Dear all,
As always, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading so many wonderful stories in our newsletter about the children and young people we support, so many wonderful achievements, and such enjoyment.
It is so pleasing to see the amount of opportunities there exist now for children and young people who are deaf or visual impaired, and the many positive examples we see on the television and in the media of people achieving fantastic things. We have tried to highlight just a few of these.
We do hope that you will enjoy reading our newsletter, and please do let us know if there is something you think would be helpful for us to share with other families.
Sending warmest wishes to you and your families.
Debbie Hiom (Team manager)
|
East Cheshire Deaf Children's Society
Do you want to spend time with families you can connect with?
Would your child like to make friends with other children who understand what it is like to have a hearing loss?
East Cheshire Deaf Children's society run special events where children and families can get together, share experiences and have fun. You can look forward to a bowling event and a soft play event soon to happen in early 2025.
If you would like more information get in touch with your Teacher of the Deaf or contact Amanda on 07793200385 or email her at chair@ecdcs.co.uk
|
|
Beauty and the Beast Pantomime
When: 13th December 2024 - 5th January 2025
BSL Performance: Friday 3rd January 7:00pm
Where: Crewe Lyceum Theatre
|
|
 |
 Chester Deaf Centre
Wednesday 11th December | Christmas Crafts | 6pm-8pm | £3
Wednesday 18th December | Christmas Party! | 6pm-8pm | £3
Northwich DSN
Thursday 12th December | Christmas Crafts | 6pm-8pm | £3
Fun for all
Sunday 8th December | Storyhouse Panto - Sleeping Beauty |
4:30pm-8:30pm (approximately)
For more information contact the team
Georgia - gmiddlehurst@dsnonline.co.uk
https://dsnonline.co.uk/youth/
www.facebook.com/youthvibecheshire
Instagram: youthvibe_dsn
Discover Your Paralympic Potential: Do you have what it takes to be a future Paralympian?
Join Paralympics GB this November and February 2025 to discover your Paralympic potential.
Date: Sunday 2nd February 2025
Time: 10am-4pm
Venue: Greenbank Sports Academy, Liverpool, L17 1AG
What to expect on the day:
• A small group session coached by experienced instructors
• Information about the sport
• An insight into classification
• How to continue and progress
For more information and to register see the link below.
|
RNIB Elves
The RNIB elves are helping Santa send letters out to children in their preferred font size, audio or braille! You can request a letter until 1st December.
|
|
 |
Road Safety
It is useful to encourage all children to use the rotating cone at the bottom of the push button box on a controlled crossing. These can be found on crossings such as; Pelican (Pedestrian Light Controlled), Puffin (Pedestrian User Friendly Indicator) and Toucan (Two Can Cross).
The audible ‘beep’ isn’t always present, but the rotating cone will spin when the green man sign is on, allowing children to be independent in judging the safe time to cross.
|
My NDCS App
For parents/carers of deaf children My NDCS is a free app which provides:
- information and resources tailored to where you live and your child’s age.
- information and resources tailored to where you live and your child’s age.
- stories from other families and deaf role models.
- a journal where you can record key moments in your child’s journey.
- information about events where you can get advice from the NDCS and meet other families of deaf children.
 We held a Games and Chat event at Monks Coppenhall Family Hub for students with a visual impairment of any age group.
Parent / carers were also invited, and they had a space to sit and talk to each other.
The young people had a great time playing accessible games, and the feedback from both students and parents was very positive.
The session was really valuable… the parents left to have a chat and a cup of tea. It gave me the opportunity to meet other parents in an informal environment and talk through our experiences. It was a very supportive environment and we shared our challenges, our experiences and how we utilised support from friends, family and services. I felt that I gained information and tips and it made me focus more on the positives and how amazing our children are. I also feel it was beneficial for my daughter to mix with other children who experience similar issues. I think it could give her the opportunity to open up or simply feel safe and supported whilst doing some fun activities. The facilitators were very enthusiastic and skilled in mixing the children and ensuring they all felt included, they popped in to us regularly to reassure us and feedback on what activities they were enjoying. (parent)
It was great to be able to chat to the other parents and share experiences (parent)
Evie had such a great time yesterday. Her smile said it all when I went back in the room. She enjoyed all the games and all the attention and didn't want to leave! (parent)
…had a outstanding time meeting people! Due to this experience I felt positive as I am meeting loads of other people that have similar needs to me! This makes me feel happy and more confident, every time we do these sessions! If the team could carry on with these sessions , I believe it could help girls/boys grow more in confidence, like it has done for me! (Young Person)
I loved the inclusivity of the session. I liked the age range of the children and how nice and friendly everyone was. The children had lots of different eye conditions but it didn't stop us from making friends and having fun. (Young Person)
It was a little bit scary, but then I made a friend and it was fun. I could play all the games. I liked playing shut the box, silly sausage, pop it and colouring with smelly pens. I would like to go again. (Young Person)
This year saw Paris host the 17th Summer Paralympics and what an exciting event this was, particularly for Team GB. The UK coverage, presented by Channel 4, saw history made in lots of different ways, especially for the visually impaired and deaf communities.
Rose Ailing-Elis joined the presenting team, the first time in history where a Deaf person has presented a live programme on the Paralympic Games. Rose explained in detail what makes it possible for her to do this role. Her team comprised of several interpreters, one interpreting what she would be hearing through an earpiece, two interpreters for what her co-presenter says and any guests present. Alongside this, she explained that she had a device where the production team can send messages for her to read. The Deaf community of whom rely on BSL (British Sign Language) also had the opportunity to watch part of the games that had live BSL interpretation.
Among the presenting team discussing the highlights was also comedian Josh Pugh who was born with ocular albinism and nystagmus. Josh played for England's Partially Sighted football team between 2012 and 2022. Paralympian and former Cheshire East student, Libby Clegg has an eye condition called Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy, which affects her central vision, also joined the punditry team. She is known for winning many medals in both the Commonwealth Games and Paralympics.
Team GB won 124 medals over all which is a fantastic achievement. Many of these medals were won by visually impaired athletes. Here is a list of just some of the winners:
|
Event
|
Winners
|
|
Para-Athletics
|
Bronze - Zac Shaw - 100m T12
|
|
Para-Cycling
|
Gold - Lizzi Jordan (pilot Danni Khan) – 1K Time Trial
Bronze - Sophie Unwin (pilot Jenny Holl) – 1K Time Trial
Gold - James Ball (pilot Steffan Lloyd) – 1K Time Trial
Silver - Neil Fachie (pilot Matt Rotherham) – 1K Time Trial
Silver - Steve Bate (pilot Chris Latham) – Individual Pursuit
Gold - Sophie Unwin (pilot Jenny Holl) – Individual Pursuit
Bronze - Lora Fachie (pilot Corrine Hall) – Individual Pursuit
|
|
Para-Rowing
|
Silver - Sam Murray – PR3 Mixed Double Sculls
|
|
Para-Swimming
|
Gold - Stephen Clegg – S12 100m Backstroke
|
|
Para-Triathlon
|
Gold - Dave Ellis (guide Luke Pollard) - PTVI
|
 |
|
Big well done to Darcey, who attended The Fallibroome Academy and achieved 3 Bs at A level in Maths, Chemistry and Biology. She is now at York University studying for a MChem (Hons) in Chemistry with a year in industry. |
Well done too to Emmy, who also attended The Fallibroome Academy. She did well in her exams and is now enjoying a Childcare course at Macclesfield College. |
|
 |
Teacher of the Deaf – Take Over Session
Emma shared a ‘Deaf Awareness’ Power Point with some of her friends. She enjoyed showing the tools we use to check and maintain her hearing aids and did an excellent job explaining about the different types/levels of hearing loss and how to be a good communicator. We shared the ‘3 Golden Rules’ – 1. you mustn’t mumble 2.don’t turn away 3. don’t cover up your mouth. Next term Emma is going to repeat this training activity to everyone in her class. What a marvellous achievement Emma! We are proud of you. Keep up the good work. Maybe next year the staff will be asking Emma to deliver ‘Whole School Deaf Awareness’ training?!
|
We were delighted to hear that former student, Tom Warnke that used to attend Fallibroome has just graduated from Sheffield University with a first class Masters degree in Engineering - Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering. He has now started an engineering job in Bristol. |
|
 |
Kianu started playing the drums in Year 7 and has recently joined the percussion group at school. He also plays triangle, xylophone, timpani, tambourine and the bass drum in the Sandbach Co-op windband! The group performs in concerts throughout the year and have different groups for beginners, juniors, youth, and adult & community. Anyone can join the band and there are musicians to help the children improve. They meet at Sandbach High School in the music room.
For more information see their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/cooperativewindbands
|
Congratulations to Ottalie who has been issued with hearing aids and is wearing them consistently. She and her brother Oscar come regularly to Little Stars and always have lots of fun. |
|
 |
 What do you find useful to support your hearing impairment?
‘being close to the teacher’, ‘looking at the person talking’, ‘one person needs to talk at a time’, ‘stay in one place whilst speaking’, ‘People who look at me when they speak’, ‘People who speak clearly’, ‘not talking behind me’, ‘I am sat near the front in most of my lessons and that really helps me to hear as I am near the teacher’
“Having a good TA who knows what they are doing in my lessons.”
“Having Siri on my iPad and fiddling with the settings on my phone…I know all the tricks!”
What do you find useful to support for your visual needs?
...my breaktime buddy
…Mrs ‘X’ (in class adult support)
…moving close to the board
…my own copy of work
…big writing
…thick lines
…wearing my glasses
…my laptop
…my screen (mirrored to the board)
…my board (raised/angled)
At home
…my kindle
…my iPad
…my mum
We have had fun this term making new friends and enjoying lots of seasonal activities. The current group consists of children aged 6 months old up to pre school age.
For Halloween we decorated pumpkins on paper and did a joint collage on an actual pumpkin.
As we plan for Christmas at Little Stars we are learning some Sign Language Christmas songs.
|
 We hope that by the time our Christmas Party comes round on Wednesday 18th December we’ll all be ready to sign and sing to our special visitor, Father Christmas!
Little Stars takes place every Wednesday at the New Life Community Centre in Congleton. If you would like more information about ‘Little Stars’ our Early Years Group for Deaf children and their families speak to your Teacher of the Deaf.
|
Preparing for Adulthood
Cheshire East Council’s Livewell page on the Cheshire East website has lots to offer around advice for those with SEN in their preparation for adulthood.
All young people with SEND have equal access to high quality and timely advice, information and support to ensure positive preparing for adulthood outcomes are met in line with their individual wishes and aspirations.
Supported Internships
Supported Internships may be available to Young People with a HI/VI if they meet the following criteria:
In order to be eligible to access the Supported Internship programme, you must be between 16 - 24 years old and have an Education Health Care Plan. There are no specific qualifications or grades required, however the young person accessing this programme, must want to work.
A Supported Internship is a programme aimed at helping young people with a learning disability transition into paid work. This programme is different to other education-based programmes, as it involves being in the workplace most of the week. Whilst in the work place all interns will have a Job Coach who will support them to develop their skills and confidence.
A Supported Internship is about learning ‘real’ skills, for a 'real’ job, it is not just work experience. The amount of support provided by the Job Coach is different for everybody. However, all interns would usually start with 100% support which would fade week by week. Until the intern is working completely independently! Interns will also spend part of their week with their education provider (this could be a School, College or Training Provider, depending on where they are doing their Supported Internship). Here, interns will develop their employability skills, as well as Maths and English.
Contact Zoe Macey for more details Zoe.Macey@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Blind comedian, Chris Macausland and Deaf television personality, Tasha Ghouri have put their dancing shoes on and are taking part in this year's Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One. Each year the show expands their inclusivity. For the first time this year BSL users can watch the show live with full BSL interpretation on BBC iPlayer.
|
Mattel has launched its first blind Barbie doll. The company worked with the American Foundation for the Blind and the doll has a cane with a marshmallow tip, tactile fabric clothing with Barbie in braille on the front of the box. |
|
 |
Hear Art is an award-winning social Enterprise empowering Deaf creatives and produces accessible, cutting edge content for all audiences. Their new video podcast "Shaping Tomorrow" sees Deaf and hearing guests having a conversation about their areas of interest and work. Episodes include discussions around; architecture, make up, mountaineering and so much more. It highlights deaf professionals' unique perspectives of inclusivity and accessibility. The series shows that Deaf people can achieve the same as hearing people. If you would like to watch the video podcast you can find episodes on YouTube by using the link below.
|
Oxford Vision, a specially designed maths set has been created to empower students with visual impairments. Oxford Vision was created after they received an email from a mum, Sam, whose daughter, Jessica was struggling to use traditional maths equipment due to her visual impairment. Developed in collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Oxford Vision features:
- High-contrast black and yellow design and bold, enlarged text for better visibility
- Raised lines on tools, meeting Braille height standards
- Non-slip pads and pin holes for classroom stability
The set includes a compass, ruler, protractor, set squares, pencil, sharpener, eraser, and stencil - each carefully designed to enable students like Jessica to learn independently.
Oxford Vision is now available at Asda, Amazon, Ryman and WH Smith.
|
Sensory Impairment
Our Live Well page with information about the service and links to other services. Click the link below to visit the website.
|
A collection of links and organisations which we have put together and which we hope will be helpful for you, including all the major national charities who offer specialist support, advice, services, and opportunities. Click the link below to access the information.
The Cheshire East Parent Carer Forum which is led by parents for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with additional support needs and disabilities in Cheshire East.
Visual Impairment
Cheshire East Social Care Visual Impairment Service provide assessments and support for visually impaired adults, children and young people across Cheshire East.
The Society operates a resource centre in Macclesfield (Mon to Fri 9.00am -1.30pm) offering advice, support and a selection of daily living aids and specialised living equipment. These include talking clocks, watches, microwave ovens, bathroom and kitchen scales, a range of magnifiers including specialised electronic magnifiers and computer software. Social groups are run in Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Congleton and Poynton.
Henshaws
A North West charity offering support, advice and training to enable young people and their families.
A working group representing all services involved with children and young people with hearing impairment, including parents. We welcome parents and young people at our meetings. For more information, please contact your Teacher of the Deaf or email sensoryinclusionservice@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Hearing Impairment
The local branch of the NDCS who organise social activities for Deaf young people and their families. They also raise funds and support families. They are a group run by parents and volunteers, and always welcome new members. Please speak to your Teacher of the Deaf if you would like to find out more!
Deaf & Sensory Network (DSN) provides information, advice and practical support including ‘drop-in' services and access to technical equipment e.g., amplification aids. They also run a youth club, Youth Vibe, for young people between the ages of 8 and 19.
The Cheshire CHSWG (Children’s Hearing Service Working Group) is a group representing all services involved with children and young people with hearing impairment, including parents. We welcome parents and young people at our meetings. For more information, please contact your Teacher of the Deaf or email sensoryinclusionservice@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Safeguarding Information
Many schools now have a team of Safeguarding Officers or Ambassadors. These important children and young people work closely with the schools’ Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) to help others if they are feeling sad or unsafe. They organise Children’s Mental Health Weeks, activities and assemblies. They help to explain what mental health means. ‘Daisy’s Dragon’ is a recommended book about feelings. Please talk to your child’s school if you are worried about anything. More information to keep all children and young people ‘Safe and Happy’ can be found at;
Childline – 08001111
NSPCC – Pants are Private
Thinkuknow.co.uk
Please let us know if you would prefer not to receive this newsletter and similar items please email: sensoryinclusionservice@cheshireeast.gov.uk
|
