or clubs.

The prizes are:

Naim UnitiQute All-in-one player (worth £1,450)
PSP Total Bundle Pack (worth £900)
Sonnox Essential Native Plugin Bundle (worth £600)
TWO tickets to England v West Indies Test Match (priceless!)
Monitor Audio iDeck (worth £300)
Benefit Cosmetics Gift Box (worth £200)
Proguard Custom Made Musician Earplugs (worth £150)
Tinnitus Relaxer (worth £60)

Action on Hearing Loss run a music hearing protection campaign encouraging all musicians and music lovers to listen to loud music safely. If you regularly go to live gigs and clubs, invest in a good set of earplugs to protect yourself from damaging your hearing forever or developing tinnitus.

We also recommend that people who listen to mp3 players for long periods should take regular breaks, use noise-cancelling earphones and play it at a safe volume.

Lobbying to change social care

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:29:23 Z

The Care and Support Alliance is holding a lobby day to urge the government to create a better social care system for all.

End the Care Crisis: Lobby 2012 is meeting in London on 6 March 2012 at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. They will be asking MPs for a social care system that:

is fairly and suitably funded
offers high quality care
delivers dignity, independence and choice
supports and offers peace of mind for older and disabled people and their families

Register to attend

If you wish to take part you can register to attend.

Anne Diamond speaks out about her hearing loss

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:55:05 Z

TV presenter Anne Diamond is still making the headlines. She tells Action on Hearing Loss why she’s speaking out now about her hearing loss.

Having hosted countless phone-in shows over more than three decades as a broadcaster, Anne Diamond is not easily shocked. But when she visited an audiologist last year to have her hearing tested, you could have knocked the renowned journalist and campaigner down with a feather.

“I was absolutely astonished when he told me my hearing was still within the normal range,” she says. “I have noticed a marked deterioration over the past four or five years, but apparently it’s not bad enough for me to need hearing aids.

“It made me realise just how much people suffer in this country with hearing loss. Because if I’m fine then I dread to think what life must be like for people who genuinely are classified as deaf.”

There is no doubt in her mind, however, that she did the right thing in having her hearing tested. For along with millions of others in this country, Anne is in the early stages of hearing loss, having already lost certain frequencies to the extent that it has a significant impact on her life. ‘Talkback’ devices – through which directors communicate with hosts – turned up too loudly have taken their toll.

Inspiring others

And, having faced the problem head on, she is determined to encourage and inspire others in her situation by speaking out.

“In the end I went to get checked out because my children were fed up of having to repeat themselves,” she says.

“I noticed that I had the TV turned up a touch louder than even my children would want. A conversation on the phone is always stressful for me.

“Mobiles in particular are really difficult because I don’t seem to be able to hear the things that other people can.

“It’s really noticeable when I’m a panellist on The Wright Stuff (on Channel 5) and people phone in to the show. Everyone else can hear the callers perfectly, but at times I really struggle.

“This isn’t a case of me being over sensitive – it’s a fact. The sound engineers say my earpiece is turned up far louder than anybody else’s. It reached the point earlier this month where I asked the producer to repeat what the caller was saying if I looked quizzical – so she did it and that worked fine.”

All of which will come as a surprise to viewers, given the trademark calm with which Anne continues to work.

The secret, according to Anne, is honesty: not attempting to conceal the issue and picking up advice about how to deal with it.

“The audiologist gave me some really good tips, even really obvious things like cupping your ears. It’s so incredibly effective it’s almost enough to make you go out and buy an ear trumpet.

“White noise is another thing to look out for. I was speaking at a big banqueting lunch the other day and I found the speech so much easier than the meal itself – because there was so much background chatter in this big hall I couldn’t make out what anyone was saying.

“It’s very stressful, so I can understand why people with hearing loss avoid these occasions altogether. That can be very isolating.

“It’s a bit of a family joke, but nowadays when we go out to a restaurant I deliberately pick a table with my back to the corner so I’ve got two reflective walls behind me.

“Even speaking about this makes me feel old, but that’s the reality and I’m not going to hide it.”

If this seems somewhat flippant, in truth she is anything but. Yet, with four boisterous children to keep her active, Anne is determined to avoid being held back by hearing loss. That’s why she is so supportive of the Action on Hearing Loss campaign to encourage more people to have their hearing tested."

Hearing matters

“I saw in your Hearing Matters report that the 10 million people in this country who have hearing loss will rise to nearly 15 million in the next 20 years unless we do something about it,” she says.

“That is a shocking statistic. It’s so easy to have your hearing tested – you can do it over the phone – and it’s so important to have early intervention.”

Anne admits to being equally appalled by the average of 10 years from when people first notice hearing loss to when they take action.

“We live in a very ageist society so I do understand,” she says. “But what’s the alternative? Suffering in an increasing level of silence? That’s crazy.

“We don’t write people off because they wear glasses, so why should hearing loss be any different?

“Perhaps people are scared because they don’t understand how far technology has come. Before I went to see the audiologist I did a search on Google and I was amazed by the quality of hearing aids out there.

“I’m such a gadget fanatic I was almost disappointed when he told me I didn’t need a hearing aid.”

“Having said that, I know the day may come when I need hearing aids, and now I know it’s nothing to be frightened of.

“It’s great that the onset of deafness is no longer something to fear. I just hope that in time we can get rid of the stigma attached to hearing loss once and for all.”

Watch a video of Anne explaining why she supports our campaign.

How to protect your hearing

Exposure to loud noise can gradually cause hearing loss or tinnitus. If, like Anne, you regularly use ‘talkback’ devices or, for example, wear a headset in a call centre, make sure you have a good-quality earpiece or headset. If the sound quality is good you shouldn’t have to increase the volume of the speaker through the headset. It is also important to give your ears regular breaks.

If you are worried about your hearing go to your GP. Taking action early can make it much easier to manage if you do find you are losing your hearing. Take our Hearing Check today.

Become a member

Join us and become a valued member of Action on Hearing Loss today. As a member, you will receive our award-winning magazine every two months, featuring in-depth interviews with celebrities such as Anne, as well as our expert reviews of new products for people with hearing loss, news of our campaigns, and much more.

Action on Hearing Loss Volunteer Awards 2012 nominations now open!

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:41:52 Z

Our volunteers bring many skills to Action on Hearing Loss and their experience, energy, enthusiasm and commitment is so important to our success. We wouldn’t be the charity we are today without them, so now is the chance to recognise this and show our appreciation by gathering nominations for our Volunteer Awards 2012. We invite you to nominate fellow Action on Hearing Loss volunteers who you feel have gone that extra mile.

We will be hosting both Regional and National awards and we want you to nominate volunteers for awards in the following categories:

Champions the cause
Builds trust
Inspires leadership
Promotes teamwork
Champions the brand
Delivers results

Find out more about the nomination categories from our Values and Behaviours.

Nominations for the awards open on the 8 February and close on 30 March.

The award ceremonies will take place in early June to coincide with National Volunteers week (1 – 7 June).

Download a nomination form and the citation guide or request a copy from volunteering@hearingloss.org.uk.

This is a great opportunity to highlight and demonstrate the diverse and far reaching contributions that volunteers are making across the full spectrum of our activities. Your stories will be an inspiration and encourage others to get involved in our work.

Last year, Georgina Courtenay-Mayers won the National award for ‘Delivers results’ in recognition of her contribution to major projects including helping to set up, run and expand the Ealing Hearing Aid Users’ group and was given the opportunity to attend our Centenary reception at Buckingham Palace as a result of her award.

Feel inspired?

Nominate your Volunteer Champions for 2012 now!

Action on Hearing Loss champions BSL users right to access interpreters in hospitals

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:50:06 Z

This week, the health think tank, 2020 Health, revealed that, according to their Freedom of Information requests, the NHS in England spends £59,000 a day – £23million in the last year – on translating documents and providing interpreters.

2020 Health is urging NHS Trusts to stem the flow of translation costs and the TaxPayers’ Alliance said taxpayers would expect their money to go towards treatment for sick people, not on language services.

Acting Chief Executive of Action on Hearing Loss, Paul Breckell, responded: "Action on Hearing Loss believes that it is essential that the 50,000 deaf people who communicate by British Sign Language (BSL) have access to high standard BSL / English interpretation services in healthcare settings.

"Under the Equality Act 2010, health services must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to be accessible to people with disabilities but, unfortunately, our research shows that 70% of BSL users admitted to accident and emergency departments were not provided with a BSL / English interpreter.

"People who are deaf have the right to the same level of service as other patients and, to avoid misunderstandings and frustration in what can often be very emotional circumstances, it is vital that hospitals pay for interpreters that fully meet their individual needs."

For free, confidential and impartial information for deaf and hard of hearing people, their families, friends, and professionals, contact the Action on Hearing Loss information line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or textphone 0808 808 9000 (freephone), or email informationline@hearingloss.org.uk.

Action on Hearing Loss calls on government to rethink Welfare Reform proposals reducing support for people with hearing loss

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:54:48 Z

Action on Hearing Loss is calling on the UK Government to rethink their proposed reforms to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), which will result in fewer people with hearing loss receiving essential support to live a full and active life.

The UK charity taking action on hearing loss estimates 40,000 people who are deaf or hard of hearing receive DLA to meet the extra costs they face in everyday life, such as paying for vital communication support. Action on Hearing Loss is concerned that replacing DLA with Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will mean people will face the unnecessary bureaucracy of proving their deafness every 12 months, and tougher criteria to qualify for support.

Additionally, the decision to time-limit the receipt of contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance to just one year will make it more difficult for people with hearing loss to qualify for support. The proposals don't take into account the fact that deaf or hard of hearing people are significantly less likely to be working and spend a longer time out of work. Claimants with hearing loss no longer qualifying for ESA then face missing out on support from the new Work Programme, because it makes little or no economic sense for the scheme to help them into work.

Chief Executive of Action on Hearing Loss, Jackie Ballard, says: "We're urging the Government to recognise that PIP claimants with hearing loss do not recover their hearing therefore reassessment is costly and unnecessary. We're also highlighting the unfairness of the ESA proposals, which entitle successful claimants to only 12 months of support – even if they have paid National Insurance contributions their entire working life!

"Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) has much tougher criteria – not designed for people facing significant barriers to employment – so many people with hearing loss trying to move on to this support after 12 months won't qualify and experience a substantial reduction in their quality of life.

"The Government should change their Welfare Reform proposals to ensure they fully take into account the everyday needs of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and provide essential support enabling claimants with hearing loss to access training or employment opportunities."

Further information and contacting us

If you would like any further information on this news story, please contact our Information Line on informationline@hearingloss.org.uk

Action on Hearing Loss welcomes the government's drive to improve quality of hearing aid services

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:30:56 Z

Action on Hearing Loss – formerly RNID – welcomes the Secretary of State for Health’s announcement today (Wednesday 7 December 2011) that almost half of Primary Care Trust (PCT) clusters in England have selected adult hearing aid services for implementing Any Qualified Provider (AQP).

A shocking two out of three people in the UK who could benefit from the provision of hearing aids have not yet got them. The charity believes that AQP will drive innovation and improve the quality and accessibility of services for people who need to address their hearing loss.

Action on Hearing Loss was involved in the development of the new AQP implementation pack for adult hearing aid services, including the service specification.

Chief Executive of Action on Hearing Loss, Jackie Ballard, says: “We welcome the decisions by many Primary Care Trust (PCT) clusters across England to provide adult hearing aid services through Any Qualified Provider (AQP). There are four million people in the UK with unaddressed hearing loss and these PCT's have clearly recognised that hearing loss is a major public health issue which should be given a greater profile in their communities.

“Our support for AQP is on the basis that the quality of hearing services improves and high clinical standards are guaranteed. We believe that AQP will drive innovation and create hearing services which are more accessible and better suited to individual needs. The test of AQP’s success for people with hearing loss will ultimately be how many more people are reached and how it delivers against key patient-centred outcomes.”

Contact for general media enquiries:

Alan Dalziel, Senior PR Officer at Action on Hearing Loss, telephone: 020 7296 8388 / 07944 038635 or email: alan.dalziel@hearingloss.org.uk

Notes for editors:

The new interactive map of AQP services shows that almost half of Primary Care Trust (PCT) clusters have selected adult hearing services for implementing AQP.
Action on Hearing Loss – formerly RNID – is the UK’s largest charity taking action on hearing loss. We want a world where hearing loss doesn’t limit or label people – and where people value their hearing enough to look after it.
For further information about Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk, contact the Action on Hearing Loss Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email informationline@hearingloss.org.uk.

Femme fatale

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:40:54 Z

Rachel Shenton, who plays Mitzeee in the television series Hollyoaks, adores playing a character so different from her. By Alice Lagnado.

Rachel Shenton, the almost impossibly beautiful young actress who plays Mitzeee in the popular television series Hollyoaks (external link, opens in new window), loves playing the part of a girl who is so different from her.

Mitzeee, the girl who spells her name with three ‘e’s so she doesn’t seem so plain, is a gift of a role.

She’s a sexy, ruthless femme fatale, plotting and scheming her way to the top in the way that women have done so often over the centuries, in literature and in film – except that unlike some of them, Mitzeee (real name Ann Minniver) seems to get away with it.

Down-to-earth

Rachel, on the other hand, is a down-to-earth girl from Stoke-on-Trent who prefers to go without the multiple layers of make-up Mitzeee wears, or her enormous Cheryl Cole blow-dry and skintight clothes.

Rachel, 24, has been involved with charities related to hearing loss for a number of years, and is a qualified British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

That would be hard for Mitzeee to understand. “She couldn’t get her head around doing something for somebody else,” said Rachel in an interview with us. But “it’s great to play someone who is not like you,” she says.

“There are physical similarities but not in terms of character. I don’t dress like her – I don’t like her style,” admits Rachel.

