Outlook Trust

The outlook trust runs outdoor activity weekends in the Lake District for blind and visually impaired children aged 8-18. The total cost for the weekend is £60. Dates and more information available, please click below.

Pan Disability Football Sessions

Did you know that Nantwich Town run disability football sessions for under 16s? They also have an adult visual impairment team based at the club. You can follow them on Facebook at Nantwich Town Disability Football.

East Cheshire Deaf Children's Society Events (ECDCS)

Save the date for:

They are arranging either a farm visit or a picnic on 7th July, details to be confirmed. 

They will also be holding their Christmas event on the 1st December.  Details to be confirmed nearer the time. 

Cheshire East family hubs digital offer is now live!

On 2^nd April we launched our family hubs digital offer - an online resource dedicated to sharing all the help, support and information that families need if they cannot access a physical family hub in the borough.

Family hubs bring council, health and community services together, so that families with children and young people can access the right help and support, at the right time. The support is available for children and young people from birth up until the age of 19 (or 25 for those with special educational needs).

Over the past twelve months we’ve already opened five physical family hubs across the borough and are looking to develop further outreach provision through family hub ‘connect’ sites – offering the opportunity for more in-person support.

The family hub digital offer is a series of webpages which have been created through Livewell and have been developed to extend our outreach to families.

Through the site families can discover local events in the area, find out more about our SEND services, and the various family support available depending on a child's age.

Remember Button Battery Safety!

Batteries should always be kept in a safe, secure place. Keep batteries out of sight and out of reach. If you are concerned about your child accessing the batteries in their hearing aids, you can contact your audiology department for more information. 

Please follow this link for further information regarding battery safety.

Is your little one with a VI struggling with pouring to a suitable level or over pouring?

Things to help:

• Using a contrasting-coloured liquid to the cup or beaker.
• Have a contrasting background.
• Add a ping pong ball so this can be seen or ‘felt’ when the liquid is nearing the top of the cup or beaker.

Keeping our Children and Young People Safe Online

Technology is forever changing and evolving, it can be hard to keep up with how to make sure your child is staying safe online. If you are struggling to navigate how to make sure your child is safe using online technology, you can click the links below to access lots of websites where you can find advice and support. 

CEOP Safety Centre

CEOP Education (thinkuknow.co.uk)

Homepage - UK Safer Internet Centre

Childnet — Online safety for young people

Blind Ambition Charity

Blind Ambition is a charity set up to improve the lives of people living with sight loss. Their website contains information on a range of services including rehabilitation, home visits, family support, health and wellbeing projects, social activities and groups. They also provide workshops, for example helping to prepare for an interview.

Disabled Students Allowance – DSA for University Students.

The Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is financial support to cover study related costs for university students with a disability – this includes a visual or hearing impairment. For the academic year 2024-2025 undergraduate and postgraduate students in England can get up to £26,948 per year for support.

This allowance can be on its own or in addition to any other student finance. The type of support you get depends on individual needs, not household income. You do not need to pay back DSA.

DSA can help with the costs of specialist equipment, non-medical helpers such as a BSL interpreter or a note taker, extra travel to attend your course or placement because of your disability, other disability -related study support such as printing.

Students will apply to the Students Loan Company (SLC).  Once their eligibility has been assessed  and funding approved, they will be allocated a single supplier. This will be either Study Tech or Capita who will then manage their support.  This is a new system for 2024 onwards.

Remember when applying to university to let them know you have a disability and contact the support services at your chosen university to make them aware of your needs.

If you would like further information you can click on the button below.

Look Charity

LOOK is run by visually impaired people, for visually impaired people. If you’d like to chat with someone who has been there, done it and might have some great advice why not sign up to our Mentoring Project. If you feel you have wisdom to offer and would like to be part of the mentor community they would love to hear from you. Become a mentor or have a mentor to share thoughts and ideas with.

Keen to meet others online or in person? Check out Look Events or you if you’d just like to browse their resources, take a look at their website. 

To join the community and find out more information, click the button below.

RNIB Parent Pathways

RNIB Parent Pathways provide free, online sessions for parents and carers of children and young people with vision impairment. The aim of Parent Pathways is to provide information and signposting on a range of topics and give families the chance to meet and share experiences. Click on the link below for more information.

