2016 - 2017

REPORT
CAMBRIDGESHIRE DEAF ASSOCIATION
8 Romsey Terrace, Cambridge, CB1 3NH
Table of Contents

Overview 3
Support and Advocacy 4
Advocacy 4
Support 4
Freedom programme 4
Community 4
Drop ins 5
Social Events 5
Newsletter, Website and Social Media 5
Sport 6
Health Campaign 6
Services 7
Life 7
Media 7
Sign Language Academy 7
Next year 8

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Overview
The number of people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough that we support has grown rapidly over
the last 12 months. The number of issues with which we support people with is also growing.

Our staff and volunteers not only have to be highly skilled, but flexible in their approach and
adaptable to a range of different situations.

One week could see an Advocate or Caseworker be called upon to support a client in any situation
from alcohol abuse or domestic violence to managing debt or home finances or child protection to
accessing local transport.

CDA is unique in its position in our area as the only Charity that supports profoundly deaf people that
use sign language or who struggle to communicate. We’re called upon by local authorities, police,
hospitals, family members, friends and most often, deaf people themselves trust CDA to be there.

In the last 12-months we’ve taken action to improve access to health for deaf people working with
Healthwatch and other partners.

We put on 12 drop in services per month that have been visited thousands of times. We’ve organised
much needed social activities for the most isolated in our community.

Working in partnership with Action Deafness, together we’re the only organisations providing personal
care in BSL locally. We’ve taught hundreds of people sign language through our Sign Language
Academy. Our advocates and caseworkers have managed over 700 referrals in our busiest year
ever. 50% of the people we supported used us for the first time.

Our staff team has grown and we’re better placed than ever to meet the challenges deaf people
face in the coming years.

I would like to thank all the staff, volunteers and supporters for their valued contributions in the last 12
months. I hope you’ll enjoy reading our Impact Report and see how we’ve been working on all fronts
to make Cambridgeshire and Peterborough a fairer more just place for deaf people to live.

By Andrew Palmer, Managing Director

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Support and Advocacy
Our Support and Advocacy Service has grown significantly in the last 12 months. More
deaf people than ever are accessing our services and our staff and volunteer team has
grown to incorporate more advocates, more caseworkers and a volunteer social worker
for deaf people.

Advocacy
We have a team of 3 advocates working with VoiceAbility as part of the Total Voice
Partnership. The numbers of referrals for advocacy has grown dramatically and CDA has
met that demand. We’ve supported deaf people with issues as diverse as child protection
to domestic violence. This year we began working with NYAS to provide advocacy for deaf
young people.

Support
Our Open Support Services operate for four days a week in Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough providing a convenient way for deaf people to quickly resolve issues. For
those who can’t easily travel, our caseworkers undertook hundreds of home visits. We
visited clients in hospitals and were present at important meetings.

Freedom Programme
We’re the only place in the UK offering the Freedom Programme in British Sign Language.
The freedom programme is a course aimed at educating women about domestic
abuse, how to recognise it and how to escape it. This year the course was funded by the
Cambridgeshire Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Partnership. Thanks to them for
their support.

Community
We focus on the social wellbeing of deaf people and invest in a community coordinator
to bring together people in the deaf community. For some, deafness can be an isolating
experience but CDA works hard to meet the social needs of our clients.
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Drop ins
We run drop in services for deaf people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and
they were attended thousands of times by deaf people as a way to access Advocacy or
Support, information or to meet friends.

Our drop ins are open weekly in Peterborough, fortnightly in Ely and Huntingdon and
monthly in Wisbech, Cambridge and March.

We held information talks on employment, wills, Parkinson’s disease and new technology
at our drop ins, providing important information on the issues that matter to the
community.

Social Events
We organised social events including a trip to Cambridge University Astronomy
Department, a boat trip for deaf people with additional needs, a regular over 50’s outing,
We also support Huntingdon Deaf Club who meet monthly and the Fenland Deaf
Skywatchers club as well as two coffee groups meeting in Cambridge and Peterborough.