And she and fellow Hollyoaks star Bronagh Waugh, who plays Cheryl Brady in the soap, went make-up free for a photoshoot for Heat magazine earlier this year, to show fans they didn’t need a lot of make-up to look good.

Gumption

Rachel admires Mitzeee’s gumption. “You’ve got to admire the sheer audacity of the girl, she has no shame,” says Rachel.

After all, Mitzeee is the girl who is described as a ‘WAG-Supreme’ and who forms close partnerships with murderous gangsters in order to get her wicked way!

Rachel has strong links to the deaf community because she encountered deafness in her family at an early age. When she was 12 her father Geoff lost his hearing overnight, due to chemotherapy he had for cancer.

Rachel remembers how quickly her father became deaf, and it made her aware of the lack of awareness people generally have of hearing loss.

“I always say it’s so silent and easily missed,” she says. If someone is obviously physically disabled, she says, it may be hard to miss, but hearing loss is less obvious.

Raising awareness

“I’m not sure it’s taboo, but it’s overlooked. It’s awareness that needs to be raised,” she says. People don’t realise that someone with hearing loss is just as capable as anyone else, she says.

“Deaf people can do every job [that there is]. People are quite ignorant.”

If someone sees a deaf person and realises the person cannot hear them, they won’t always make the effort, she says.

“I think people go right, okay, I won’t then, and leave it. It’s easier to turn away.”

We take our hearing for granted, says Rachel. “We take everything for granted. We get very bogged down with life and mundane things. It’s human nature, it’s normal,” she says.

Her father’s experience did make her think again. “It made me take stock and try to be grateful for having my hearing,” she says. “I certainly make a conscious effort to value it.”

After her father died (of causes unrelated to his cancer, which he recovered from) Rachel trained as a BSL interpreter.

Many people find it tough to learn BSL to the level required for interpreting – but Rachel took to it easily.

“I enjoyed it. It was not a chore!” she says. “I got involved in a local charity, Deaflinks, and because I was using BSL a few times a week, and have deaf friends and went to deaf clubs, I found it quite easy to pick up!”

A sense of community

“Getting involved in signing was one of the best things I’ve done. The deaf community is very inspiring,” she says. “There is a sense of community in the deaf community that we [hearing people] don’t always have.”

Hollyoaks is one of the few TV soaps with BSL interpretation. Would Rachel like there to be a deaf character in the soap? “It’s definitely something that I would want.”

It would also be interesting, says Rachel, if a character like Mitzeee was to show she happened to know some BSL, for example, by signing one day.

There could be a character on the show who just happened to be able to communicate in BSL, showing that it’s part of UK culture, without making a big song and dance about it, she says.

And there’s no doubt that this approach can be more effective than heavy-handed messaging.

But Rachel’s quick to be considerate towards the writing team on Hollyoaks: “We have a great writing team here, and it’s not my job [to decide those things],” she says.

Working 9 to 5?

Rachel worked as an interpreter when she first qualified, as well as acting, but that’s not something she can do any more due to a gruelling work schedule. She’s working on Hollyoaks 12 hours a day, five days a week – “it’s very full on,” she says.

But she has no plans to move on. “I’m very happy at Hollyoaks, the storylines are great,” she says.

Hollyoaks is the latest in a line of TV appearances; Rachel first appeared on our screens aged 18 in the medical soap Holby City and went on to appear in Waterloo Road, Doctors and more.

Despite her busy schedule, however, she is making time next year to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) (external link, opens in new window). She starts training in January, which will be challenging on top of her television work, but she sounds very upbeat about it.

In fact, it’s hard not to catch some of Rachel’s sunny enthusiasm and energy when you talk to her. She’s without doubt a fantastic ambassador for the hearing loss cause, and there will be plenty of people hoping she can influence what we see on our television screens.

What do I do if I lose my hearing suddenly?

If you experience sudden hearing loss in one or both ears, see your GP as soon as possible. Unless the problem is just a blockage caused by a wax build-up, which can be removed in some GP surgeries, you should ask your GP for an urgent referral to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist. This is particularly important if your GP also discovers that you have a perforated eardrum, discharge from your ears or if you are feeling dizzy.

If you cannot see your GP and have severe sudden hearing loss, you should go to your nearest accident and emergency department. It is very likely that the hospital will have an ENT department. An ENT specialist should carry out detailed tests to assess the degree and type of hearing loss you may have. You may need to stay in hospital for appropriate treatment or you may be treated as an outpatient. Write to us for our leaflet, Losing your hearing suddenly, or visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/losingyourhearing and scroll down the page to find the leaflet online.

Further information

This article is also published in the Action on Hearing Loss magazine.

If you would like to read more news, interviews and features linked to hearing loss, you can become a member of Action on Hearing Loss.

Last chance to win five thousand pounds in our Centenary Raffle!

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:00:56 Z

This is your last chance to join our celebrations and enter our Centenary Raffle. It costs just £1 to enter – and you could scoop the top prize of £5,000 cash.

What a way to celebrate our 100th birthday! The raffle closes on 14 December 2011.

Enter the draw or get in contact

So if you haven’t already entered, please act now by calling our Raffle Hotline on 01524 752 548 today. You never know, in a few short weeks you could be £5,000 richer!

Do you want to be a Torchbearer for the London 2012 Paralympic Games?

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:12:46 Z

Final call for nominations - closing date 22 November

In conjunction with Lloyds TSB, Action on Hearing Loss is calling for inspirational individuals to carry the Paralympic Flame.

Open to all

We’re working with Lloyds TSB, other disability charities and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to help make the London 2012 Games accessible to everyone.

This once in a lifetime opportunity is open to all our supporters, service users, volunteers and anyone else who has supported or is a positive and inspirational role model for people who are deaf or have a hearing loss.

Anyone can be a Paralympic Torchbearer so whether you are a Hear to Help volunteer with hearing loss, a service user who is deaf, someone with a cochlear implant or a hearing supporter, you can apply to represent Action on Hearing Loss at the Paralympic Games.

All you need to do is describe how you have inspired or helped people who are deaf or have a hearing loss in your community, or nominate someone you know.

Apply now

To apply, please visit the Lloyds TSB website and complete a nomination form by 22 November for the chance to be a Torchbearer for the Paralympic Games.

Contact us

If you would like further information or advice, please contact:

Kelly Broome,
Volunteer Resource and Development Manager

Telephone: 01273 315980
Textphone: 18002 01273 315980

Email kelly.broome@hearingloss.org.uk.

Nominee Approval Process

Nominator completes the Nomination Form and returns it to volunteering@hearingloss.org.uk.
Charity filters the nominations and rates them using nomination criteria form. The Charity then sends Lloyds TSB their selected Torchbearers to paralympicflame@lloydsbanking.com
Lloyds TSB contacts the nominee to congratulate them on being selected and supplies the T&C’s. The nominee must confirm in writing they have accepted the Torchbearer place and have read and agreed the T&C’s, to understand how their personal information will be used, by no later than 6 December. If the nominee is under 18 years of age, then approval from a parent/guardian.
Only on receipt of this can the process continue, ie. passing the nomination to the Lloyds TSB panel to be judged (to ensure they meet the nomination criteria) and ratified. If the nomination does not meet the nomination criteria the charity will be contacted and asked to make another nomination.
If no email address is held for the nominee, the Lloyds TSB will write to the nominee with details of the nomination and provide the T&Cs. The nominee (or parent/guardian) will be asked to signify that they approve/accept the nomination and that they have read and agreed to the T&Cs.

New study reveals four out of ten don't know what tinnitus is...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:03:21 Z

... and a quarter think it's an allergy to metal!

A ground-breaking survey by the charity Action on Hearing Loss has revealed that most people don’t have a clue what tinnitus is.

The study asked 1000 people what tinnitus is and 39 per cent of people said that they didn’t know. A further 22 per cent said they thought it was an allergy to metal and 11 people thought it was a repetitive strain injury.

Tinnitus is a ringing in the ears which can be brought on from listening to loud music at festivals and gigs or through mp3 players. Action on Hearing Loss, formerly RNID, conducted the survey as part of its campaign to raise awareness among music lovers to look after their ears by wearing hearing protection such as earplugs when listening to loud music at gigs and festivals.

A staggering 56 per cent had hurt their ears at a live concert because the music was so loud. But only 33 per cent have ever worn earplugs or tried other forms of hearing protection.

Emma Harrison, Action on Hearing Loss Director of Public Engagement, said: ‘Nearly a quarter of a million people in the UK suffer from tinnitus, which can destroy a person’s quality of life. Tinnitus is common amongst young people who go out clubbing regularly or listen to music a lot.

‘Many don’t realise that ringing in your ears after a night out is a warning sign that you could be permanently damaging your ears. There’s currently no cure for hearing loss or tinnitus. We want to make more people aware of what tinnitus is and that there is hearing protection available, such as wearing earplugs, when going to concerts or festivals.’

Action on Hearing Loss conducted the research over the course of the festival season. Other key findings include:

11 per cent of people said it didn’t matter if you damaged your hearing.
7 per cent of people of people thought there is a cure for a tinnitus.
9 per cent of people thought there is a cure for hearing loss.

Contact for general media enquiries:

Chris White, Senior PR Officer, telephone: 020 7296 8242 or email: chris.white@hearingloss.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

Action on Hearing Loss is the new name for RNID. It’s the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced – and where people value and look after their hearing.
Tinnitus is a medical term to describe noise(s) that people can hear in one ear, both ears or in the head – such as ringing, buzzing or whistling. The sounds heard can vary from person to person, but the common link is that they do not have an external source.
For the complete survey results or to speak to a spokesperson, please contact Chris White.
For further information about Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk, contact the Action on Hearing Loss Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@hearingloss.org.uk.

Feeling good

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:50:33 Z

Why do deaf people sometimes experience more mental health issues than hearing people? Alice Lagnado reports.

People who are deaf and use British Sign Language (BSL) as their main method of communication have a higher incidence of mental health problems than hearing people, research has shown.

About 40% of deaf children experience mental health problems, compared to 25% for non-deaf children, according to Department of Health figures. To develop well, deaf children need access to whichever language or languages work best for them.

“For healthy cognitive and emotional development children need language – it doesn’t matter whether this is English, BSL or Hindi. It’s not an oral versus BSL issue,” explains clinical psychologist Sally Austen.

She says: “Language is the foundation of thinking: of good reasoning skills, the ability to see someone else’s point of view and the ability to have insight. Many BSL users find it easier to talk to a therapist also fluent in the language.”

Double bind

At the same time, people who are deaf have difficulty in accessing mental health services.

The number of specialist units are limited, and currently under threat due to proposed changes to the way the NHS is run.

The numbers of deaf staff at specialist units have also fallen. One of the reasons is the high cost of training them, though that is often offset by the reduced costs for BSL interpreters.

Steve Powell, chief executive of the SignHealth charity, which works to improve the health of deaf people, thinks the drop is mainly due to the lack of targets set to employ more deaf staff.

“At one time there was an aspiration to have 50% of frontline healthcare workers in specialised mental health units for deaf people from the deaf community,” he says. But this has disappeared due to new NHS employment policies.

Deaf people with everyday mental health issues, meanwhile, have poor access to psychological therapies, for example, for moderate depression.

Good news

The good news is that, right now, the NHS is piloting a new service for deaf people in the north west of England.

The project is for deaf BSL users who want a therapist for mild or everyday mental health concerns, and is staffed by mostly deaf therapists fluent in BSL.

If this project goes well, it could potentially be extended to the rest of the UK. Some of the people living in Action on Hearing Loss care homes have mental health issues, too.

We support them when they visit their GPs. We also ensure that they have health ‘action plans’ which include information about their communication needs, to help medical staff if they are admitted to hospital.

Getting help

If you have any mental health concerns, you can contact SignHealth for advice on 01494 687600 (tel), 01494 687626 (textphone) or 07966 976749 (text message). Or you can visit their website at www.signhealth.org.uk. You can also text the Samaritans on 07725 909090 or email jo@samaritans.org.

Case study: A way out

Mrs Jones* is deaf and lives with her husband and two children,

who are hearing. None of them could communicate with her fully in BSL, so she felt depressed and isolated. When they did communicate with her, she felt they did not listen properly, and they began to argue.

Mrs Jones started to work with a therapist and talk about her feelings of isolation. She looked at how to change her sometimes confrontational or challenging behaviour. As a result, she was able to explain how she felt to her husband and what she thought would help.

Communication within the family improved, and this in turn improved Mrs Jones’s self-confidence and reduced her feelings of depression and isolation.

*Mrs Jones is a pseudonym and the picture on the right does not depict anyone in this article. With thanks to SignHealth.

Want to read more?

Diplomat loses legal battle

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:34:12 +0100

Deaf diplomat Jane Cordell lost her employment tribunal against the Foreign Office after a long struggle. Alice Lagnado reports.

Jane Cordell, 44, was offered an exciting new post in 2010 as Deputy Head of Mission (deputy ambassador) in Kazakhstan. But the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said that the cost of supplying her with lipspeakers – £300,000 per year by their estimation – was too high. Cordell’s own estimate, not recognised by the FCO, is £176,000 per year.

As a diplomat, Cordell needs to work in embassies overseas to develop a successful career. It is now unclear how she will fulfil her talent and looks unlikely that she will be able to pursue her ambition of becoming an ambassador. The FCO says that Cordell can pursue other postings that would not incur such high costs. But these could not, seemingly, include senior diplomatic posts, which require frequent meetings with a variety of people and therefore constant lipspeaking support. Currently Cordell is carrying out a largely non-managerial desk job in London.