Children’s Mental Health Week – ‘My Voice Matters’

Eddie enjoyed getting involved in Children’s Mental Health week. He liked choosing his own clothes to wear for ‘Express Yourself Day’ at school.

SEND sessions at Children's Centre

Erik has been enjoying the sessions at Monks Coppenhall Children's Centre for children with SEND. The centre is one of Cheshire East’s specialist family hubs. Click on the link below for more details of centres and sessions.

"I'm Hear!" - Frozen Event at Deaf & Sensory Network

In October 2023, Deaf & Sensory Network's "I'm Hear!" project reintroduced monthly group activities for children under 8 at The Pettypool Trust in Sandiway, Northwich.  The group has welcomed 14 new members and numbers are expected to grow. A recent performance of 'Frozen,' featuring Elsa and Anna singing and signing the songs in BSL, was hailed as a success, bringing joy to all attendees.

If you would like to attend these monthly events, you would need an "I’m Hear!" referral and initial visit before attending. Parents can self-refer or be referred by your Teacher of the Deaf.  The "I'm Hear!" project states using a personalised approach as they believe it’s important that they know the families and understand how they can best support them. Their aim is to help families in creating a supportive community.  If you would like more information, you can get in touch directly with Deaf & Sensory Network directly, or contact your Teacher of the Deaf. 

East Cheshire Deaf Children's Society (ECDCS) Bowling Event

In March there was an ECDCS bowling event which is always enjoyed and well attended by 22 youngsters, ranging from preschool children to high school age.

Rugby taster day

The first north west Visually Impaired Rugby taster day was held in February at Stockport Rugby Club.

England VI Rugby captain Jack Pearce, who is one of our former students led the session on the day.

England VI Rugby was created, and is supported by The Change Foundation.

A monthly training session is planned at Stockport Rugby Club as a follow-on from this.

For more information about the VI England Rugby team, please click the link below to view an article about their recent victory in the first Tri-Nations VI Rugby Challenge, which was held alongside the French Rugby World Cup.

You can also follow Visually Impaired Rugby on Facebook.

It was great to hear recently from Nat Costigan, former student who was supported by the service through his time at high school. He graduated last summer and is now working at SSE Energy Solutions in Manchester. He is also now a proud guide dog owner:

Myself and Jamie (my guide dog) have completed training and are now fully-qualified. Jamie has settled into the family well and has significantly improved my confidence/independence. I am now able to independently commute to work, meet up with friends, and go to several places in the local area independently - things that I never thought I could do.

I am really enjoying working for SSE in the commercial graduate scheme, with my first 6-month placement as an analyst in the renewables business (SSE Renewables) completed. I received very positive feedback in my End of Placement review and have now begun my second placement in the Settlements team for the Energy Markets business. The company (SSE) has made lots of adjustments for me, providing the equipment/software needed, and colleagues in the office have supported Jamie and I, setting up 'Jamie's corner'.

My swimming training/competing is going really well; having competed at the Swim England Winter Nationals and entered the British Para-triathlon Super Series 2024. I will also be swimming in the regional swimming championships in April to try and get the qualifying times for the British swimming championships.

At Little Stars we have been using lots of signing in our song time.

For ‘Sign Language Week’ March 18^th- 22^nd we learnt the signs for different animals including ‘pig’ and ‘cow’ which then featured in our signed ‘Old McDonald had a Farm’.

Well Done our little signing stars, you’re all amazing and so are your grown-ups!

If you would like to join us, please ask your Teacher of the Deaf or email marieclare.tyrrell@cheshireeast.gov.uk for more information.

We are excited that our new Early Years group, running in conjunction with Guide Dogs, has started this term. We run in two different locations, the Family Hub at Monks Coppenhall in Crewe and Puss Bank primary school in Macclesfield. Families who come along are enjoying the sensory stories and songs and getting to know one another.

If you would like to join us, please ask your Qualified Teacher for Vision Impairment (QTVI) or email rebecca.hoskins@cheshireeast.gov.uk for more information.

Congratulations to Zachary Leeson (Year 6 Monks Coppenhall Academy) on his successful application to be Deputy Head Boy. Zachary had to be interviewed for this position and has been involved showing parent/carers and prospective students round the school. Zachary has also been made a Digital Leader in school. He is a valued member of the school community and an outstanding role model to the younger children in the school.