Newsletter, Website and Social Media

We reached our goal of 2,000 likes on our facebook page. Our online videos were viewed
120,000 times which is up 240% on the previous year.

Our quarterly newsletter, called Cambridgeshire Deaf News reached thousands of people
online and is posted to 200 people. It’s a valuable resource of news and information and
a comprehensive guide to the many events for deaf people to attend.

Our website was visited 62,000 times, up 10% on the previous year, and is a great source
of information about our services and there is a handy online calendar with all the
information about our events.
We use our newsletter, Facebook and website to promote a range of other local groups
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and organisations with events aimed at deaf people. This includes Peterborough and
March Deaf Clubs and Cambridge Tea and Sign.

Sport
We worked with Peterborough United to promote deaf football and with Sport Works to
provide sports clubs for deaf young people in both Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Health Campaign.
We know that health outcomes for deaf people are not as good when compared to
hearing people.

In the past year we’ve worked with Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
to compile a report into deaf people’s experiences of healthcare. The report will be
published soon and will serve as the main thrust of our campaign to persuade the local
NHS to invest further in access for deaf people; particularly emergency services.

Health Round Up
• We held talks on Parkinson’s Disease and Diabetes at our drop-in services in Cambridge
and Peterborough

• We worked with UK Deaf Sport to increase participation in sport for deaf people in
Peterborough. We also partner with Peterborough United and support their deaf football
project.

• We provided deaf awareness training to NHS staff and mental health professionals.
• We gave out and sent hundreds of our Deaf Cards which inform heath providers of their
obligations to provide deaf people with communication support.

• Our BSL tutors taught sign language to staff at Addenbrookes hospital

• Ruth Godden, our Service manager, won the Cambridge News Community Award for
her work with deaf people in health-related situations.
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• Through our partnership with Total Voice, we now provide health complaints advocacy
for deaf people.

Services
We provided high quality services in the last year with the aim of increasing accessibility for
deaf people and spreading awareness of sign language.

Life
We worked with Action Deafness to enable them to provide CQC registered care for deaf
people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Working together, we’re the only provider of
care in British Sign Language.
Media
In our studio, we have the capability to make HD professional level quality videos in British
Sign Language. IN the last 12 months we’ve worked for various charities and council
organisations to help them make their information accessible.

Sign Language Academy

In the last year we’ve taught hundreds of people sign language across three towns and
cities. We offer a basics course, BSL Level 1 and BSL Level 2. The more people we teach, the
more likely it is that deaf people in our community will experience increasing accessibility.

We also delivered deaf awareness training in the workplace and to NHS staff. Here’s what
one student said about our courses:

“I took the Sign Language Basics Course with my sister and it exceeded my expectations!
Alongside learning practical skills such as finger spelling and basic conversation there
was a comprehensive introduction to BSL which helped put into context what we were
learning. I left the course feeling inspired and eager to learn more. Couldn’t recommend
highly enough, thank you!”

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Next year
We aim to continue to develop our services. We will ensure that the management and
systems are in place to so that our services are efficient and effective.

We will develop our staff team in terms of training and numbers to meet the challenge of
growing numbers of referrals into our service.

We will continue with our Health Campaign working with Healthwatch to provide a report
into experiences of healthcare for deaf people and seek to bring about change.

We will recruit a fund-raiser to raise the money needed to develop our services to meet the
needs of deaf people in our area, invest in the management of our growing Support and
Advocacy Team.

We will continue to provide sports clubs for deaf young people, increase our partnership
with Peterborough United and work with Sense on more sports activities. We will also take a
leading role in the Peterborough Deaf Sports Network.

2016 - 2017
REPORT
By Andrew Palmer, Managing Director
CAMBRIDGESHIRE DEAF ASSOCIATION 8 Romsey Terrace, Cambridge, CB1 3NH
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