Cordell’s lipspeaking team was funded during her previous posting to Warsaw as First Secretary (Political/Military) where, ironically, she worked hard to champion disability rights and the UK’s policies and laws on disability (see box below). But in 2009, the FCO introduced a new policy meaning that disability-related costs of over £10,000 per year would be tested to see if they gave a ‘wider corporate benefit’ to the organisation. Under the new system, Cordell’s costs were found by the FCO to be unreasonable.

Yet the FCO funds private boarding schools for the children of diplomats which cost up to £25,000 per child per year, plus the costs of flying the child to its parents’ embassy abroad three times a year. So for a family with four children, these costs would total well over £100,000 a year.

Charles Crawford, a former UK ambassador who supported Cordell in preparing for her tribunal, says: "A very disappointing result from Jane Cordell’s point of view. The winning FCO argument appears to be that for disability law employment purposes all disabilities are equal – but some are more equal (i.e. much more affordable for employers) than others."

"The outcome seems to mean that the FCO needs to change its recruitment literature to say: 'Disabled people are welcome to apply to become diplomats, but those with disabilities such as deafness requiring unduly expensive support are unlikely to win overseas postings,' "says Crawford.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission, which gave legal backing to Cordell’s case and partly funded it, is disappointed in the outcome. "It has left her career in a state of limbo as she has no clarity around what level of adjustments the FCO will fund – a decision which directly influences whether she can be posted abroad in the future," a spokesperson says.
The Commission’s recent report, How Fair is Britain, showed that disabled people face barriers in the workplace that others do not. This means that only 50% of disabled people are employed, compared with 79% of non-disabled adults. "It is important that reasonable adjustments are provided to allow disabled people to participate fully in the workforce and allow talented people like Jane to realise their full potential," says the spokesperson.

However, Cordell, who is currently looking at her possible career options for the future, does not want to discourage others from going to tribunal. "If you know why you are going into it, it is worth doing," she says. "I’m proud I took this issue to tribunal and had the strength and resilience to do this, and to start a debate about the issue of reasonableness. It’s an extreme example, but sometimes extreme examples can be the best test of policy," she says.

Liz Sayce, chief executive of disability lobbying group Radar, says: "The decision that it is 'unaffordable' to enable a deaf diplomat to pursue her career – despite being the best candidate for the job – gives the message to disabled people that actually, the highest level jobs will be debarred. That some disabled people are just too expensive to employ and will never achieve equality."

The employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people is 29% (50% disabled people; 79% non-disabled people), according to Radar. There is also a 'seniority' gap. Radar’s research found non-disabled people are twice as likely as disabled people to be a board level director, three times as likely to be a director or head of department, and three times as likely to earn £80,000 or above.

"Jane Cordell is a recognised role model for disabled people, coaching and mentoring younger colleagues and offering support and inspiration. Holding back a role model is always unwise. She could have been an incredible international role model and ambassador for Britain," Sayce says.

"The decision doesn’t even make sense financially … Making the adjustments needed in this case would not open the floodgates. But there really is a cost to discouraging our most powerful disabled role models from progressing," she says.
Flying high

Jane Cordell joined the FCO in her thirties after working as a musician in Finland, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher and manager in Poland and editor for Cambridge University Press and the University of London.

She rose from a research job to First Secretary (Political/Military) in Warsaw, Poland. In this job, she led a team of nine staff which covered external and internal political issues, justice and home affairs and press relations. She led the embassy’s work on all foreign and security policy issues, including relations between Poland, Russia and eastern neighbours, ballistic missile defence, Poland’s military contribution in Afghanistan, and international development policy. Cordell also worked hard both to show her Polish counterparts that a deaf person could work effectively as a diplomat, and to assist Poles in developing their own disability laws, as well as learning fluent Polish.

She worked closely with the Polish government, and worked with Polish NGOs to develop a stronger voice for the disabled community in Poland. Following the work of Jane and her colleagues at the UK Embassy, Polish NGOs formed a coalition to lobby the government better. The coalition also produced a draft law on disability equality based on the UK’s Disability Discrimination Act. Before she left Cordell took part in a training course for the new coalition on how to achieve their objectives and promote their work. This was facilitated by Liz Sayce, chief executive of the UK’s disability lobbying group Radar, and Phil Friend, its chair.

Cordell also helped to organise study visits for Polish MPs to meet senior UK disability representatives in Parliament, the Department for Work and Pensions and elsewhere, with the last visit taking place in spring 2010. This last trip included a trip to Wembley to discuss access to Euro2012, the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship to be held in Poland and Ukraine in June-July 2012. "I am proud that this work has continued after my departure," says Cordell.

What is a lipspeaker?

Lipspeakers are professionally trained to work with people who prefer to communicate through lipreading and speech. They repeat what is being said without using their voice but very clearly so that you can lipread them easily. They will help your understanding by using facial expression, natural gesture and, if requested, some fingerspelling. In certain situations, such as a one-to-one consultation with your doctor, you can ask the lipspeaker to use clear communication and voice if you would find that more helpful. You can book lipspeakers or find out more about them through our Communications Services.

For more information, or call our Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (tel) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone).

You can read our earlier interview with Jane Cordell here.

Choose Action on Hearing Loss as Majestic Wine Charity of the Year!

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:11:19 +0100

We’ve successfully reached the shortlist for Majestic Wine's Charity of the Year 2012.

Now we need your help!

Help us to be selected to work in partnership with Majestic Wine. In total seven charities have been shortlisted for the Majestic Wine staff vote and we need as many votes as possible! If you work for Majestic or know someone who does, please consider a vote for Action on Hearing Loss as Charity of the Year.

Voting is open from 20 to 26 October. By voting for Action on Hearing Loss, you will help us to address the stigma and isolation that affects 1 in 6 people in the UK.

The value of your vote

With over 160 stores, Majestic Wine has a great presence across the UK. A partnership with Majestic Wine would help us reach the 4 million people in the UK with unaddressed hearing loss. It will also raise vital funds to help support people who are deaf or have a hearing loss.

Extra funds raised through this potential partnership will help support our Hear to Help service. This service helps to transform the lives of people who are socially isolated due to their hearing loss. The service also provides information about hearing health and protection through our work in local communities.

Further information

For further information about working in partnership with Action on Hearing Loss or our Hear to Help service, please contact:

Derek Cockfield

Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager
Action on Hearing Loss

Telephone 020 7296 8312
Fax 020 7296 8129

derek.cockfield@hearingloss.org.uk

I'll make a joke of it

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:15:51 +0100

Larry Lamb, the renowned actor, talks about losing the hearing in his right ear after contracting malaria. By Alice Lagnado

“I cannot understand for the life of me why anybody would be shy or embarrassed about anything so basic as your hearing going,” says Larry Lamb in his deep, resonant voice. “It just escapes me completely. There’s nothing to be shy about.”

Lamb, famous for his roles in EastEnders and Gavin & Stacey, sees his hearing loss in very down-to-earth colours. Lamb, 63, became deaf in one ear when he contracted malaria after a visit to Senegal with a charity.

He took his malaria pills on the trip, but, not realising he needed to finish the course, stopped when he returned to the UK. He was ill for six long weeks.

“I was absolutely wretched. It was horrible,” he says. “It was like the worst hangover I’ve ever had.”

One night it got too much and his partner, actor Clare Burt, called for an ambulance. Dehydrated, Lamb was put on a drip. By 5am he felt a bit better, but it took a while for the doctors to work out he had malaria.

Shock

Then he had another shock. “I suddenly realised I’d gone very deaf on the right side,” he says. He had developed an ear infection which had damaged his cochlea.

Steroids did not clear it up, so he got some hearing aids – specifically CROS aids, which are for people with hearing in one ear only.

CROS aids feed sound from the side with no hearing to the good ear. From Specsavers, they worked well from the start, to the relief of Lamb, his partner and their young daughters, Eloise and Eva.

“They’ve been very good about [my hearing loss], but [were] relieved when I did actually get some hearing aids.”

He has no trouble hearing them now: “They’re very high in the volume stakes, all three of ‘em. Foghorns!” he says.

Role model

Lamb is a role model for people who hesitate to get hearing aids, because he has no inhibitions about them, or about the ageing process. It helps that he is in great physical shape, and doesn’t drink.

Has that always been the case? “Oh God no, I gave it up a couple of years ago, it was all getting a bit too much. Can’t deal with hangovers, especially when they go on for five days, and get longer and more painful.”

His son, the DJ George Lamb, dresses him – “he’ll pick things out in the shop whereas I can’t be bothered”.

Today, he’s wearing brown brogues that used to be George’s, and a pared-down outfit of grey lambswool sweater and matching cords. George even chose his father’s glasses – tortoiseshell and slightly severe.

Lamb’s hearing loss has not affected his work, though, because acting is a controlled environment with prepared texts; it’s noisy restaurants that are hard.

“Blokes are vain”

He thinks men are more concerned than women about getting hearing aids: “Blokes are vain – a bit unrealistic about that sort of thing. They feel it’s a sign that they’re getting older.”

Lamb doesn’t share that vanity. “I don’t care if people know that I’m deaf, I mean, I will make a joke of it, you know, ‘you’ve got an old, deaf man to accommodate,’” he says.

His mood in our interview is not forgiving – showing a hint of the darkness he drew upon to play characters like Archie Mitchell in EastEnders.

Archie was such a powerful character that he seemed present in the soap long after he was killed off. In particular, he left his stamp on the tragic figure of older daughter Ronnie (Samantha Womack), who was raped by her father as a teenager.

Ronnie seemed to be imprisoned by her father even after his death, just as Lamb took a long time to get rid of the influence of his father.

He remembers the moment when he was stopped (by ex-wife Linda Martin) from behaving like his father towards his son George.

“The most important moment of my life”

“It was the most important moment of my life, when she stopped me dominating that boy,” he says. “Something registered very profoundly and made me realise that she was absolutely right and this was something I needed to act on,” he says.

It was the moment when his own father stopped dominating him. And that was a big deal, because it meant that Lamb then started to develop a healthy, happy relationship with his son, which continues today.

What a contrast Archie Mitchell is with the kind Michael Shipman character in Gavin & Stacey. “It’s like the two sides of me, I suppose, the bad and the good,” he says.

Does he get the blues? “Oh God yeah, yeah, I can get deeply, deeply, darkly depressed. Oh yeah, but you just learn to live with it, you know, I’m an actor, a lot of actors are depressives, you’re as high as a kite and you’re down the bottom of a mineshaft all in the course of a day, that’s the way it is.”

How does he manage it? “You just know that sooner or later the light will appear at the end of the tunnel,” he says.

But having that side to him also helps his acting. “You’ve gotta have that rawness to you to be able to do the job.”

Larry is spearheading a campaign to launch the partnership between Specsavers and Action on Hearing Loss, who together have pledged to test the hearing of one million people over the coming year.

Malaria and hearing loss

by Olivia DeAbreu

Malaria is a life-threatening parasitic disease spread by the bites of infected mosquitoes. There is evidence that suggests that the malaria parasite called ‘falciparum’ is a potential cause of hearing loss.

Antimalarial drugs should be taken before, during and after a visit to an area where malaria is common.

Make sure that you understand how and when to take your tablets. It is vital that you finish the course of tablets when you get home to make sure that you are properly protected, because not doing so could put you at risk of developing a hearing loss.

If you are about to travel to an area where malaria is common, please do consult your GP.

Making a difference with our Hear to Meet projects

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:17:30 +0100

In the lead up to Make a Difference Day, Action on Hearing Loss is asking everyone to get involved and host a M.A.D.D Hatter’s Tea Party in their area to bring people together who may be feeling lonely or isolated. Tackling loneliness and isolation is at the core of our work at Action on Hearing Loss and so in the lead up Make a Difference Day 2011, we're calling for people to volunteer or set up their own Hear to Meet session.

Hear to Meet is a pilot project which gives people with hearing loss in the Peterborough area the opportunity to meet up over a cup of tea or coffee and exchange experiences and information. The Hear to Meet clubs are run by a team of volunteers and we have now established clubs in Peterborough town, Whittlesey, Werrington and New England. The Hear to Meet clubs are free to attend and it is sometimes possible to arrange transport for people who need it.

We are always looking to set up more clubs in other areas in and around Peterborough, so when you are planning your M.A.D.D Hatter’s Tea Party in Peterborough, why not carry that on beyond Make a Difference Day and find out how to develop it into another Hear to Meet project?!

Get your tea cups at the ready and introduce people with a hearing loss to your local Hear to Meet project in the Peterborough area and tackle loneliness and isolation in your community. We are always looking for volunteers to help run these projects, so if you want to volunteer or if you’d like to pop along to one of the clubs then we’re Hear to Meet you!

Come along to our Hear to Meet clubs at the following four locations:

Senior Stop, WRVS, 2 Cattle Market, Peterborough, PE1 1TW - Every Monday (except Bank Holidays) from 11.30am-12.30pm
Ivy Leaf Club, 1 Gracious Street, Whittlesey, Peterborough, PE7 1AP - 2nd Tuesday of every month, 10am-11.30am
Sutton Court, Skaters Way, Werrington, PE4 6NB - 1st Friday of every month from 2.30pm-4pm
Shakespeare Centre, Shakespeare Avenue, New England, Peterborough, PE1 3JX - 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month, 11am-12.30pm (Starting October 2011)

We are currently looking for more volunteers to establish Hear to Meet clubs. If you live in the Peterborough area and you are interested in volunteering with us, please get in touch.

For more information, please contact:

Sue Warner
Hear to Meet Project Coordinator,
Action on Hearing Loss,
1 Haddonbrook Business Centre,
Orton Southgate,
Peterborough
PE2 6YX

Tel/ textphone: 01733 363903
Fax: 01733 232785

Email: sue.warner@hearingloss.org.uk

No pushover

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:20:01 +0100

The legendary former Conservative politician and Strictly Come Dancing star Ann Widdecombe reveals all to Richard Price

Ann Widdecombe did not know what had happened to her one night back in September 2002. She woke up to find the entire room spinning around, and it wouldn’t stop. She panicked and thought she was having a stroke.