Congratulations to Seth Wrighton (Year 4, Wistaston Church Lane) for his cricket award for 'most improved player'.  He plays for Wistaston Cricket Club in the under 9 age group and would encourage other young people to participate in cricket.

Congratulations to Adele Cooper for organising and completing a sponsored walk around Nantwich Lake in aid of Guide Dogs. Adele raised over £600. This is an amazing amount, what a super star!

Keep on Running

Georgia is in Year 5 at Lostock Hall in Poynton; she has a moderate hearing loss and wears bilateral hearing aids which she usually uses with a radio aid in school. Georgia has recently turned 10 years old. She was inspired to start running by her Dad and they enjoy running together. Since February, Georgia has been training with Stockport Harriers Athletics Club after her dad found them online.

Georgia says, ‘My hearing aids don’t stand in the way of my running. I wear them to run, and I don’t have any issues communicating when I run’ Georgia continues, ‘Running makes me feel good and out of breath!’. She would like to keep running in the future because of how good it makes her feel.

Hearing Dog for the Deaf for Hattie

Hattie had a lovely visit from hearing dog Kiki a few weeks ago. She was such a lovely dog who enjoyed lots of cuddles from Hattie and her sisters. It was fascinating to watch Kiki show off her sound work!

Hattie is in the process of hopefully getting her own hearing dog through the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. She is due to visit the training centre next week which is based in Buckinghamshire for an assessment day where she will get to experience a variety of breeds. This will help the team assess what type of dog will work best for Hattie. We will keep you posted about how the visit goes!

Congratulations to our two Teachers of the Deaf, Emma Barr and Laura Hopkins who passed their BSL Level 2 assessments earlier this year.  A lot of hard work and dedication was put in to developing their skills in this area and we are all very proud of them.  Laura and Emma worked with Deaf & Sensory Network (DSN) and a big thank you must be given to BSL tutors Lisa and Amber for all their hard work and support. If you would like to learn BSL or would like more information on how you can go about doing this with Deaf & Sensory Network, click the button below to search for upcoming courses. 

Gemma Owen, former Love Island contestant, has appeared in the media recently raising awareness of Stargardt’s Disease, as her brother has this condition. Gemma is an ambassador for Fight for Sight, a charity committed to raising funds for research into a number of eye conditions.

GLADIATORS ARE YOU READY?

Well one gladiator is and that is Fury. Fury, aka Jodie Ounsley, has had an amazing career leading up to her time on the BBC show Gladiators.  Jodie was the youngest child to receive a cochlear implant in 2002 at the age of 13 months old and has gone on to be a professional Exeter Chiefs rugby player, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu Champion, alongside many other achievements including being named Deaf Sports Personality of the Year in 2020. If you would like to learn more about Jodie's story, you can watch the YouTube video from Deaf Rugby by clicking the button below. 

Football's For Everyone

Former England footballer Michael Owen and his son James Owen - who has Stargardt disease - have released a documentary exploring football and sight loss. The documentary, "Football's for Everyone" is available now on TNT Sports. Michael and James delve into the world of sight loss and football, providing an intimate and inspiring look at the England Partially Sighted Futsal Team as they geared up for the 2023 IBSA World Games.  If you would like to read more about the documentary, visit the TNT Sports website by clicking the link below. 

Dear Role Models in Art

Deaf Photographer, Stephen Iliffe, grew up being the only Deaf child in a mainstream school. In his new exhibition, called Deaf Mosaic, his portraits of Deaf role models include a female vicar and a Muslim kickboxer.  He hopes the compilation of 42 portraits of Deaf people allow Deaf people to not feel alone. If you would like to learn more about the exhibit, you can click the link below. 

Blind comedian, Chris McCausland has travelled to the world's most stunning places. However, being blind, he has decided to take some celebrity pals along for the ride so they can provide commentary to describe the views that are in front of him.  You can catch this show on All4.

Lucy Edwards Cave is well known for being a Blind Broadcaster and a Disability Activist and has now teamed up with Speakers for Schools to share her experiences with the world.  At 17 she fully lost her sight and she did not have any role models and therefore wants to be the change for young people now. Tune in and hear how one woman built a community that champions disability advocacy and is changing how the world views blindness. #BlindNotBroken