SCoD Bulletin October 2016
Scottish Council on Deafness Bulletin | Bi-Monthly Magazine for SCoD Members
Welcome! We have a special bulletin for you this month –
The SCoD Star AwardsEdition…
The SCoD Stars Awards 2016 will take place on 15th November this year at the Glasgow City Hotel in Cambridge Street.
The SCoD Awards have been created to recognise organisations or individuals whose values, work, projects, and activities havebenefitted Deaf, Deafblind, Deafened, andHard of Hearing people in Scotland.
Tickets are on sale:Click herefor more information
A number of organisations have sponsored our event and we would like to say a big thank you to all of you.
Our sponsors for the event are:
The ALLIANCE (Scotland)is our Programme sponsor
NDCS Scotlandis sponsoring our equipment for the event
Communication Support Sponsors are:
Association of Sign Language Interpreters
Heriot-Watt University
North East Sensory Services
Sign Language Interactions
Awards Sponsors are:
Action on Hearing Loss
Idea For Ears
Voluntary Action Scotland
Scottish Sensory Centre
SignLive
University of The West of Scotland
Scotrail
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
The featured categories are:
Advice, Innovation, Support & Services
Lifelong Learning Initiative
Children & Young People Achievement
Partnership Working
Arts & Leisure
Research & Development
Digital Innovation
Accessibility Champion
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Who do YOU want to see win the Lifetime & Outstanding Achievement Award?
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Ian Galloway – Lanarkshire Deaf Club
Willie MacFadyen –Hayfield SupportServices
Lillian Lawson – SCoD Honorary President
Dorothy McRobert – S.I.S.G Ayrshire
Outstanding Achievement Award:
Sense Scotland – Inclusive Communication
Sign Language Interactions – contactSCOTLAND-BSL
Hayfield – Support Services
Click hereto take part in the voting
Good luck to all the nominees
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SCoD “Connect & Capitalise” Conference
The third SCoD Conference, ‘Connect & Capitalise’ will take place on Thursday 9th March 2017. We are going to be in The Glasgow City Hotel located on Cambridge Street.
If you want to get involved with a workshop or information session, please email with your ideas: no more than 200 words please, by31st October 2016. The programme for the conference will be published by the end of November 2016.
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LATEST NEWS FROM SCoD
Hello Colleagues!
The Big Lottery Fund has granted us funding towards our SCoD 90th Anniversary. We would like to take this moment to thank The Big Lottery Fund for this opportunity.
October 22nd is the first anniversary of the BSL (Scotland) Act gaining Royal Assent. A year on we are busier than ever and are excited about the opportunities the future holds.
SCoD’s National Council and AGM
We look forward to seeing you at the next National Council meeting, in Touchbase Business Centre, Sense Scotland premises on Friday 21st of October, 1.30pm to 3.30pm.
Our AGM will also be held on Friday 21st of October in Renfield St Stephen’s Church, Bath Street, Glasgow. Mark Griffin MSP will be the speaker. Mark is the new Convenor of the Cross Party Group on Deafness.
Best wishes
Janis & the SCoD Team
General News
DSP / BSL NAG Update
If you have any questions about the BSL NAG or the DSP, please get in touch with us by email at .
Volunteers needed to help blind and deaf charity
A North-east charity is seeking volunteer drivers to help support its life-enhancing services.
North East Sensory Services (NESS) which has offices in Aberdeen, Elgin and Dundee, supports people who are blind or deaf, and the charity holds regular activities for service users at its John Street base in Aberdeen City Centre.
NESS, which has been supporting visually impaired people in Aberdeen since 1879, holds a wide range of activities from discussion groups to smartphone classes. The regular activities enable elderly people who have difficulty seeing or hearing to take part in social events, make friends and feel more engaged in their community. Many NESS service users are socially isolated due to difficulty getting about and a fear of using public transport. The activities at NESS are often the only opportunity for many to get out of the house and meet people.
However, due to increasing demand, the charity is in urgent need of volunteers who are willing to help NESS service users get to the activities. Volunteers can give anything from two to twenty hours, and full training and expenses are provided.
Graham Senff, who has been volunteering as a driver for NESS for over a year commented: “I find it so rewarding when I see the enjoyment of the service users when they are picked up and dropped off at their door.”
Debbie Robertson, activities and volunteer coordinator for NESS added: “The activities we provide are very popular and due to growing demand we need to increase our network of drivers. We are looking for anyone with a little bit of spare time through the weekdays. We can guarantee a very rewarding role, with lots of fun and real job satisfaction.”
To find out more information, potential volunteers should contact Debbie Robertson or Sheila Ogden on 0345 2712345.
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Police Scotland: Safer Communities
As part of our on-going work to make information accessible to all members of the community, we have created a YouTube clip in British Sign Language in relation to Doorstep Crime. The clip provides members of the public advice on keeping themselves safe and has a voiceover along with optional subtitles.