And so for the first time in her life, she called a doctor in the middle of the night – although being Ann Widdecombe and not an ordinary mortal, she only called her GP surgery’s emergency number and not 999.

It turned out she had an ear infection called viral labyrinthitis, although she had to go through a whole battery of tests to be sure it wasn’t her heart, or a stroke, or something else. And she had to stop driving for nine weeks.

“It was really very scary and hugely expensive, because, of course, the one thing I’d never thought to insure myself against was the inability to drive. So I was driven everywhere – it was all I could do – and I walked with a stick so I could keep my balance,” she says.

“My balance was affected very badly indeed. I used to have to hang on to things just to walk along.

“The thing that I really remember affecting me was just trying to cross the road, because you have to turn your head and that could send me flying.

“If your ear is the cause of your balance problems, then turning your head causes all sorts of issues,” she says.

Pushing on

But while most people crumble, Widdecombe pushes on. She cancelled only one week of engagements – and she’s a very busy lady – before returning to her schedule, though she really needed the stick as she was so shaky.

About three weeks after the attack, when she felt a little better, Widdecombe went shopping. Hands full of carrier bags, no longer using her stick, she jumped on to the top of an escalator.

It was a horrible sensation – she thought she would go flying. “I really thought I was going headfirst down. I really, seriously thought I was a goner and nine years on I can remember it as if it were yesterday,” she says.

“I dropped the carriers and grabbed the sides [of the escalator]. At least I had the right instincts to save myself, not the shopping!” she says.

The labyrinthitis lasted six months. “It was horrible – absolutely horrible,” Widdecombe recalls. “It hits the balance mainly, so you can’t stand up straight when it’s at its height.

“And it’s a very uncertain thing. Some [infections] clear up in 10 days, and some are there two years later.”

Widdecombe says she could not have managed to go on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing, as she memorably did in 2010, though she did go on Fit Club, an ITV programme where overweight celebrities tried to lose weight for charity. She discovered something unexpected.

“They detected a hearing loss,” she says. Her hearing loss is mild: she does not require hearing aids, though finds it difficult to manage background noise at parties.

“It is so easy”

But she feels strongly about the importance of people checking their hearing.

“Ears are like eyes – we only tend to get them checked when we can’t avoid noticing there’s something wrong. We all have that moment when we pick up a telephone directory and realise we can’t read the numbers,” she says.

“But it is so easy to have a hearing check now. It’s very quick and extremely simple.”

This June, Widdecombe launched our campaign to get Britons testing their hearing more regularly.

For the campaign, which was supported by BT, she was photographed wearing false ears and holding a giant red telephone.

In the same way that she was happy to go on Strictly despite not being a natural dancer, there is no question that she is a good sport.

Her critics argue that she is not the cuddly national treasure as some like to portray her. After all, this was the woman who, as prisons minister in 1996, defended the government policy of shackling pregnant prisoners with handcuffs and chains while attending hospital to give birth.

She opposes equal rights for gay people and has used her vote in parliament to express this on many occasions.

But whatever one thinks of Ann Widdecombe’s views, there is no doubting her commitment to certain causes.

She says she’s been interested in hearing loss throughout her career, going back to early work with HiKent, a charity for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

One of the first research papers she wrote was on hearing aids. “In those days the public sector [only] had about two different hearing aids, while the private sector had about 22,” she says – unlike now, when the NHS offers a range.

“I suddenly realised Jack Ashley was hearing me”

In parliament, she remembers turning towards Jack Ashley (former MP, now Lord Ashley, our president) when she spoke, so that he could lipread her easily.

“He was absolutely stone deaf, couldn’t hear a word, and then after he’d gone to the House of Lords he had a cochlear implant. And one day I nearly fell over backwards because I suddenly realised Jack Ashley was hearing me rather than lipreading,” she says.

“Ye gods, if you’ve not heard a sound for years it must be a miraculous experience.”

She herself is not concerned about the prospect of getting hearing aids in the future, should she need them.

“When the time comes for me to have a hearing aid fitted I won’t shy away. I will, no doubt, have some bespoke arrangement that will look odd but will suit me.

“It wouldn’t worry me. The world already thinks I’m eccentric enough, so I might as well add a little bit more to it.”

Additional writing by Alice Lagnado.

Find out more here about how Ann Widdecombe is backing our Hearing Check.

Labyrinthitis – what is it?

The labyrinth (fluid-filled channels in the inner ear) gives the brain information about head movement to help us balance. An infection here is called labyrinthitis. Symptoms can include dizziness, vertigo and loss of balance; feeling sick or vomiting; headache or neck pain; uncontrollable flickering of the eyes; tinnitus (noises in your ears/head); and hearing loss. Labyrinthitis can be caused by a virus, or more rarely by a bacterial infection. It is most common among people aged 30-60. Your body can usually fight off the infection within a few days, but it can last longer or return again. Medication can sometimes be prescribed to reduce the symptoms. Usually, hearing and balance return to normal. Very occasionally, labyrinthitis is more serious, and causes permanent hearing loss and problems with balance.

This article is also published in the Action on Hearing Loss magazine.

If you would like to read more news, interviews and features linked to hearing loss, you can become a member of Action on Hearing Loss.

Grant boosts charity's funding of pioneering age-related hearing loss study

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:09:11 +0100

A pioneering research project funded by Action on Hearing Loss – formerly RNID – at the University of Sheffield has received a substantial funding boost from the Masonic Samaritan Fund (external link, opens in new window).

The £25,429 donation from the Masonic Samaritan Fund will be funding research led by Dr Walter Marcotti at the university’s Department of Biomedical Science which is undertaking work to increase understanding of progressive age-related hearing loss.

Research Programme Manager at Action on Hearing Loss, Dr Rachel Baker, says: “Hearing loss affects more than 10 million people in the UK – including 55% of people over 60 – and this figure will increase to 14.5 million by 2031. We’re grateful to the Masonic Samaritan Fund for their generous grant, which we’re allocating to Dr Marcotti’s research whose study is increasing our understanding of progressive hearing loss and could lay the foundations for developing gene therapy treatments in the future.”

John McCrohan, Grants Director of the Masonic Samaritan Fund, says: “The research that Dr Marcotti and his team are undertaking could prove vital in developing a better understanding of progressive hearing loss. The Masonic Samaritan Fund is encouraged by the successes that Dr Marcotti has already achieved in this area and the commitment shown by Action on Hearing Loss to date. We hope that our grant can help to lay the foundations for future genetic therapies that will stop or cure this form of hearing loss.”

Dr Walter Marcotti says: “Progressive hearing loss affects a large proportion of the human population, including new born and young children. Despite the relevance of this problem, very little is currently known regarding the genetic basis of progressive hearing loss. Our research has provided new and exciting results that further our understanding of auditory development, as well as possible molecular targets for the development of future therapies.”

RNID has become Action on Hearing Loss because the new name better represents the full scope of the charity’s life-changing work for people with all forms of hearing loss, as well as reaching out to those at risk of losing their hearing.

For information about how Action on Hearing Loss is funding biomedical research to develop treatments to improve the everyday lives of people with hearing loss, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/biomedicalresearch

- ENDS -

Contact for general media enquiries:

Senior PR Officer at Action on Hearing Loss, Alan Dalziel, telephone: 020 7296 8388 or email: alan.dalziel@hearingloss.org.uk

Notes to editors:

High resolution jpeg images of the Masonic Samaritan Fund with Dr Walter Marcotti and Dr Rachel Baker at the University of Sheffield are available.
Action on Hearing Loss is the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced – and where people value and look after their hearing.
For further information about Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk, contact the Action on Hearing Loss Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@hearingloss.org.uk.
With nearly 24,000 students from 131 countries, the University of Sheffield is one of the UK’s leading and largest universities. A member of the Russell Group, it has a reputation for world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. The University has won four Queen’s Anniversary Prizes (1998, 2000, 2002, 2007). These prestigious awards recognise outstanding contributions by universities and colleges to the United Kingdom’s intellectual, economic, cultural and social life. Sheffield also boasts five Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and many of its alumni have gone on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence around the world. The University’s research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls Royce, Unilever, Boots, AstraZeneca, GSK, ICI, Slazenger, and many more household names, as well as UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations. The University has well-established partnerships with a number of universities and major corporations, both in the UK and abroad. Its partnership with Leeds and York Universities in the White Rose Consortium has a combined research power greater than that of either Oxford or Cambridge. For further information, please visit www.sheffield.ac.uk.

Charity calls on government to remove major barriers stopping people taking action on hearing loss

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:16:08 +0100

UK charity Action on Hearing Loss – formerly RNID – called on government yesterday (Tuesday 14 June 2011) to remove the 'major barriers' within the health system that stand in the way of people taking action on their hearing loss, and to prioritise hearing loss in line with other major health issues.

In a report entitled 'Hearing Matters', launched yesterday, Action on Hearing Loss presented the scale and impact of hearing loss in the UK, and set out its vision, part of which is a demand for GPs to recognise the crucial importance of diagnosing hearing loss at an early stage – and to dramatically increase their audiology referral rates for patients reporting hearing difficulties.

Action on Hearing Loss chief executive, Jackie Ballard said: “Our research shows that 76% of people agree that having a hearing loss can have a massive effect on someone’s life. Other research reveals that 45% of people who needed to be referred to an audiologist by their GP were turned away the first time. This must change.

“Hearing loss is a major public health issue, affecting now more than 10 million people in the UK – one in six of the population. As our population ages, this number will grow and, by 2031, this figure will reach 14.5 million. We’re calling on government to commit to a national strategy for dealing with hearing loss, and to prioritise it in line with other major health issues, such as dementia.”

Hearing Matters – supported by their new partners, Specsavers – was officially launched by Action on Hearing Loss at a reception at the Houses of Parliament, where Health Minister, Paul Burstow, and other MPs were urged to acknowledge that current approaches to hearing loss and audiology do not work for an ageing population.

Health Minister, Paul Burstow, said: “The Government wants health outcomes in this country to be amongst the best in the world. For us to achieve this ambition for people with hearing loss, we need to give them more choice and access to treatment and support.

“For a hundred years, the RNID has done so much for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. With its renewed focus on action on hearing loss, reflected in its change of name, I am sure this valued organisation will continue to achieve great things in the years to come. I look forward to seeing what work we can do together to deliver the best that we can for the millions of people living with hearing loss.”

Action on Hearing Loss is currently developing alternative models for delivering hearing services which will be presented to government officials later this year. The charity wants to ensure hearing services are ‘de-medicalised’ and people-centred so that patients have greater choice on how they address their hearing loss and have more convenient access to services within their local communities.

Please check out Hearing Matters section to read more, including stories from the report.

- ENDS -

Contact for general media enquiries:

Senior PR Officer at Action on Hearing Loss, Alan Dalziel, telephone: 020 7296 8388 or email: alan.dalziel@hearingloss.org.uk

Notes to editors:

Highlights of the Hearing Matters report include:
a. By 2030, the World Health Organisation would rank hearing loss in the top 10 disease burdens in high- and middle-income countries.
b. Significant underinvestment in hearing research and a lack of progress in translating scientific discoveries into commercial treatments are holding us back. In 2010, The UK spent £1.34 on research into hearing loss for every person affected. This compares to £14.21 for sight loss, £21.31 for diabetes, and £49.71 for cardiovascular research.
c. It takes, on average, 10 years for people from recognising a hearing loss to taking action. It’s important that people take action quickly because they can benefit from hearing aids sooner and be less likely to experience unnecessary isolation, which can lead to depression. The Action on Hearing Loss hearing check www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/check is an easy way for people to take the first steps to addressing their hearing loss.
d. There are currently four million people in the UK who would benefit from wearing a hearing aid, but have yet to do anything about it. Action on Hearing Loss wants to remove the barriers to treatment, and the stigma of hearing loss, to enable these people to take action and live their lives to the full.
e. A further four million young people in the UK are at risk of avoidable hearing damage from amplified music, but the government and educators are failing to recognise the magnitude of the issue.
f. Referral of adults with hearing loss to sensory, social care and other rehabilitation services is ad hoc and sometimes completely lacking. Key services and support such as lipreading classes are also at risk of decline.
Action on Hearing Loss is the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced – and where people value and look after their hearing.
The Hearing Matters report is supported by Action on Hearing Loss’s new partners, Specsavers.
For further information about Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk, contact the Action on Hearing Loss Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@hearingloss.org.uk.

A plain silence

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:45:37 +0100

The Archbishop of Canterbury talks to Alice Lagnado about raising awareness of hearing loss

Visiting the Archbishop of Canterbury is a curious experience. The door to Lambeth Palace, on the south bank of the Thames opposite Parliament, where he lives and works, is not strongly advertised. There is, if you look closely, a tiny notice the size of two postcards telling you that this is the place. Then you see that next to the tiny notice is a door, and on the door is a knocker, which you have to lift up and strike hard, before a security guard opens up to reveal the beginning of nine acres of beautiful green. It is a kind of Wonderland, hidden in the centre of London.

Inside, we come back down to earth. The Palace is a busy, worldly operation. A noticeboard inside the press office lists the Archbishop’s appointments for the day. ‘Nine a.m. Deaf.’ it says at the top. It’s exciting to be on his list of appointments, which range from visiting churches in Africa, to marrying Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey. Dr Rowan Williams has an extremely packed schedule, so it’s extra impressive that he has managed to find time for us.

But perhaps one of the reasons for that is his genuine wish to make the church accessible to all, including those with a hearing loss.

“I think what we need to be encouraging people towards is what I call an attitude of plain welcome. You want a conversation − you make it possible,” he says.

“And whether that’s on the individual or the social level, I think the same holds. If society wants to have a conversation with some of its citizens, it has to make it possible.”

