Author: Zoe Keeping

No comments

WDDA celebrates after receiving £20k of National Lottery funding to deliver creative workshops for d/Deaf BSL users!

  By

We are VERY excited to announce that we have been granted almost £20,000 in National Lottery funding to support our ongoing work delivering creative workshops for d/Deaf British
Sign Language (BSL) users in Bournemouth and Dorchester.


Sessions will be led by professional artists from CoCreate with BSL communication support provided by DCS Ltd.

Monthly ‘Coffee and Craft Sessions’ at Bournemouth Deaf Club. Informal social sessions; open to all d/Deaf/BSL users.

Regular Art Sessions at Dorchester Arts Centre for a core group of d/Deaf/BSL users from across Dorset (all members of Dorset Deaf Activities Group – DDAG) who have a particular interest in; and need for; regular arts activities.

This project will offer social opportunities in an accessible; supportive environment, meaningful activity; build creative skills and encourage self-expression. This funding will also help Bournemouth Deaf Club to re-establish itself as a social hub for the d/Deaf community.

This project was made possible thanks to #NationalLottery players. To find out more email admin@wdda.co.uk or call/text 07793284109

KODAK Digital Still Camera
No comments

Social Coffee Morning & Special Lunch to mark Deaf Awareness Week 2024

  By

Join Wiltshire and Dorset Deaf Association for a social coffee morning & special lunch to mark Deaf Awareness Week 2024 at Bournemouth Deaf Club on Friday 10th May 2024.

  • Coffee & Cake
  • Lunch
  • Natter
  • Scrabble and table games
  • Quiz

This event is open to anyone in the d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing community.
No need to book. Drop into Bournemouth Deaf Club 10am-1pm.
Email Zoe at admin@wdda.co.uk or call/text 07793284109 for more information.

Halloween Coffee & Crafts

  By ,

CoCreate are back with us for another Coffee & Crafts at Bournemouth Deaf Club on Friday 27th October 2023. 10am-1pm. This event is free to attend and open to anyone in the d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing community. BSL communication and all materials provided. Come together in a welcoming space and get creative with the support of professional artists.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/371717555177841
No comments

FREE SIM cards to help improve digital inclusion within the d/Deaf community

  By

Mobile phones now make it possible for deaf people to enjoy immediate communication and give them the independence to have real-time conversations and exchange information. Smart phones give access to a range of video calling apps such as FaceTime, WhatsApp Call, Facebook Messenger, Skype and Glide as well as video relay apps and a whole range of subtitling apps and entertainment apps with BSL and/or closed captioning.

WDDA has been awarded 50 Pay as You Go SIMs by Vodaphone (that each come with 20GB data plus unlimited calls and texts each month for a period of six months) as part of their Charities.connected initiative. If you are are d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing, live in Wiltshire or Dorset and would benefit from 20GB of data plus unlimited UK calls and texts every 30 days for six months please comment below, message us or email admin@wdda.co.uk by NO LATER than Monday 31st July 2023 (SIM cards must be activated by 19 August 2023).

Social Coffee Morning

  By

Join Wiltshire and Dorset Deaf Association for a social coffee morning at Bournemouth Deaf Club on Friday 14th July 2023.

– Coffee & Cake
– Natter
– Scrabble and table games
– Quiz

This event is open to anyone in the d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing community. No need to book. Drop into Bournemouth Deaf Club 10am-1pm. Email Zoe at admin@wdda.co.uk or call/text 07793284109 for more information.

https://fb.me/e/HXqzAh6R

Christmas Crafts with CoCreate!

  By

Being creative is good for you! The winter months can be difficult for many of us and our mental health. While we’re all familiar with the stats on one in four people in the UK experiencing mental ill-health, in the deaf community the prevalence of mental illness can range from 30–60%. The main thing it often comes down to is communication. Some deaf individuals feel incredibly isolated due to not being able to hear or speak with others easily, which can have a knock-on effect on their mental wellbeing.

Wiltshire & Dorset Deaf Association is joining forces with CoCreate Dorset (CIC) and Bournemouth Deaf Club to create a warm, welcoming and accessible space for the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing community to come together to socialise and develop creative and practical skills through visual arts projects.

CoCreate has a proven track record of working closely with the Deaf community in Dorset and supporting people to express their ideas and experiences through creative means.

Join us for some Christmas Crafts with CoCreate at Bournemouth Deaf Club on Friday 16th December 2022.

This event is open to anyone in the d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing community. BSL interpreter and all materials provided.
Come together in a warm, welcome space and get creative with the support of professional artists.

www.cocreate.org.uk

No need to book. Drop into Bournemouth Deaf Club 10am-2pm.

Email Zoe at admin@wdda.co.uk or call/text 07793284109 for more information.

‘Signature Hall of Fame’!

  By

Congratulations to Paul Kirby for being shortlisted from over 250 nominations to be included in the ‘Signature Hall of Fame’ of people who have advanced the cause of the Deaf Community and their rights of equal access to information, education and services in their own Language, BSL.

Paul was nominated by his employer, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for his unstinting efforts to develop Deaf Awareness and Sign Language skills across the CQC and care institutions, locally and nationally. In addition, he is much loved and admired by both the Dorset Deaf Community, as an inspirational role model & champion of BSL and the hearing community who have experienced his wonderful talent as a communicator and teacher. Many of us can testify to the influence he has had on our lives. He says he doesn’t want nominations and awards and that his reward is seeing the smiles on the faces of people that benefit from the exposure to British Sign Language and the gathering pace of its inclusion in the fabric of society, bringing Deaf and hearing people together in equal opportunity.

Well done Paul, and very best wishes for the formal recognition of your achievements at the awards ceremony in November, at the National Football Museum in Manchester.

Signature announce shortlist for Hall of Fame event – Signature

  • JustGiving