About deafness

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In Scotland, there are estimated to be 750,000 people who have some form of hearing loss. This amounts to one in seven of the population, according to a Royal National Institute on Deafness (RNID) survey. Renfrewshire has a population of 170,000 and using the one in seven statistics, roughly 24,000 local people experience some degree of hearing loss.

The term 'hearing loss' relates to a range of conditions. It includes people with a mild condition who can communicate in English, possibly with the support of a hearing aid or amplified equipment. It also refers to profoundly deaf people who have been deaf since birth or deafened as a result of an accident or some traumatic incident.

There is a strong likelihood that profoundly deaf people will use British Sign Language (BSL) as their first language. BSL is a full rich language with it's own structure and grammar - very different from English.

One of the most pressing issues facing deaf people is that of communication. The lack of access to accurate information due to breakdowns in communication can increase isolation. That is why our service is provided by people who have at least a basic understanding of deaf awareness and some skills in various communication methods that deaf people can find useful.

While we do not provide an interpreting service, we are able to contact interpreting services for clients and provide others with the information to be able to contact these services themselves. We can also make access possible to a wide variety of training and further education opportunities for those who wish to learn more about deafness and different ways to communicate with deaf people.

Below are a series of links to a variety of online resources about deafness:

General information and access to services

• Deaf Connections - this Glasgow based organisation provides all sorts of courses and advice for deaf people in the West of Scotland.
• RNID - the website for the Royal National Institute on Deafness provides a wide variety of support for deaf and hard of hearing people.
• National Deaf Children's Society - a UK charity supporting deaf children and young deaf people, their families and professionals working with them.
• Scottish Council on Deafness - this is the body that lobbies the Scottish Government on behalf of deaf people and about issues related to deafness.
• British Deaf Association - the largest deaf organisation in the UK run by deaf people and representing the Sign Language community.

• Sasli - this is the website for the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters with information on how to access sign language interpreter services.
• Sign Language Interactions - a website providing access to interpreter services in Scotland.

• Council for Advancement of Communication with Deaf People - UK awarding body providing a number of different courses for those interested in learning more about how to communicate with deaf and deafblind people.
• Deaf Perspective - another organisation that advertises training in deaf issues including training in British Sign Language.
• Actual Signs - this organisation provide training and workshops

• Deafblind Scotland - This is an organisation that works specifically with people who have a dual sensory impairment.
• Sense Scotland - This is an organisation that works with children and adults who have communication support needs because of deafblindness, sensory impairment, learning and physical disabilities.

• email: sw@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone us on 0141 847 4983
• textphone: 0141 848 7232
• fax us on 0141 847 4981
• visit us, or write to us at
  Services for People who are Deaf or Hearing Impaired
  Mile End Centre
  30 Seedhill Road
  Paisley PA1 1SA