I suppose he’s talking about inclusion, I venture. “Yes, of course. And it’s certainly an added isolating factor for so many older people.

“And given that older citizens in society can quite easily feel isolated, this just can turn into another downward spiral – [and the hearing person thinks] ‘Well, it’s going to be difficult for me to have a conversation with anybody. It’s too much work for me to try, too much work for them to try,’ and so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of isolation.”

Dr Williams is also familiar with the way people can be dismissed due to their hearing loss. “There’s the assumption that you’re stupid if you can’t hear because if you say something, then don’t get the response you expect, you may very well think someone else is being stupid or obstructive or whatever, and that’s a major issue. When people say ‘are you deaf?’ because something hasn’t got through, that illustrates what you were saying about stigma, really.”

Dr Williams has a particular reason to consider the needs and wishes of those with hearing loss: he lost the hearing in his left ear at the age of two, due to meningitis.

“I think it took me a while to realise that I wasn’t actually hearing everything if I sat in the back row,” he says of his school years.

He soon moved to the front row in school to hear better, and had to develop the habit of twisting his head round to hear people speaking on the ‘wrong’ side.

“I can remember actually at school somebody, a child, shouting, ‘Are you deaf?’ at me when I failed to respond to something – and I said, ‘Well yes, actually, on this side I am!’ ” and he laughs at the memory.

Hearing loss in one ear only can also make it more difficult to identify which direction sounds are coming from, says our audiology specialist, Crystal Rolfe.

Today, we get many letters from people about their experience in church − many positive, some negative. So how can the church improve accessibility for worshippers with hearing loss?

Dr Williams, who is now 60, thinks this is partly a matter of increasing awareness among the clergy. Levels of awareness of hearing loss among the clergy are “not bad, but not brilliant,” he says. “Awareness needs to be raised.”

The Archbishop became familiar with the work of a Mission to the Deaf − one of the societies set up by the church many years ago − while working as Bishop of Monmouth, Wales, in the 1990s. And he learned that the best way to encourage better attitudes and decrease stigma was to raise awareness of the challenges people with hearing loss face.

“I have seen things change when people are exposed to the reality,” he says. “I invited one person to join a supervisory committee for deaf people and after spending a few weeks with them, he said he had had no idea [how things were for them],” he says. This kind of approach works better than new rules, he thinks. “In our context that’s probably more effective than introducing a new level of compliance.”

One chaplain the Archbishop worked with in Wales learned British Sign Language (BSL) in order to work effectively with churchgoers who were BSL users. She also visited other parishes to talk about her work − again, raising awareness, gently.

Dr Williams’ own hearing loss has made him more aware of other people’s. He’s used to the signs that people can’t hear well, such as the tilting of the head or cupping hands to ears or the occasional ‘switching off’, “but that may have something to do with what I’m saying, rather than anything else,” he laughs.

He does not complain for a moment about his hearing loss, even if he admits that he cannot, to his somewhat wistful regret, ride a bicycle due to balance problems. But there’s little time for talk of bicycles, since our 20 minutes is up, and the Archbishop has to get back to his desk

And what a desk! It is covered from edge to edge by neatly arranged piles of books. It’s hard to see any space where he might be able to write. But in answer to a question about the state of his workspace he gives, without a pause, a wonderfully classic reply. “But I know where everything is!” This tiny episode just serves to underline the Archbishop’s humanity.

While some may argue that he is a little too much of a scholar for his very public role, Dr Williams is certainly not the kind of academically-minded person who is chilly, humourless, or unable to communicate with people. After all, a man without a sense of fun would surely take down the photomontage of him from Private Eye, decked out as a pretend contestant for Strictly Come Dancing, displayed on the wall of his press office.

Read more about meningitis and hearing loss in our factsheet Losing your hearing suddenly.

This article is also published in the Action on Hearing Loss magazine. If you would like to read more news, interviews and features linked to hearing loss, you can become a member of Action on Hearing Loss.

Ann Widdecombe backs the Action on Hearing Loss hearing check

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:36:43 +0100

Free online hearing check campaign launched as new research shows that four out of ten people say their hearing is getting worse

Former politician and Strictly Come Dancing star Ann Widdecombe will today launch a campaign from the charity Action on Hearing Loss, supported by BT, to encourage people to get their hearing checked.

Ten million people in the UK are either deaf or hard of hearing and a new study released today by Action on Hearing Loss, formerly RNID, shows that 43% of us believe our hearing is getting worse, yet the same amount have never had a hearing check.

One in ten people say they are too embarrassed to have a hearing check, while a third say if they found out they were losing their hearing they would suffer in silence and refuse to wear a hearing aid.

As part of a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of regular checking, BT is encouraging people to visit Action on Hearing Loss's website for a free and simple online hearing test, www.actionhearingloss.org.uk/hearingcheck. It will also launch its own guide to hearing health at www.bt.com/hearinghealth.

While the fear and stigma of hearing loss and the perception that it only affects older generations seems to be stopping many of us from having our hearing checked, for others the reasons are simpler. Nearly 50% say they haven’t had their hearing checked because they don't know where to go, while a fifth say they have never had time to do so.

Action on Hearing Loss chief executive Jackie Ballard says: "Many people don't realise how important their hearing is in their everyday lives, until they start to lose it. On average, people take 10 years to deal with their hearing loss. We urge people to take our check today, so that you can start addressing any hearing loss and ensure you don’t miss out on leading a fulfilling and active life."

Ann Widdecombe said: "I’m delighted to support the Action for Hearing Loss campaign. My career has depended upon hearing everything that’s being said, so I urge everyone to get their hearing checked. It's especially important to get your hearing tested if you know you’ve got a problem. Don’t bury your head in the sand. It's better to take action now, as there is support available."

Warren Buckley, Managing Director, BT Retail, Customer Services: "Hearing loss affects so many of us to a greater or lesser degree but for so many it's an 'embarrassing illness'. BT wants to combat this by helping to raise awareness that it affects so many, how you can prevent it getting worse and how you can conveniently find out if it affects you.

"As well as helping to raise awareness of Action on Hearing Loss's hearing check and our own hearing health site on bt.com, we’ll be encouraging BT people to test their hearing and encourage their friends and family to do so too. BT volunteers will be taking part in Deaf Awareness Week and Action on Hearing Loss will be using the BT Tower for events that will further raise awareness of this important issue."

Contact for general media enquiries:

Rohini Simbodyal, PR Officer, telephone: 020 7296 8274 / 07814 178740 or email: rohini.simbodyal@hearingloss.org.uk

Notes to editors:

Action on Hearing Loss is the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced – and where people value and look after their hearing.
For further information about Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk, contact the Action on Hearing Loss Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@hearingloss.org.uk.

Blow for deafened factory workers

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:20:39 +0100

Britain’s Supreme Court has refused to endorse a Court of Appeal ruling on noise-induced hearing loss, in a case which may deter thousands of people from taking similar claims to court. By Alice Lagnado

The Supreme Court’s ruling this April centred on whether textile factories in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire should be held liable for hearing loss suffered by employees before January 1990.

It focused on the case of Stephanie Baker, who has hearing loss and tinnitus after working in different factories for 20 years.

Directives from the European Union would now protect workers such as Baker from moderate noise exposure over long periods of time.

The case focused on what the law required employers to do years ago, when Baker was exposed.

The Supreme Court held that those judges who held that the employers should have done more were dependent to a significant degree on hindsight, and therefore placed an undue burden on employers.

For people deafened due to excessive noise at work, the legal situation has now become more complicated, and compensation claims may be harder to win.

John Hendy QC, who represented Baker, said: “The very purpose of the legislation is to protect workers and this ruling seems to lessen that protection.”

Baker’s solicitor Terry Regan, Head of Personal Injury and Medical Negligence at Sheffield law firm Wake Smith, said: “It will take some time for the wider significance of this ruling to be fully appreciated, but this judgment sends a signal.

“The question employers may now be asking is ‘how do I comply with guidelines?’, rather than ‘what do I need to do to protect my employees?’ ”

The Supreme Court’s decision will deter workers who suffered hearing loss after working for long periods at noise levels of 85-90 decibels before 1990, when new Noise at Work regulations came into force.

But it will please the insurance industry, who will probably be saved millions of pounds in claims.

Medical experts had proved that Baker’s hearing loss and tinnitus are attributable to her factory work, and this was recognised by both sides in court.

She was awarded £3,334 compensation by the Court of Appeal in 2009. Then, it was successfully argued that the average employer should have known that noise levels of 85 decibels and above were not safe, and that hearing protection should have been supplied to workers after 1978.

But the Supreme Court took the view that the bar should not be set too high for employers.

It overturned the Court of Appeal’s ruling, and Baker’s compensation was not awarded.

For people deafened due to excessive noise at work, access to justice seems to have been worsened by this ruling.

But it is also clear that the law is divided. The Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision by three judges was overturned by a split decision of 3:2 in the Supreme Court.

So out of the nine judges who heard Baker’s case, five senior judges agreed with her – three at the Court of Appeal and two at the Supreme Court.

Some 17,000 people in the UK suffer deafness, ringing in the ears or other ear conditions caused by excessive noise at work, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

“Just not fair”

The daughter of two factory workers, Stephanie Baker started work at a Nottinghamshire factory at the age of 15, packing tights into cardboard boxes.

In 2000, she saw her GP after experiencing ringing in her ears, which turned out to be tinnitus. Since then, she has suffered constant tinnitus – ringing and whistling sounds – bad enough to stop her sleeping properly.

Tinnitus, which is often a relentless ringing or buzzing in the ears, can affect people significantly, causing, in the worst cases, profound distress and depression. No cure is yet known.

In 2003, her partner noticed that she was turning up the volume on the television; a hearing test showed her hearing had deteriorated.

Baker, now, 54 and a laundry and domestic worker in a care home after the factory where she last worked closed down in 2001, has spent eight years fighting her case in courts around the country. “Standing up in court was horrible,” she says.

“It’s just not fair, is it? I think if folk read this story, it’ll put them off going for anything. I am young to lose my hearing – and nothing’s going to improve with age.”

What does she think of the judges’ final decision? “I’m not very happy about it. I don’t think it’s very nice. They don’t have to live with it.

“If I’d have known, I wouldn’t have gone to work in a factory to start with.”

If you are worried that you are exposed to too much noise at work, you can visit www.hse.gov.uk/noise

Diplomat fights on

An appeal against the decision to withdraw an overseas posting from deaf diplomat Jane Cordell was heard in London on 16 June.

Cordell, 45, lost her employment tribunal against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) last year. It was ruled that the costs of arranging lipspeakers for her in a new posting as Deputy Head of Mission (deputy ambassador) in Kazakhstan were too high.

A decision on the appeal is expected in coming months.

Jane Cordell lipreads. She uses specially trained lipspeakers at work to provide access to what others say.

Under UK law, employers must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for employees who are deaf or have any other disability. But what constitutes a reasonable adjustment is a slightly grey area, and the FCO managed to argue the costs were too high. Cordell contests this view.

The FCO pays for other incidental costs for its diplomatic corps posted abroad. For example, it does, on occasion, pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for the children of diplomats to be educated at boarding schools in the UK while their parents are posted abroad.

Jane Cordell is currently on a year’s unpaid leave from the FCO, and working for us as Head of Access, Training and Consultancy.

By Alice Lagnado

This is a longer version of an article that first appeared in our magazine. If you want to read more news, interviews and features linked to hearing loss, you can become a member of Action on Hearing Loss. Read the Action on Hearing Loss magazine for more details.

Retina holds the key to better vision for deaf people

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:43:57 +0100

Research, funded by RNID – Action on Hearing Loss at the University of Sheffield, and published on the 1 June 2011 in the journal PlosONE , suggests that the retina of adults who are either born deaf or have an onset of deafness within the very first years of life actually develops differently to hearing adults in order for it to be able to capture more peripheral visual information.

Retinal imaging data

Using retinal imaging data and correlating this with measures of peripheral vision sensitivity, a team led by Dr Charlotte Codina and Dr David Buckley from the University's Academic Unit of Ophthalmology and Orthoptics, have shown that the retinal neurones in deaf people appear to be distributed differently around the retina to enable them to capture more peripheral visual information. This means that in deaf people, the retinal neurones prioritise the temporal peripheral visual field, which is what a person can see in their furthest peripheral vision, i.e. towards your ears.

Previous research has shown that deaf people are able to see further into the visual periphery than hearing adults, although it was thought the area responsible for this change was the visual cortex, which is the area of the brain that is particularly dedicated to processing visual information. This research shows, for the first time, that additional changes appear to be occurring much earlier in visual processing than the visual cortex - even beginning at the retina. The research also found an enlarged neuroretinal rim area in the optic nerve which shows that deaf people have more neurones transmitting visual information than hearing.

Findings

The findings were collected after the experts used a non-invasive technique called ocular coherence tomography (or OCT) to scan the retina. OCT works in a similar manner to ultrasound but uses light interference as opposed to sound interference. Using this technique, it was possible to map the depth of retinal architecture including the depth of the neurone layer (retinal nerve fibre layer depth) and dimensions of the components of the optic nerve.

All adults involved in the research were either severely/profoundly deaf or hearing and had their pupils dilated just before the retinal scans were taken. On a separate visit, the participants had their visual fields measured in either eye to compare the retinal scan information with visual behaviour. The changes in retinal distribution were significantly correlated with the level of advantage individuals were showing in their peripheral vision.

What the researcher have to say

Dr Charlotte Codina says: "The retina has been highly doubted previously as being able to change to this degree, so these results which show an adaptation to the retina in the deaf really challenge previous thinking. This is the first time the retina has been considered as a possibility for the visual advantage in deaf people, so the findings have implications for the way in which we understand the retina to work. Our hope is that as we understand the retina and vision of deaf people better, we can improve visual care for deaf people, the sense which is so profoundly important to them."

Dr Ralph Holme, Head of Biomedical Research at RNID - Action on Hearing loss, says: "The better peripheral vision experienced by people who are deaf, in comparison to those who hear, has significant benefits for their everyday lives – including the ability to quickly spot hazards at the boundaries of their view. This research substantially improves our understanding of how changes in the retina create this advantage, and could help researchers identify ways to further enhance this essential sense for people who are born deaf."

For information about RNID - Action on Hearing Loss's Translational Research Initiative for Hearing (TRIH), which is bringing scientists, pharmaceutical companies, funding bodies and private investors together to accelerate clinical trials to develop new medicines to prevent and treat hearing loss or tinnitus, visit www.trih.org

For media enquiries:

Shemina Davis, Media Relations Officer at University of Sheffield, on telephone: 0114 2225339 or email: shemina.davis@sheffield.ac.uk

Alan Dalziel, Senior PR Officer at RNID – Action on Hearing Loss, telephone: 020 7296 8388 or email: alan.dalziel@rnid.org.uk

Notes to editors:

The research was carried out by Dr Charlotte Codina and Dr David Buckley from the Academic Unit of Ophthalmology and Orthoptics, University of Sheffield; Chris Mody, Peter Toomey, Jill Rose, Laura Gummer, Department of Ophthalmic Imaging, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust; and Dr Olivier Pascalis from the Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition at the Université Pierre Mendes France, Grenoble, France
To read the full paper entitled 'Visual Advantage in Deaf Adults Linked to Retinal Changes' visit: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0020417
To read other news releases about the University of Sheffield, visit http://www.shef.ac.uk/mediacentre
The research was sponsored by RNID – Action on Hearing Loss, the UK charity that takes action on hearing loss. We do this with the help of our members by campaigning and lobbying, raising awareness of deafness and hearing loss, providing services and through social, medical and technical research.
For further information about RNID – Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.rnid.org.uk, contact our Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@rnid.org.uk

RNID Action on Hearing Loss urge Ministers to protect essential equality law

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:32:09 +0100

As part of its 'Red Tape Challenge', the Government is consulting the public on whether the Equality Act, which came into force just last year, should be scrapped to "free up business and society from the burden of excessive regulation".

RNID – Action on Hearing Loss has written to Equalities Ministers to urge the Government to re-think their decision to consider axing the Equality Act, which could leave the 9 million people in the UK who are deaf or hard of hearing experiencing more unfair treatment and reduced levels of service in their everyday lives.

Chief Executive of RNID – Action on Hearing Loss, Jackie Ballard says: "The Equality Act reduced the complexity of previous equality regulations, by streamlining them into one comprehensive act and we're very concerned that it is now under threat less than a year after coming into force.

"The Government hasn't provided any information about the purpose and positive impacts of the Equality Act in their consultation so it appears to be an one-sided view of the legislation. The consultation also appears to be misleading because most of the equality laws in the UK are protected by European law and therefore cannot be removed or substantially changed."

Contact for general media enquiries:

Rohini Simbodyal, PR Officer, telephone: 020 7296 8274 or email: rohini.simbodyal@rnid.org.uk

Notes for editors:

RNID – Action on Hearing Loss is the UK charity that takes action on hearing loss. We do this with the help of our members by campaigning and lobbying, raising awareness of deafness and hearing loss, providing services and through social, medical and technical research.
For further information about RNID – Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.rnid.org.uk contact our Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@rnid.org.uk
To view the Government's 'Red Tape Challenge' website please click on the following link: http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/home/index/

RNID chief executive Jackie Ballard's Twitter Q&A on our rebrand

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:42:53 +0100

Question 27

kalireads Why not ask RNID members for inspired ideas (on top of existing ideas)? Could come up with something as good as SCOPE #rnidlivechat

RNID @kalireads We asked members for idea, over 200 responses received #rnidlivechat

Question 28

paulbharrison @RNID Success for what? There seems to be a general view within the deaf community that RNID has neglect them with loss of vital services

RNID @paulbharrison Our biggest service area is care and support for profoundly deaf people, we do much less for hard of hearing #rnidlivechat

Question 29

tomsteel @RNID Hi Jackie - IHow your new brand be reflected on your website - what plans do you have for your online work?

RNID @tomsteel We will have new website, new online presence in other media - launch next June #rnidlivechat

Question 30

macmillancancer @RNID ah thank you very much. That is very kind of you :-)

RNID @macmillancancer I only speak the truth! #rnidlivechat

Question 31

kalireads @RNID You did and I responded, but that asked for reactions to existing ideas rather than brainstorming brilliant new ones #rnidlivechat

RNID @kalireads We asked for ideas in One in Seven, before we researched the list you may have seen #rnidlivechat

Question 32

DementiaUK @RNID How do your supporters feel about spending money that could be used for services on a rebrand? #rnidlivechat

RNID @DementiaUK The majority of members who wrote to me were in favour of rebrand, and majority in our research #rnidlivechat

And finally...

RNID Sorry, time to go folks. Sorry my computer really slow today - it needs a holiday or to be dropped from a tall building! #rnidlivechat

RNID Champion Volunteer Awards

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:42:43 +0100

At RNID, we believe in a world where deafness or hearing loss do not limit or determine opportunity. To realise this, RNID relies on its volunteers. Our volunteers embody the values that we hold so highly and to show our appreciation, we are launching our annual Volunteer Award Scheme.

In 2011, we will be hosting both regional and national awards and we want you to nominate the individuals who you believe make a real difference.

The awards are open for nominations from 3 January and will close on 31 March, with the actual award ceremonies will taking place in early June. Don’t miss out!

The categories include:

Champions the cause – remembers at all times that RNID strives to create a world where deafness or hearing loss do not limit or determine opportunity and where people value their hearing.
Builds trust – creates an environment of trust through communicating in an open and honest way.
Inspires leadership – leads by example and encourages leadership in others.
Promotes teamwork – promotes collaboration and teamwork across RNID.
Champions the brand – makes the most of opportunities to gain positive exposure for RNID.
Delivers results – provides a service that meets or surpasses the expectations of internal and external customers.

We will also be awarding the Lifetime Achievement in Volunteering award.

If you know a volunteer who represents any of these values, then please recognise their efforts and nominate them for a Champion Volunteer Award.

RNID Audiologist Crystal Rolfe on the BBC Radio 2 Jeremy Vine show

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:42:28 +0100

You can listen to the show on BBC iPlayer - The tinnitus discussion starts about 33 minutes in.

The below is a transcript of the discussion.

Jeremy Vine: A pensioner from Essex was so tormented by the sound of screaming in his ears that he shot himself in the head. Roy Sullivan from Nazeing had been suffering from severe tinnitus, a terrible condition, when he took his own life in January. At the inquest in Chelmsford yesterday his wife Eileen told the court, ‘all he wanted was some peace and quiet’. Tinnitus is a condition that can leave you with a constant ringing in your ears, I’m sure you know, and it can drown out everything else, it can be very very loud. Have a listen to this and see how long you can bear it before you want to turn the radio down.

[Tinnitus simulation]

Now that white noise is what someone with tinnitus may hear every minute of the day. And if that wasn’t bad enough, hears another example of what tinnitus sufferers might be putting up with.

[Tinnitus simulation]

Or can you imagine this banging noise, like the neighbours are doing DIY when you are trying to sleep? This is tinnitus as well.

[Tinnitus simulation]

The British Tinnitus Association provided us with those sounds, just to try and give us all some idea of what it can be like. It’s almost like torture. In a moment we’ll find out more about the condition from the audiology specialist with the RNID Action on Hearing Loss, first of all though let’s speak to a man who can understand what this pensioner who committed suicide went through. Andy Sheack is from Welling in Hertfordshire, and you’ve got this tinnitus in your ears, is it both ears Andy?

Guest 1: Yes Jeremy it is. It started, I used to be a musician many many years ago, 19 years old. A big acoustic trauma in a studio set off a raging tinnitus in my ears, and also another condition which was traumatic to say the least because it finished my career, I couldn’t stand noise. But the tinnitus has remained with me for the past 35 years, I’m 55 now.

Jeremy Vine: Wow, well you were 19. So you were wearing some headphones I gather were you?

Guest 1: No, I wasn’t. It was from a large monitor speaker in this rehearsal studio.

Jeremy Vine: Oh, ok. And somebody put some very loud sound through it?

Guest 1: Yeah, a big feedback, a big whistling noise.

Jeremy Vine: And just one big, big blast of that was enough to, what, block out an ear drum, is that what it physically does?

Guest 1: No, it causes damage in the inner ear. It’s not a physical condition as such, it’s the high level of noise that’s generated excites the nerve ending in the inner ear, and it can vary. It can come, it can go, it can be with you all the time, mine’s with me all the time but it doesn’t bother me any more unless I go somewhere where its very noisy and I don’t have my hearing protection with me.

Jeremy Vine: Just before we talk about how you dealt with it, describe how bad it got, cos I know you say you were 19, and the first 6 months of it were hell.

Guest1: Absolutely, yeah. If you can imagine, I mean its very interesting, you’ve just played those sounds and mine are nothing like that. Mine are like whistling noises, but several at a time, and they move around my head. When it’s bad it’s just completely consuming, you can’t focus or concentrate on anything else, it’s a nightmare.

Jeremy Vine: Did it get you in to despair? Because I know this pensioner had gone through depression over it.

Guest1: Yes, I was very lucky, A because I was in the music environment, and although it was a very long time ago, it’s not a new condition. Anyone who’s generally exposed themselves to a lot of noise can experience tinnitus. I mean most people who are going to a gig or a club are going to come out from that venture with ringing ears, but they wake up the next morning and it’s generally gone so they don’t give it a second thought. Unfortunately, prolonged exposure to loud noise can mean that that tinnitus doesn’t necessarily go away.

Jeremy Vine: Tell us about how you address it yourself

Guest 1: Really with support from a very old musician friend of mine, who’s long gone now, but he told me that if I didn’t learn to love it would get the better of me. And I woke up one morning, it was a little bit better than it was the day before, and that was a positive note, and I just, um, maybe I was lucky Jeremy, I don’t know, but I managed to have the tinnitus subside to a level where it became more tolerable.

Jeremy Vine: So rather like when someone has a traumatic even, rather than running from it, they learn to embrace it and accept it, and build around it. It’s almost a psychological approach it?

Guest 1: Yeah, I think there’s a lot of psychology involved, because it’s a subject of sensation, generally, and it’s difficult to pinpoint. It’s difficult to say exactly what causes it, and there are many drugs outside the noise induced tinnitus, that can also be a cause. Ototoxic drugs can be very damaging in terms of creating bad tinnitus.

Jeremy Vine: And you’ve produced a kind of earpiece then that can be used by formula one drivers and anyone else?

Guest 1: Yeah. I couldn’t be a musician, because I couldn’t stand the noise, so I trained to be an audiologist, and I set about developing products that would stop what happened to me happening to other musician, but over the years, you know, we live in a noisy world, so people who drive race cars, people who work in noisy factories, people that go clubbing, anyone who’s exposed to noise should really be aware that they ought really think carefully about protecting their hearing.

Jeremy Vine: Thank you very much Andy. All the best, Andy Sheack from Welling in Hertfordshire. Now we’ve got on the phone Crystal Rolfe, who is an audiology specialist with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, Action on Hearing Loss. Good afternoon to you Crystal.

Guest2: Good afternoon.

Jeremy Vine: So that description from Andy is troubling isn’t it, but he seems to have got a hold on it somehow?

Crystal Rolfe: Yes, and we know about 4.7 million people in the UK have experienced tinnitus, and that’s just the name given to ay noise that you have in your ears or head, ringing, whistling, humming, buzzing. The kind of noises that you were playing on the simulator at the beginning. Most people do learn to live with it, and do learn coping tactics that will help, but we do know that about 5% of adults have tinnitus that they find severely or moderately annoying and it really gives them trouble sleeping. Now you can imagine having that noise in your head when you’re trying to get to sleep, it really can be difficult.

Jeremy Vine: Well I mentioned to Zoe that a very good friend of mine, same age as me, mid 40s, that she has had it in one ear, and the eight weeks ago she woke up and it was in the other ear as well. And she said it’s louder than a rock concert, you know, it is so loud, and I don’t know how she keeps her head together.

Crystal Rolfe: Exactly. There are a lot of coping methods that can help; there are a number of products which can help you, that you can contact RNID to find out more about.

Jeremy Vine: Give us an example.

Crystal Rolfe: So for instance if you’re having trouble sleeping you can have a little thing called a pillow speaker which you pop under your pillow and it plays you a range of different sounds. It can be relaxing sounds, it can be a masking noise, and that way its not disturbing anybody else, and you can just concentrate on those noises rather than your tinnitus sound, if you do have a hearing loss and tinnitus, which many people do, hearing aids also help you to focus on the sounds around you, environmentally, rather than listening to your own noise. Having environmental sound on in the house, a radio, a fan, anything like to distract you from your own tinnitus also will help. But the main thing is that if it’s really really troubling you, especially if the tinnitus is in one ear, or if you have any pain in your ears, you should speak to your GP, and they’ll be able to refer you on to an audiology specialist or an ear nose and throat doctor.

Jeremy Vine: Sure. What about, I saw a report that said they’d done an experiment on rats and gone in and found the receptor that are jangling around and just basically cauterised them, burnt them out so they don’t work any more. Can you do that?

Crystal Rolfe: There’s lots of research going on looking at the causes of tinnitus. RNID is funding a lot of research along those lines at the moment, looking at what causes tinnitus, and how we can develop a cure. And we really hope to see a cure not too long in the future.

Jeremy Vine: Right, what about that, did you see that report, can you comment on that report?

