British Deaf Association

Join Our Team! Are you passionate about advocating for the rights of the Deaf community? The British Deaf Association is looking for a Campaigns Officer to drive our campaigns and help us make a real impact. If you have experience in campaigning, a strong commitment to equality, and a deep understanding of the Deaf community, get in touch. 📅 Closing Date: 5th September 2024 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eVtYtnYg

Happy International Youth Day! Today, we celebrate the incredible contributions and potential of young people all over the world. The theme for this year focuses on empowering youth to drive positive change, and at the BDA, we believe young people are at the heart of creating a more inclusive society for everyone. In line with this, we’re encouraging all young people, families and supporters to take part in our BSL in Our Hands campaign. By adding your handprint, you are championing the rights and visibility of Deaf youth across the UK. On United Nations International Youth Day, let’s come together to highlight the contributions of young people and their role in shaping our future. Stand with us by uploading your handprint here: bda.org.uk/handprint #InternationalYouthDay #BSLInOurHands #HandprintCampaign

Congratulations on your 100th anniversary of hosting the Deaflympics, International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD)! 100 years ago, on August 10, 1924, the history of international deaf sport began. The first Deaflympics, then known as the International Silent Games, took place at Pershing Stadium in Paris, France. Thank you for bringing deaf people together through sport globally. The Deaflympics (ICSD) is recognised by the International Olympic Committee. We proudly celebrate the Deaflympics as the second longest continuously organised multi-sport event, second only to the Olympics, and the first in international disability sport! This enduring legacy is a testament to the vision and determination of the pioneers who made it possible for deaf athletes to compete on an international stage every four years. With the International Paralympic Committee games starting soon, we are excited about watching Team GB compete, however, we need to highlight the fact that the GB Deaflympics team receives barely any funding. UK Deaf Sport launched #FairPlayForDeafAthletes highlighting this issue. They are asking the Government to end the discrimination against elite deaf athletes and fund and support them as they do Olympic and Paralympic athletes. UK Deaf Sport are also asking the government to support the GB Deaflympics Team to compete at the Deaflympics in Toyko next year. https://lnkd.in/ePBC_D5N Department for Culture, Media and Sport Cabinet Office Craig Crowley MBE FRSA

The BDA is dedicated to representing and supporting all Deaf people across the UK, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or religion. We’re deeply saddened and concerned by recent events that have caused fear and distress within our community, particularly among Deaf people of colour and those from minority religious backgrounds. We recognise and celebrate the diverse identities within the Deaf community and stand united with you against any form of racism, hatred, or violence. We understand the concerns raised by some members who feel that the BDA did not respond quickly enough to the far-right race riots and failed to adequately reassure the Deaf Ethnic Minority community, of their safety and wellbeing. We acknowledge that our response could have been more immediate. We take this feedback seriously and are committed to doing better. The BDA has established an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy Group, with a primary focus on better representing and supporting our diverse community. The group's objectives include co-producing an EDI strategy with members to ensure authentic representation and dismantle long-standing barriers that have historically impeded the progress of Deaf individuals. Central to the group's efforts is placing members' views and priorities at the heart of the strategy, ensuring that their voices guide the organisation's direction. It is important to us that deaf people have the opportunity to talk about their experiences, and as part of our EDI initiative we will make contact with them, listen to them, and use this feedback to form and shape the BDA for the future. We also welcome people to get in touch with us directly. We want to reassure all members of the Deaf community, especially those from Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic backgrounds, that your safety and wellbeing are of utmost importance to us. As a member led organisation, your voices are at the heart of everything we do. #StandUpToRacism #NoToFarRight

The British Deaf Association (BDA) stands in solidarity with the ‘Stand Up To Racism’ campaign following the violence and terrorism seen on our streets.   Deaf people should not be targeted based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or origin. Deaf people everywhere have different intersectional identities and we celebrate all of these,   Members told us they wanted the BDA to do more to combat racism and we are very proud of the work of our EDI Strategy Group to compact racism within the Deaf community and against the Deaf community.   #StandUpToRacism   #NoToFarRight

Add your handprint to our visual petition! Each handprint represents a person advocating for accessible British Sign Language for deaf children. Haven't added yours yet? It's not too late! 🖐️ Upload your handprint today and let’s get BSL into the hands of those who need it most. Make every hand count! Upload here: bda.org.uk/handprint #BSLInOurHands #HandprintPetition

89% of young deaf people have seen fake sign language on TikTok. We’re incredibly excited today to launch our campaign, RE/SIGN — a TikTok dance challenge, using British Sign Language to fight fake sign. Get involved and learn a dance! Big shout out to our partners at Signature and The Sweetshop for helping bring this important idea to life. And huge congrats to the whole team for getting this one off the ground. Follow the campaign on : TikTok : https://lnkd.in/dupAJEkG Instagram : https://lnkd.in/d6uC28Rw

Celebrating 134 Years: A Look Back at the BDDA Congress, 1937 As we celebrate the British Deaf Association's 134th birthday, join us in reflecting on our rich history with this archival footage from the BDDA’s Congress in 1937 on the Isle of Man. Captured by Honorary Secretary-Treasurer Leslie Edwards, this video brings to life the joyful and spirited gatherings of our community. In this footage, attendees are shown boarding coaches outside the famous Gaiety Theatre. Next, playing games and lining up for a group shot on the promenade, before having a quick dance before boarding the coaches! This clip is one of the original BDDA Library collection, created by Edwards himself where he built up a range of newsreels - many delivered by himself directly to camera. These newsreels provided information to the Deaf community in BSL and captured Deaf events taking place at home and abroad. This became a central resource that Deaf Clubs across the country could access, add to and learn from entertaining and educating the Deaf community right across the breadth of the UK. The BDA was previously called the British Deaf and Dumb Association (BDDA) which was renamed in 1971 to the British Deaf Association (BDA). Learn more: bda.org.uk/history

Here's Mhairi from British Deaf Association England, she came to visit this morning and saw the 'BSL in our hands' campaign display board and absolutely loved it! Thank you to all those involved to make this such a success, we really value your support. Thank you to Mhairi for making the trip this morning to Doncaster Deaf Trust, so positive, we are looking forward to working collaboratively with you in the future! British Deaf Association Natalie Pollard Alexis Johnson Hannah Anderson Tracey Jamison

Incredible! Thank you Manchester Deaf Centre for your support 🙌🏻🙌🏻 #BSLinOurHands 🙌🏻🙌🏻