Brighton & Hove City Council is holding a community event at Brighthelm Centre on Saturday, 11 May to celebrate Deaf Awareness Week (DAW), which takes place from Monday, 6 May to Sunday, 12 May.
DAW is an annual event that aims to raise awareness about the Deaf community, celebrate Deaf identity, promote Deaf culture, and advocate for equal access to communication and services for the Deaf and hard of hearing.
The event will be an opportunity for communities to come together and support the D/deaf community, learn about experiences, and work towards a more inclusive and accessible society.
The community event will provide a chance to share your views with representatives, learn more about the services and support available, and provide feedback on the Accessible City Strategy.
There will be speakers, stalls and opportunities to share experience, build connections and network. BSL interpreters will be available.
You can book your free ticket through Eventbrite.
Councillor Leslie Pumm, chair of the Equalities, Community Safety & Human Rights Committee, said: “Deaf Awareness Week is a time to celebrate the identity, culture and language of D/deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people, but also to increase the visibility of challenges they face and learn how to support them.
“Our vision is to make Brighton & Hove welcoming, inclusive and accessible for all irrespective of their access requirements, which is supported by our groundbreaking five-year Accessible City Strategy.
“In Sussex, there is still a significant population of deaf individuals who often go unnoticed, face challenges in accessing essential services and have their needs not adequately recognised.
“As signatories of the British Sign Language Charter we want to reaffirm our commitment to learning from experiences of our D/deaf residents, increasing inclusion and removing barriers from accessing our services.
“This would not be possible without the feedback of people with lived experience. We are immensely grateful to all individuals and organisations who consult with us on regular basis.
“There’s considerable work and learning that still needs to be done, so I invite everyone to join us at the community event to share their experiences, views and feedback on our services and learn about the support the council and our partners offer to D/deaf residents.”
The event is supported by partners including SignLive, NHS Sussex, East Sussex Fire and Rescue and Surdi.
Deaf Awareness Week Community Event at Brighthelm Centre, North Road, BN1 1YD on Saturday, 11 May, 9.30am – 1pm.