Crystal Rolfe: I can’t comment on that individual report, but there is lots of research going on, that RNID is funding as well, to look at the causes of tinnitus and to find a cure, which is really important.

Jeremy Vine: If you’re sitting next to someone in a train and you can hear the music through their earphones, and they are 28 years old are they going to get it?

Crystal Rolfe: Exactly. Well there’s lots of things that cause tinnitus, and one of the biggest causes is degeneration of the tiny sensory hair like cells in the inner ear, and this degeneration can be caused by the aging process, but if you are exposed to lots of loud noise such as going to clubs, gigs, pubs and playing your MP3 player too loud as you have described those things will all contribute to the degeneration of those little cells and so noise exposure really is the biggest preventable cause of tinnitus.

Jeremy Vine: We know that, but I’m saying if you are sitting next to someone on a train and you can hear their earpiece does that mean it is too loud?

Crystal Rolfe: If you can hear someone else’s music, then yes it is too loud for them

Jeremy Vine: Thank you very much Crystal Rolfe of the RNID.

New signs of advice

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:42:02 +0100

Written and presented by deaf employee and volunteer CAB advisers, the five BSL films have been specially commissioned and designed for the Deaf community. The introduction film offers general information in BSL on how and where to get help at Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales. It gives practical advice on how to make an appointment, what sort of information you need to bring with you to a bureau, and how to get further assistance. The films are accessible through the Citizens Advice website, http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/bsl.htm or on YouTube.

There are also four specific BSL films for clients, each carefully scripted using information based on the Citizens Advice web pages. The four topics were chosen after looking at some of the most common queries from clients. Each film also has a transcript so clients can download the printed information, as well as watching it in BSL.

The topics filmed in BSL are:

debt
benefits
employment – including discrimination at work
discrimination – including shops and services.

Ali Harris, Head of Equality Strategy at Citizens Advice, said:

”The launch comes as part of our continuing commitment to reach all parts of the community, including the two million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK.” The project comes after a successful pilot BSL film was launched in 2008 on the Citizens Advice website www.citizensadvice.org.uk and YouTube.

Ernesto Bueno Del Carpio, who acted as a consultant to the project, and who is a deaf employee adviser at Citizens Advice Wolverhampton, said he was thrilled advice was being offered in BSL. He said:

“Very often Deaf people are too intimidated to go to a bureau because they fear they will have communication problems. While a BSL video does not provide instant advice, it can help start the client in the right direction.”

The project is also launched in a year where Citizens Advice is actively making partnerships with other deaf organisations such as RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) and Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) to use as many pathways to reach the deaf community, such as web cameras for clients to access BSL fluent advisers in different parts of the country. These plans are currently being piloted and are hoped to be rolled out over the next few years.

Citizens Advice will also be distributing a DVD of all the BSL films to all bureaux in England and Wales to assist in giving more people access to the films.

To find the films on the Citizens Advice web pages, please go to:

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index.htm

Direct link to the BSL page:

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/bsl.htm

Jackie Ballard and political commentator Iain Dale give their views on politics and charities

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:41:37 +0100

Join our live Twitter Q&A on Wednesday 20 April, 1.00pm - 2.00pm with Chief Executive Jackie Ballard and political commentator Iain Dale. This promises to be our most exciting Twitter chat yet!

They will be open to any questions about charities in today’s political climate. There are some tough challenges ahead for charities and Jackie and Iain will be covering hot topics such as:

Charities are being asked to take on public sector roles, but how will we fund it? Is it fair?
How much will the personalisation of services affect charities?
We really want your questions and we’re really lucky to have Iain on board for this very special chat! Iain is a radio presenter on LBC 97.3, publisher of Total Politics magazine, MD of Biteback Publishing and has a huge Twitter following. Check him out on http://twitter.com/iaindale.

So please start sending in your questions via Twitter, using the hashtag #rnidchat, or posting them on our Facebook page or email: mediarelations@rnid.org.uk.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Jackie Ballard and charity guru Steve Bridger talk about the future of charities

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:41:27 +0100

Join our live Twitter Q&A on Thursday 20 January, 1.00pm - 2.00pm with Chief Executive Jackie Ballard and charity guru Steve Bridger. This promises to be our most exciting Twitter chat yet!

They will be open to any questions about RNID and the charity sector in today’s recession-hit society. There are some tough challenges ahead for charities and we’ll be talking about hot topics such as:

Charities are being asked to take on public sector roles, but how will we fund it? Is it fair?
Charities are finding fundraising difficult, do we need to change our approach?
How much will the personalisation of services affect charities - is it a good or bad thing?
How should RNID and charities be helping people with disabilities in the future especially with benefits being reviewed and employers cutting jobs?

We really want your input into our most exciting chat to date, and it’s fantastic to have Steve onboard, who specialises in the ways charities communicate. Steve is an award-winning blogger, who’s helped some of the UK’s biggest organisations including the Labour Party, British Heart Foundation and Macmillan Cancer.

So please start sending in your questions via Twitter, using the hashtag #rnidchat, or posting them on our Facebook page or by emailing mediarelations@rnid.org.uk

We look forward to seeing you there!

Jackie Ballard and charity consultant Steve Bridgers live Twitter on charities and the future

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:41:17 +0100

RNID Chief Executive Jackie Ballard and charity consultant Steve Bridger’s live Twitter Q&A on 20 January got a huge response from our online community. The topic of discussion was the future for charities and our followers put across their views and questions in a heated 60 minutes of debate, interest and lots of fun.

If you've not tried Twitter, it's simple to set up, following these steps then become a follower of RNID, keep up with our latest news – and you won’t miss out on our next live Twitter chat!

For those who didn’t join in or did and want to see it again, here’s a full transcript…

RNID Hello. it's Jackie here - pleased to have the guru Steve B @SteveBridger here with me today #rnidchat

stevebridger Hi Everyone. Thanks for stopping by for this #rnidchat. NB I am not a 'guru', as I may be about to prove - but chuffed to be here, too :)

Question 1

BecsG @rnid Do you think free hearing aids on the NHS could be at risk? #rnidchat

RNID @BecsG The message is if you need a hearing aid - get one now, don't leave it in case they stop being free on the NHS one day #rnidchat

Question 2

CrisTiberian @stevebridger @RNID what is the future of user/supporter/beneficiary-generated content?(how)will it be managed/change strategy? #rnidchat

stevebridger @CrisTiberian The challenge will be how orgs weave ugc (& co-created content) around the content created from the centre. Balance #rnidchat

stevebridger @CrisTiberian marketers' roles will evolve from broadcasters to aggregators #rnidchat

RNID @CrisTiberian I think all charities have to seek different ways of reaching supporters, need to ensure all media treated equally #rnidchat

Question 3

paulbharrison @RNID Hi. How can RNID fit in the government's Big Society plans? If key services is cut, will RNID step in the void? #rnidchat

RNID @paulbharrison RNID will not cover up for cuts to statutory services, not sure that Big Society is yet well planned! #rnidchat

Question 4

TimRegency @RNID @SteveBridger Does RNID support the Broken of Britain’s campaign against DLA reform?

RNID @TimRegency I do not know the demands of the B of B campaign, but I have just come out of a meeting with the DWP on DLA reform #rnidchat

RNID @TimRegency We are making an RNID submission to the consultation and have many concerns about the proposals #rnidchat

Question 5

flickmclean @stevebridger @RNID what does the future look like for corporate-charity partnerships? can equal, two-way coexistence be achieved? #rnidchat

RNID @flickmclean We had a brilliant partnership last year with the Co-op - campaigning, fundraising, skill and volunteer sharing #rnidchat

RNID @flickmclean It can be achieved, but needs commitment and hard work on both sides of partnership #rnidchat

stevebridger @flickmclean Personally, I think we may see more entrepreneurs partnering with charities to find solutions together #rnidchat

flickmclean @stevebridger love that idea! entrepreneurs+charity - much like @kiva. #startups come without prejudice, red tape or pessimism #rnidchat

Question 6

mikegodleman @RNID Hi! RNID's plans to improve deaf web access issues? RNIB seem more proactive & often speak at conferences on #accessibilty #rnidchat

RNID @mikegodleman We are launching new website in June - it will be better in access than current site #rnidchat

Question 7

tony_sutton @rnid Ppl donate via internet,phone,SMS but most charities still have not taken advantage of new tech. How can they be encouraged to use it?

RNID @tony_sutton Possibly their fundraisers, supporter engagement teams and techie people need to be talking to each other #rnidchat

Question 8

flickmclean @stevebridger @RNID do you have any tips for a successful corporate-charity partnership in 2011? #rnidchat

RNID @flickmclean Ensure the corporate really understands your cause, talk to each other regularly, invest money and time at start #rnidchat

stevebridger @flickmclean Re corporates again... I think sometimes it can be an unequal partnership. Do not be deflected from yr mission. #rnidchat

flickmclean @stevebridger @RNID absolutely, matching values, goals, visions spurs synergy. It creates an inclusive, enduring bond #rnidchat

Question 9

Sensetweets #rnidchat how does @RNID see people with sensory loss playing a role in Big Society when many feel vital services are under threat?

RNID @Sensetweets Most of our volunteers in our Hear to Help service have hearing loss themselves, they want to share their experiences #rnidchat

stevebridger @Sensetweets There are many ppl better placed to answer that - e.g. @tobyblume! #rnidchat

Question 10

cjhawkings @rnid Will charities collaborate or compete more in this tough economic climate? #rnidchat

RNID @cjhawkings I hope we will collaborate more in services and campaigns, but inevitably will compete to raise funds #rnidchat

Question 11

saltbar @RNID Any significant impact as the result of the rebranding? #rnidchat

RNID @Saltbar We dont launch under new name and brand until June 9th - our 100th birthday #rnidchat

Question 12

jon_bedford @RNID is technology helping you demonstrate your impact to supporters? Can it power stronger & more reciprocal relationships? #rnidchat

RNID @jon_bedford Yes to both, our online impact reporting enables supporters to see and hear from our service users - very powerful #rnidchat

stevebridger @jon_bedford I'm a huge fan of @RNID's pioneering Impact Reports - now it its 3rd year http://bit.ly/bkOXYG #rnidchat

RNID @stevebridger So am I! #rnidchat

Question 13

yeloroom @rnid Jackie, what do you see as the main challenge for your future brand in the context of the changes discussed here? #rnidchat

RNID @yeloroom Main challenge for us all is setting budgets and priorities in uncertain times #rnidchat

stevebridger @yeloroom The challenges to big charity brands are to provide vision but bring supporters with them - the brand's 'social' voice #rnidchat

Question 14

charlie_swin @RNID what has the response to the name change been like, from deaf and hard of hearing people? #rnidchat

RNID @charlie_swin Not officially taken place yet but response is mixed as you might expect, some love it, some hate it #rnidchat

Question 15

Sensetweets #rnidchat with funding reduction in Capacitybuilders & similar orgs what resources are available to help small orgs survive & grow?

RNID @Sensetweets Apart from govt sources, larger charities could work more closely with small orgs eg share back office costs #rnidchat

Sensetweets @RNID excellent point about larger charities working with smaller orgs & something we should all promote #rnidchat

RNID @Sensetweets We seem to agree on so much, perhaps we should get together! #rnidchat

Question 16

stevebridger @charitablebonds Yes! big breakthroughs in giving are just as likely to come from gaming as they are from f/raising dept! #rnidchat

charitablebonds @knowhownonprof How about looking at new ways of raising funds? Like our charitable bonds for example. #rnidchat

Question 17

LGAdamou Email RNID Steve, social networking sites still fail to engage deaf people, how would you advise the RNID to re-engage with them? #rnidchat

RNID @LGAdamou In what way do you think they are failing? #rnidchat

stevebridger @LGAdamou Re email - I think we need to be vigilant re accessibility and social media - keep the pressure on #rnidchat

Question 18

Maryhillroadlad @rnid so you have Volunteers not workers with H.O.H or Deaf then?

RNID @Maryhillroadlad We have some services delivered by volunteers, others by staff, #rnidchat

Question 19

LysieSaccharine Has anyone ever noticed how RNIB has leaflets in GP surgeries but there's an absence of @RNID? Why is this? @deafgirly , anyone? Xx

RNID @LysieSaccharine We do have leaflets in GP surgeries, if yours does not and you can get them placed - let us know please #rnidchat

RNID @LysieSaccharine Chris White will personally sort this out for you later today #rnidchat

LysieSaccharine @RNID cool! Thank you for replying :) how do I get them placed? There are none here although there is a poster for menieres and the BTA

Question 20

Alan_Da #rnidchat @SteveBridger FB + Twitter r mainstream now - which emerging social media will provide new opps 4 charities 2 build relationships?

RNID @Alan_Da Co-created wikkis as sources of information, also create our own cause relevant comparison websites #rnidchat

stevebridger @Alan_Da As well as the obvious (mobile), I think both gaming and data are be huge areas for innovation #rnidchat

Question 21

flickmclean @stevebridger @RNID thoughts on micro-volunteering? impact & value adding or seeking gratification for simple acts of humanity? #rnidchat

RNID @flickmclean Ultimately all volunteering should be freely given time and compassion, but the volunteer always gains too #rnidchat

stevebridger @flickmclean I think this was something flagged in the Giving green paper. If someone can achieve a personal goal, too - win-win #rnidchat

stevebridger @flickmclean I was looking @vinspired's site just yesterday - http://bit.ly/fIwq1i #rnidchat #microvolunteering

Question 22

flickmclean @stevebridger i agree, ease & availability to do good is win-win, but can 'one click'/signing a petition constitute volunteering? #rnidchat

RNID @flickmclean I dont think that is volunteering but any engagement in civil society can lead to volunteering #rnidchat

stevebridger @flickmclean Volunteering is in the process having a makeover - and charities need to get better at offering more 'experiences' #rnidchat

Question 23

LGAdamou RNID Facebook R.Van Nieulands Would the RNID not make more progress for the Deaf if it tried to make DDA/EA laws more enforceable? #rnidchat

RNID @LGAdamou I have a good friend at Facebook - Richard Allan, Euro policy guru, we alwaysn lobby on eg subtitles #rnidchat

Question 24

NDCS_UK @RNID Is RNID hearing much intelligence about cuts to services for deaf children/adults? How are you responding so far? #rnidchat ^IN

RNID @NDCS_UK Some cuts to eg deaf social workers, changes in eligibility criteria, our policy people and yours should talk and share #rnidchat

Question 25

LGAdamou RNID Facebook R.Van Nieulands Would the RNID not make more progress for the Deaf if it tried to make DDA/EA laws more enforceable? #rnidchat

RNID @LGAdamou We do and progress has been made, but there is still more to do, we cannot do it alone #rnidchat

Question 26

LGAdamou @RNID, @ Steve Bridger FB users want to know how future funds will be allocated to admin & exec costs? Will services be affected? #rnidchat

RNID @LGAdamou We spend about 10% on admin, have cut number of Directors and Execs by half in last year, try to protect services #rnidchat

stevebridger @LGAdamou More transparency req'd - before we get a #charityleaks!! But not a fan of accountability 4 every penny; squeezes innov #rnidchat

Question 27

Maryhillroadlad @rnid social care services Will be hit very HARD ATER 20% RISE, ITS GOING TO BE HARD GOING ISNT IT?

RNID @Maryhillroadlad It is likely to lead to changes in eligibity and cuts to services, but social care is supposed to be ringfenced! #rnidchat

Question 28

CrisTiberian @stevebridger think most find it quite tough to weave ugc around own content.:)any thoughts on how they could that+encourage UGC? #rnidchat

stevebridger @CrisTiberian UGC: sometimes seen as tokenistic. More co-creation and involvement earlier. grow content ppl into community mgrs!

stevebridger Thanks v much everyone. The #rnidchat has 'grounded; my answers a bit. (or maybe not). And thanks, Jackie :)

RNID Steve and I sitting at different desks but seem to be sharing one brain! Time's up now, thank you folks for all questions, jackie #rnidchat

Ends

Jackie answers your questions on our rebrand

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:41:07 +0100

This Friday October 15, our chief executive Jackie Ballard will be answering your questions on RNID’s rebrand. From next June we will be changing our name to Action On Hearing Loss, a move designed to raise the profile of the organisation and put it in a better position to help more people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

We know lots of you have questions on such a massive change - and we’re giving you the opportunity this Friday. Many may already be familiar with Jackie’s hugely popular live Twitter Q&As, but this time we will be doing it a little differently.

All this week, we will be asking people to send in their questions either via our Facebook and Twitter pages or by email. Jackie will be answering as many of the questions as possible from 1-2pm on Friday live to camera, with a BSL interpreter sat next to her signing the questions and answers. The clip will then be posted up on our YouTube channel that same afternoon. We will also put the link up on Facebook, Twitter and our website. The transcript will also be available on all social media networks – and later on we will be putting a subtitled version up on YouTube.

So please start sending in your questions via Twitter, using the hashtag #rnidchat, or posting them on our Facebook page or by emailing mediarelations@rnid.org.uk

We hope as many of you will be joining in as possible.

Help us win the Halfords Charity of the Year vote

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:40:55 +0100

RNID has been shortlisted as one of five charities for the Halfords Charity of the Year. The winning charity will be selected by a Halfords staff vote. If you work for Halfords (or know someone who does) please consider a vote for RNID.

Your vote could help us secure a fantastic two-year partnership with Halfords that will help us raise vital funds and build awareness. With 460 retail stores and 230 autocentres Halfords has a great presence across the UK. If successful, the funds would help pay for our community service which transforms the lives of elderly, vulnerable people in their homes – reducing loneliness and increasing independence. It would also enable us to continue funding pioneering research on hearing loss, impacting on the lives of all the 9 million people who are deaf and hard of hearing in the UK.

2011 is particularly notable as it is our centenary. Join us in celebrating by raising money to fund our crucial work. We have lots of exciting events planned for the year, including opportunities for employees to take part in our 100 themed fundraising challenges.

Voting is open from 10-17 January. Once again, please vote for us if you work for Halfords. We really need your vote to help highlight an important issue that affects 1 in 7 of the population.

Help us win Majestic Wine's Charity of the Year vote!

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:40:43 +0100

2011 is a big year for us as we are celebrating our centenary and we are making big changes. We will refocus our activities on the areas where we can make the greatest impact on improving people’s lives.

We are developing lots of exciting centenary themed events. Besides our usual challenge events including the London Marathon, skydives and sponsored treks, there will be lots of opportunities for Majestic Wine employees to take part in such as a Centenary Cycle through selected vineyards in Europe and the 100 Wine & Sign Challenge where staff have the opportunity to learn fingerspelling.

A partnership with Majestic Wine would raise vital funds to support the nine million people who are deaf and hard of hearing – and also raise awareness for the general public to looking after their hearing.

Voting is open to employees of Majestic Wine from November 4th until November 10th. So if you work for Majestic Wine, please take the time to vote for us, as your support will be invaluable in helping us change the lives of millions of people all around the UK. If you are not a member of Majestic Wine staff, why not pop into your local store (external link, opens new browser window), and tell them all about the work we do! We really need your help to highlight the issue that affects 1 in 7 of the population!

Many Thanks.

Help us give you what you want!

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:40:32 +0100

Every year we distribute more than half a million leaflets and factsheets giving people vital information about their hearing loss or tinnitus. We also have more than 500 pages on this site packed full of information and resources.

The subjects we cover include finding equipment to make life easier, tips for better communication, clear facts about ear conditions, including tinnitus, and the benefits and rights you could be entitled to if you're deaf or hard of hearing.

We always want to keep improving what we do, so we are asking you to come to attend a focus group in your area, to talk about what you need to know about your hearing loss, where you've found information – or even what you'd still like to know. Or maybe you could help to review the information we currently provide?

Whatever your experience or opinions, we'd love to hear from you.

We are currently looking for people who are 55 and over to be a part of this review, so if this is you, be sure to get in touch at marketingteamenquiry@rnid.org.uk (and please use the subject line 'Focus Group').

Hearing loss is no laughing matter for stars of One Foot in the Grave

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:40:22 +0100

The series of videos - which can be viewed at www.rnid.org.uk/daw or through Facebook and Twitter - show the One Foot in the Grave stars each telling a joke to camera, but when it comes to the punchline, the sound is edited out leaving the viewer to guess the words by lipreading

RNID-Action on Hearing Loss Chief Executive, Jackie Ballard said: "Losing your hearing is no laughing matter, and as Richard and Annette demonstrate, lipreading is a difficult skill to learn. Lipreading is a vital communication skill for many people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It builds confidence, increases independence and helps to avoid social isolation. In the UK, lipreading classes are often expensive, inaccessible or don’t exist at all and we want to change that."

The sequence of four lipreading videos start on Tuesday 3 May and will also feature jokes from deaf campaigner, Hayley Sadler and will culminate with a more serious message from RNID’s Chief Executive, Jackie Ballard.

Also as part of Deaf Awareness Week, RNID-Action on Hearing Loss is highlighting the importance of other essential forms of communication to people who are deaf, such as British Sign Language and speech-to-text.

Be deaf aware and follow RNID's Dos and Don'ts:

Don't avoid conversation –deafness can be isolating. Always involve people who are deaf in group conversations
Do show your face to enable people to read your lips
Do repeat yourself or rephrase until you're understood
Don't shout – this distorts your mouth, making you harder to understand. Speak clearly and at a normal speed.
Do think about communication support – ask RNID-Action on Hearing Loss how you can book sign language interpreters or speech-to-text reporters
Do get involved – help us to continue our support for people who are deaf

Contact for general media enquiries:

Nicky Elworthy: telephone: 020 7296 8137 or email: mediarelations.team@hearingloss.org.uk

Notes for editors:

Follow RNID-Action on Hearing Loss Deaf Awareness Week activities on Facebook and Twitter.
RNID – Action on Hearing Loss is the UK charity that takes action on hearing loss. We do this with the help of our members by campaigning and lobbying, raising awareness of deafness and hearing loss, providing services and through social, medical and technical research.
For further information about RNID – Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.rnid.org.uk contact our Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email informationline@rnid.org.uk

Have your say on the upcoming changes in the NHS

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:40:10 +0100

RNID is looking for views of NHS users with hearing loss, in response to proposed changes to services by the government.

These changes include introducing more choice over the GP surgery you attend, the hospital you visit and the treatment you receive.

How you access your healthcare records and gain information about your health and healthcare is also under review.

To give your views, on the choices and information that matter to you, please fill out our online survey.

It should take less than ten minutes and your views will inform the recommendations we make to the Department of Health.

Have you ever claimed disability benefits?

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:40:00 +0100

The survey includes questions about what people think about work, and if they have ever claimed Employment and Support Allowance - the new benefit for people who cannot work due to ill health or disability. The survey also asks questions about Housing Benefit and Disability Living Allowance to find out more about how people use these benefits.

The DBC, which is organising the survey, represents over 30 charities and other organisations, including RNID, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Arthritis Care and Breast Cancer Care.

The survey’s findings will be used to help the Government better understand the impact changes to benefits like Incapacity Benefit, Disability Living Allowance and Housing Benefit will have on disabled people.

Mark Baker, Head of Social Research and Policy at RNID and Co-chair of the DBC’s policy group says: "We are urging as many people as possible to take part in the survey. The findings will not only be used to influence government policy but will also highlight just how important benefits are to those who need them."

Take part in the survey...

Government spending cuts hit people in residential care hard

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:39:48 +0100

The coalition government has proposed that people who live in residential care should no longer receive the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, a benefit that is worth up to £49.85 per week. RNID believes that the removal of this important benefit will have a huge impact upon people in residential care. Under these proposals, people who are deaf or hard of hearing living in residential care will lose a major source of income, something that will have an obvious and negative effect on their independence and well-being. We believe that the effects of this policy will be to undermine the government’s intention of promoting disabled people’s right to exercise greater choice and control over their lives, and we call for these proposals to be dropped.

The announcement that claims for contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will be time-limited to twelve months is also very worrying. This policy means that people who have worked and paid National Insurance throughout their lives, and who lose their hearing, and their job, while still of working age will only be able to claim ESA for a year before being directed to other benefits. However, many of these people will then not be eligible for these benefits (because they have savings or their partner works for more than 24 hours per week). Being excluded from the benefits system is likely to limit a person’s ability to get the help and support they may need to get back to paid work. This policy seems to contradict the government’s stated aims of supporting hard-working families and of providing real support to those who need it most, and once again, we ask that it is dropped or at the least not implemented until there is sustained growth of jobs in the economy.

If you think that you will be affected by these changes, do let us know. For instance, are you, or do you know someone in a care home who relies on DLA? If you are Deaf or have hearing loss are you worried about losing your job and what the future holds? Often Government Ministers are influenced more by personal stories, than by statistics – so please help us to campaign on your behalf by letting us know if these issues affect you. Simply contact mark.baker@rnid.org.uk and tell us what you think.

Action on Hearing Loss news

Deaf Awareness Week Events

Key events to look out for

Talks to healthcare professionals

Action squads

Information stands

Collections

Go to the movies

Who can attend?

It’s not all about us

Action on Hearing Loss President Lord Ashley passes away at the age of 89

He didn't let his own deafness limit or label him

Role model

Life in a war zone

Loss of hearing

Noise damage

Making adjustments

Become a member

Join the conversation

Banking on better services

HSBC spent an afternoon at our offices to gather your views on banks. Johanna Taylor reports on their visit.

A compelling insight

Read more articles

Join the conversation

End the care crisis - take action

Take action now

Positive thinking

What mental health issues can affect older people with age-related hearing loss? We take a look. Alice Lagnado reports

So what can you do to look after your mental health as you get older?

Further information

Want to read more?

Mental health problems twice as prevalent in deaf people

Provision of specialist services needed to improve access to mental health services for this population (The Lancet)

Get in touch

End The Care Crisis lobby

Find out more

Get out of your blocks to raise money for the UKs largest deaf charity for an Olympic challenge

Contact for general media enquiries:

Notes to Editors

NHS Future Forum

Charity calls on employers to end 'uncaring culture'

Contact for general media enquiries:

Notes for editors:

Action on Hearing Loss are charity partners for music industry Oscars

Lobbying to change social care

Register to attend

Anne Diamond speaks out about her hearing loss

Inspiring others

Hearing matters

How to protect your hearing

Become a member

Action on Hearing Loss Volunteer Awards 2012 nominations now open!

Feel inspired?

Action on Hearing Loss champions BSL users right to access interpreters in hospitals

Action on Hearing Loss calls on government to rethink Welfare Reform proposals reducing support for people with hearing loss

Further information and contacting us

Action on Hearing Loss welcomes the government's drive to improve quality of hearing aid services

Contact for general media enquiries:

Notes for editors:

Femme fatale

Rachel Shenton, who plays Mitzeee in the television series Hollyoaks, adores playing a character so different from her. By Alice Lagnado.

Down-to-earth

Gumption

Raising awareness

A sense of community

Working 9 to 5?

What do I do if I lose my hearing suddenly?

Further information

Last chance to win five thousand pounds in our Centenary Raffle!

Enter the draw or get in contact

Do you want to be a Torchbearer for the London 2012 Paralympic Games?

Final call for nominations - closing date 22 November

Open to all

Apply now

Contact us

Nominee Approval Process

New study reveals four out of ten don't know what tinnitus is...

... and a quarter think it's an allergy to metal!

Contact for general media enquiries:

Notes to Editors: