- Aim: To deliver high-quality communication support for people who are deaf.
- Impact: In the past year, we co-ordinated the delivery
of 19,544 communication
assignments: 17,676 BSL/English interpreting assignments and 1,868
other communication support assignments for people whose first language
is English. This enables people who are deaf to participate in work meetings,
to attend doctor or hospital appointments, and to be able to communicate
on an equal basis in many other vital or every day services. Our aim was
to deliver 21,000 assignments, but the shortfall was partly due to the
ongoing shortage of communication professionals available to deliver the
support needed. We now have 549 registered from across the UK who have
signed up to work with us.
Our Communication Services were awarded the quality standard ISO 9001:2000 by the British Standards Institute (BSI), the world's most established quality framework.To view this BSL video you need to install the Flash Player and ensure Javascript is enabled in your browser
- Aim: To increase the quantity and quality of communication professionals available to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Impact: Our
interpreter development work has resulted in another 14 new interpreters
joining the professional register, enabling more people who are deaf or
hard of hearing to access vital and everyday services. Eleven other interpreters
were supported to rise to higher levels within the register. We ran eight
British Sign Language (BSL) courses, at Levels 3 and 4, with more than
60 students improving their signing skills to the highest levels. All
our students work in some capacity with children or adults who are deaf,
and some of our students are themselves deaf.
See our impact in Scotland.To view this BSL video you need to install the Flash Player and ensure Javascript is enabled in your browser
- Aim: To use technology to improve remote communication for people with hearing loss.
- Impact: Our new, award-winning TalkByText PC software is already being used by many home users. It allows people who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience real-time text conversations over the internet using their PC. With almost two thousand licenses sold, the business edition is being used by a growing number of companies, educational establishments and other organisations. We also responded to the falling number of traditional textphones now on the market by completing development of a modernised and easy-to-use textphone – the first new model in the UK in five years.
- Aim: To enable people who are deaf, deafblind, deafened, hard of hearing and speech-impaired to communicate with hearing people by telephone.
- Impact: Text Relay is a national service, delivered on contract to BT, which connects people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired and use a textphone with friends, family and businesses over the telephone. In the past year, Text Relay has answered 1,526,900 calls, including 21,751 emergency calls, ensuring that people can stay connected to each other. In response to customer feedback, our Relay Assistants now explain how the service works only to callers who ask, so that regular callers experience no delays at the beginning of their call.
- Aim: To improve access to services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Impact: We installed induction loop and infrared systems at more than 500 locations to help service providers communicate better with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Almost 100 members have given us their feedback on induction loop provision in over 500 shops and services. The more feedback we receive about loop systems not working, the more easily we can identify and target the worst offenders.
- Aim: To create opportunities for people to be more actively involved in our work.
- Impact: We work with volunteers to deliver community-based
services, including outreach information and Hear
to Help, the service that helps clients make the most of their hearing
aids. Most of our volunteers have a hearing loss themselves and are happy
to share their experiences and offer advice to clients, carers and professionals.
RNID Campaigns Network Members participated in the first ever meetings in the European Parliament to use a state-of-the-art infrared system that assists hearing aid wearers. They successfully lobbied the Parliament to install this system in its visitor centre and iconic debating chamber.
We appointed a Head of Volunteering Development who has simplified our recruitment process to make us more accessible to potential volunteers. We have put good practice into action, including regularly thanking our volunteers and acknowledging their contribution, which is helping to increase volunteer numbers and commitment.
- Aim: To support our members in campaigning for improved access to lipreading classes.
- Impact: We encouraged people to tell education providers and central and local government about the importance of lipreading classes. This was done to great effect in Essex. Essex County Council was charging £186 for a 60-hour course (among the highest fees in the country) for classes that used to be free. Learners themselves, supported by RNID, spearheaded a campaign after classes started to close. As a direct result, the council agreed to pay the fees of all existing lipreading students and make free classes available to new learners.
- Aim: To make volunteer bureaux, and organisations offering volunteer placements, more accessible to prospective volunteers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Impact: We have increased the numbers of volunteers who are deaf or hard of hearing by supporting them in their volunteer roles. We have delivered deaf awareness and communication training to staff and volunteers within volunteering organisations and distributed our Volunteer Support Pack to targeted organisations.