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Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report, ‘We Can Solve Poverty in the UK’
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report, ‘We Can Solve Poverty in the UK’ has just been published:
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Scottish Information Commissioner Annual Report
Despite being a busy and challenging year, 2015/16 was another successful one for us.We reached some important milestones, as you will see from my report, during the year:
- Public awareness of FOI reached its highest ever level, at 85%
- We reduced "failure to respond" appeals by 24%
- We issued our highest ever number of environmental information decisions, at 61
- We were able to resolve 20% of our cases without the need for a decision
- We met or exceeded almost all of our investigation performance targets
- We answered 100% of our own FOI requests within 20 working days
- We delivered 3 regional roadshows, with 97% of participants rating them as "good" or "excellent"
And all this within the context of a 27% increase in appeals requiring investigation.
You can read about all this and more in my 2015/16 Report at
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BT Newsletter
At BT we want to make all our services as accessible as possible. So just a reminder that we can provide our free downloadable guides on living with hearing loss in alternative formats such as Braille, CDs and large print.
Want to jump straight to an article? Just click and go:
- Inductive couplers: Getting the position right
- Fabulous phones for amplification
- Say ‘hello’ to Halo
- Talk to us using BSL, live chat or email
- We love a “chat”
- Next Generation Text: Liberated use of the phone
Highlights Newsletter
In the third of our series of updates about quality improvement throughout a child’s journey we highlight the transition to the Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative; plans for the national Learning Session in November, the shortlist for the Quality Improvement Awards and short stories from our quality improvement world.
To view the newsletter click here.
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Research
ILUNION Technology and AccessibilityandONCE Foundationare developing a study on travel behavior and accessibility in travel in different countries/ worldwide. The aim is to investigate the preferences, values and satisfaction of tourists travelling around Europe, North America and Asia.
In this survey, there are questions about frequency of travel, preferred destinations, means of transport, etc. In addition to this, there are other questions aimed to evaluating the satisfaction about the adaptation of tourist facilities, resources and services regarding the travellers’ needs and preferences.
This questionnaire is open to ALL TOURISTS WITH DISABILITIES AND OLDER PEOPLE, who have done at least with one trip with an overnight stay over the last 2 years, that want to participate in this study and wish to contribute regarding their travelling experience. We would like to remark that responses received are anonymous, and will be analysed for research purposes.
This questionnaire will take only 10-15 minutes. This is the link to access to the online questionnaire:
Transitions for young people with additional support needs: the national picture
ARC Scotland have been commissioned by the Scottish Government to map the availability of planning and support for people aged 14 - 25 years who have additional support needs in Scotland.
A central part of this work is to ask young people and their parents / carers about their experiences during this important time of their lives. Two surveys have been created, one for young people and the other for parents and carers.
The findings will help the Scottish Government, local authorities, and other organisations to make decisions about how support can be improved for people with additional needs that are in ‘transition’ to young adult life.
The parents and carers survey can be accessed here:
(This survey is for parents or unpaid carers of a young person with additional support needs between the ages of 14 and 25 years)
The young person's survey can be accessed here:
(This survey is for young people between 14 and 25 years old who have one or more additional need, like learning disability, autism, physical or sensory disability)
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Anti-Bullying Survey on young people and disability
We are gathering the views and experiences of young disabled people who have been affected by bullying.
We are gathering this information to help highlight the key issues and call on decision makers and change makers at all levels to provide support and say no to bullying whenever and wherever this occurs.
This survey is part of the tackling bullying in Scottish schools campaign which was established in 2010 and has campaigned for better recording, reporting and support for all who are affected. In recent years the campaign has also focused on workplace bullying.
Your support and assistance in completing the following survey and circulating amongst your networks would be greatly appreciated.
Survey Link: docs.google.com/forms/d/1OG0lSSGtelS6xcsx03OqU_pBQwe6gzSryE-S4Uk435w/edit
TRAINING
Train the Trainer
On 23 and 24 November2016, the UK Parliament’s Outreach and Engagement Service will deliver a two-day training course as part of the ‘Train the Trainer’ programme at the IET Glasgow: Teacher Building, 14 St Enoch Square, Glasgow, G1 4DB.
The programme is based around a training resource designed so organisations can deliver training to their members and communities about the UK Parliament and how to engage effectively.
The resource consists of 8 modules. Each module includes a session plan, presentation and group exercises. The modules are designed to be delivered either in sequence or stand alone.
This resource is free of charge to use. We ask that organisations sign a user agreement to provide us with regular feedback about how they are using the resource.
The resource includes the following modules:
- The UK Parliament, Democracy and You
- The UK Government and UK Parliament
- The House of Commons and Your MP
- The House of Lords
- Your Parliament: An Introduction
- How Laws are Made
- Select Committees
- Take Action
If you’re interested in this training and using the resource, please complete the online application form here:Train the Trainer Application Form - 2016/17
Places on this course are awarded according to how delegates plan to use the resource after the training with particular reference to reach, scope and sustainability so include as much detail about this as possible in your application. We have some simple questions to assess whether those attending are able to deliver the training effectively. Give details of how you plan to use the training, how often and who with. We are particularlykeen to hearfromgroups thatcan demonstrate current work with disengaged communities.
Please submit completed applications by Friday 30 September 2016 - we are unable to accept late applications.
For more information about the programme, additional dates and locations please visit our webpage UK Parliament - Train the Trainer
New Interpreting Training in Scotland
Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh is currently developing an innovative online MSc programme in Advanced BSL/English Interpreting (subject to validation). The programme modules will be designed for experienced interpreters, providing a form of CPD that will enable them to relate evidence-based research to their professional practice, and encourage critical reflection of their work. Students will be able to study for as many modules as they wish, but the intention is that those building up sufficient credits will be able to achieve either an MSc or Post Graduate Diploma. The first modules are planned to come online in September 2017, and further information about the programme will be available soon. Any enquiries should be addressed to
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SSC Course 11: Reading and Reading Development: Thursday, 27th October 2016
This course will be of interest to all those working with children in schools, including teachers who work with learners with visual and hearing impairments, support staff and educational psychologists.
Thissession will provide research informed teaching on reading and readingdevelopment, focusing on both the processes oflearning to read (word reading)and reading to learn (reading comprehension). These are the buildingblocks of learning in schools.Although this course is not specifically focusedon sensory impairments, there will be discussion sessions on how visualimpairmentand hearing impairment can impact on reading and readingcomprehension development and strategies explored.Followingparticipation in this session, participants will develop knowledge andunderstanding of:
Wordreading
·Thecognitive skills that contribute to early word reading success and how best todevelop these.
·Differentapproaches to word reading instruction (e.g., phonics, whole word, use ofcontext).
·Thelatest research examining the effectiveness of different methods of wordreading instruction.
·Discussionof additional/amended strategies for word reading, for children with hearingand visual impairments.
Readingcomprehension
·thecognitive skills and reading activities that support children’s readingcomprehension.
·Differentapproaches to reading comprehension instruction (e.g., reciprocalteaching, mental imagery, vocabulary instruction).
·Thelatest research examining the effectiveness of different approaches to enhancereading comprehension.
·Discussionof additional and/or amended strategies for reading comprehension, for childrenwith hearing and visual impairments.
Course fee: £110
Presenter:Dr Sarah McGeown, Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, Deputy Head of Institute. The University of Edinburgh
Applications are available to download from the following link:
SSC Course 12: Sounds of Intent: Music for Learners with Complex Needs
Friday, 4th November 2016
This course will be on interest tothose working with children and young people withcomplex needs, including teachers, support staff, early years practitioners,voluntary organisations andparents/carers.
This course, the first of two, will explore how to promote the musical development of children and young people with complex needs based on the Sounds of Intent framework:
The first day of the course will:
Participants areencouraged to bring a mobile device or laptop with them to practise using thesite.
Day 1: Friday 4th November 2016
The first day of the course will:
·outline how musical skills and interests develop in childrenwith complex needs, including those with sensory impairment
·set out the Sounds of Intent framework,
·explain how to assess children using the online frameworkand recording system
·provide the opportunity to practice using the site andexplore its resources.
The second day of the course (Friday, 17th March 2017) willentail participants bringing video examples of their work and assessments fordiscussion by the group, suggesting possible ways forward and other, moreadvanced, strategies.Please note that attendance at Day 1 reduces the cost of Day 2 to £40. Please indicate your interest in the second day and we will send you an application form.
Presenter:ProfessorAdam Ockelford, Director, Applied Music Research Centre, University ofRoehampton
Applications are available to download from the following link:
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SSC Course 16: How can schools better support children who are mildly and moderately deaf?
Monday, 5th December, 2016
This course will be of interest to mainstream head teachers, classroom teachers and classroom assistants, teachers of deaf children, ASN co-ordinators, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and parents/carers.
In the morning the course will consider international and UK research evidence about the social and academic outcomes for mildly and moderately deaf children learning in mainstream schools. Discussion will focus on ways schools and class teachers can change the environment and the support they offer this relatively large group of deaf learners so that the peripatetic support from teachers of deaf children has more impact.
The afternoon session will include input from a number of organisations and agencies which can help to introduce acoustic and language development improvements in your school.
Presenter:Rachel O’Neill, Programme Director, MSc Inclusive Education, and Organiser of the deaf education pathway, Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh.
Course Fee: £110
Applications are available to download from the following link: