Open Letter to Welsh Minister of Health.

Hi

My name is (name/address/area withheld here for privacy reasons), I am profoundly deaf and Live in ********. I recently read the Assembly minister for health has rejected the suggested provision of an dedicated Mental health Service and Nurses to deaf people, can I have more information on this, and, why our deaf people are being sent away from Wales for treatments and diagnosis's to Bristol, Bath and London or Manchester instead ?

It must be appreciated this undermines those deaf with Mental health Issues being able to utilise local services and ease of access for their relatives to support them. A number are sent to English Hospitals never to return to Wales. If an hearing person can access local mental health teams then why cannot the deaf person ? There are sign language interpreters to assist Dr's here.

It is outrageous the Minister has turned down deaf sign language support (In many cases the sole means Dr's can use to diagnose treatment), which is an legal right under the law, perhaps the Minister can be made aware the Assembly is in breach of Human Rights too. The Minster also turned down an suggested dedicated service to specialise in Deaf mental Health in Wales, again an disgraceful attempt to save money, which in reality doesn't, since the Assembly then has to finance specialist areas in England. I would appreciate some clarifications on this. Not only is the Minister refusing an basic right of access to localised MH teams, but is 'deporting' deaf people to England, and depriving them of family support to aid recovery.

Thank You

For the welsh Speaker.

Hi

Fy enw i yw (enw / cyfeiriad / ardal yma dal yn ôl am resymau preifatrwydd), yr wyf yn hollol fyddar a Byw mewn ********. Yn ddiweddar, yn darllen y gweinidog y Cynulliad ar gyfer iechyd wedi gwrthod y ddarpariaeth yn awgrymu y Gwasanaeth iechyd meddwl penodol a Nyrsys i bobl fyddar, gallaf gael rhagor o wybodaeth am hyn, ac, pam ein pobl fyddar yn cael eu hanfon i ffwrdd o Gymru ar gyfer triniaethau a diagnosis i Bryste, Caerfaddon a Llundain neu Fanceinion yn lle hynny?

Rhaid sylweddoli hyn yn tanseilio rhai sy'n fyddar â materion iechyd meddwl yn gallu defnyddio gwasanaethau lleol a rhwyddineb mynediad am eu perthnasau i'w cefnogi. Mae nifer yn cael eu hanfon i Ysbytai Saesneg byth i ddychwelyd i Gymru. Os gall person gwrandawiad mynediad thimau iechyd meddwl lleol, yna pam na all y person byddar? Mae dehonglwyr iaith arwyddion i gynorthwyo Dr yma.

Mae'n warthus mae'r Gweinidog wedi gwrthod arwyddo byddar cymorth iaith (Mewn llawer o achosion yr unig yn golygu y gall Dr yn eu defnyddio i wneud diagnosis o driniaeth), sydd yn hawl cyfreithiol o dan y gyfraith, efallai y gall y Gweinidog fod yn ymwybodol y Cynulliad yn torri Dynol Hawliau hefyd. Mae'r Gweinidog hefyd wedi gwrthod gwasanaeth yn awgrymu ymroddedig i arbenigo mewn Iechyd Byddar meddwl yng Nghymru, unwaith eto ymgais warthus i arbed arian, sydd mewn gwirionedd nid yw'n, ers i'r Cynulliad wedyn i ariannu'r meysydd arbenigol yn Lloegr. Byddwn yn gwerthfawrogi rhywfaint o eglurhad ar hyn. Nid yn unig y mae'r Gweinidog yn gwrthod hawl sylfaenol i gael mynediad i dimau iechyd meddwl lleol, ond mae 'alltudio' pobl fyddar i Loegr, ac yn eu hamddifadu o gefnogaeth i deuluoedd i gynorthwyo adferiad.

Diolch

Mental Health Support for Deaf Welsh 'outrageous'.

There are no mental health services for Deaf people in Wales. When people in Wales are very unwell they have difficulty accessing the specialist hospitals in England. This situation is outrageous.

SignHealth, along with other organisations in Wales, was asked to produce a report for the Welsh Health Minister. This report examined the problems faced by Deaf people experiencing mental distress in Wales. It also made recommendations which would lead to the creation of a basic mental health service appropriate for Deaf people.

One recommendation was for three Community Psychiatric Nurses to be appointed, with support from a BSL interpreter, psychologists and consultants. These CPNs could have provided a great deal of support – just as they often do for hearing people. This recommendation would only have cost approximately £300,000 for the whole of Wales.

Unfortunately, the Welsh Minister rejected the report and dismissed the recommendations. That means Deaf people in Wales who are experiencing mental health problems have to battle to access a service – precisely what someone with a mental health problem is unlikely to do. Not getting access to a service means that the distress is likely to get worse and be more difficult to support in the future (and more costly).

SignHealth is now working with a Local Health Board and social workers in Wales to try and establish a service in part of Wales. This is not ideal as it means services will vary depending on where you live. But, it will at least give some people in Wales a better service than they now get.

Deafness-no bar to Music in Cardiff.

Hear Here! will be presenting ‘Deafness – no bar to music’, a workshop specifically targeted at those who work in the arts, whether in education, programming or administration. The workshop will be presented by three leading deaf professionals: Paul Whittaker OBE, mezzo-soprano Janine Roebuck and flautist Ruth Montgomery. The workshop will offer help, advice and support about how professionals in the arts can reach the deaf community.

‘Deafness – no bar to music’ takes place in Cardiff on 27 May at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Workshops are free but numbers are strictly limited.

CONTACT

Welsh deaf culture, soon to be history ?

A sort of 'State of non-union' blog really.....First congratulations to Nottinghamshire re the launch of their new website, obviously an forward-thinking deaf area. We can only dream of an website here, we don't even use social sites that much, and the sole message board hasn't had an post of any nature for ages. A few years ago there was an feeble attempt, but it had no support and even less nous. The ability is there, the will certainly is not.

Be it the BDA or the charity not worthy of an mention, support is non-extant to an large degree. We've tried to encourage deaf clubs in Wales to take an more pro-active approach as well, since unless they start using their buildings, and expertise as Nottingham did to generate some income, they will lose them all. My area has already lost theirs, and deaf youth divided from deaf older people. This was apparently by choice too. Forget community here ! we've seen no deaf children nor ethnic deaf in clubs.

Deaf youth has moved twice in 6/7 months already and young deaf look like being nomads for the foreseeable future. Nearby Cwmbran seems to be in an different venue every other month, their facebook site is virtually unused as well.

I understand Cardiff is trying to save theirs too, after the Local Authority said it wasn't going to subsidise any more. Sadly there is little or no interest in preserving clubs at all. Our deaf youth are just not interested. The nomadic nature of deaf people who traverse the country to chat 'under the lamp' has meant there is no visible localised representation to preserve things. Local Authorities are now just looking to their own areas, and not paying for deaf from other areas to use facilities they pay towards. The strength of deaf in numbers was exposed as an myth, as each club depended on other clubs members to boost numbers.

This means that there is no numerical support in any local area to keep, or fight for what they have. I rather fear deaf culture in as much as there is one in Wales is on borrowed time. We've lost the dedicated buildings, and despite 36 years of free rent and subsidy my area enjoyed, members never bothered to save for that rainy day, the rapid capitulation to agreeing for closure was an shock to older deaf people, less than 8 years prior to that 300 deaf got together and blocked it, this time around no-one did.

All over bar the feeble shouting ? There is no drive to raise funds for an new one, or promote aspects of an deaf welsh culture. We are utterly dependent on the church providing an room for the elderly, who are certainly entitled to sit back a bit and let youth do some work, but it is not happening. Youth decided they didn't want prayers with their social free time, and went to the pub, I could suggest when they are older they will have nowhere to go either, but youth doesn't look any further than now. This follows the fact no deaf schools exist in Wales either, PHU's are decreasing, and those deaf needing specialist deaf education are being ferried to England.

Is Wales the future of the UK deaf community, or the exception ? Deaf have moved on to... where exactly ?

New Deaf venture launched in Wales...

SL First (Ltd.) is the UK’s first local magazine targeted at Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. The magazine is distributed to 10,000 local homes and businesses each month, providing information, advice and fascinating features to a wide audience.

SOURCE

Welsh Ambulance Updates...

This section has important information for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Find out how you can contact the Welsh Ambulance Service if there is an emergency. You can also read about a Medical Information card which can help share important information with ambulance service staff.

We will be adding some BSL clips about the Ambulance service to this section very soon.

Click here to read about the Emergency Text Service.

Click here to read about the Medical Information Card

Click here to see a BSL video clip: About the Welsh Ambulance Service

Click here to see a BSL video clip: Choose Well

Click here to see a BSL video clip: What to do if you have a fall

Click here to see a BSL video clip about NHS Direct Wales

Deaf Association Wales - Welsh Rally

To be held at ‘The Waterfront’ The Promenade Porthcawl On Saturday, 22nd October 2011.

Program of events.

AGM – 3pm

Buffet ~ 6.00pm for 6.30pm till 1am

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‘Buy Early Bird Ticket’ ~ £12 include raffle
By 3rd September 2011

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‘Buy later ticket’ ~ £15 include raffle
By 15th October 2011

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‘Karaoke’ or ‘Disco’

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Games: either choice:

Mr & Mrs ~ Quiz ~ Toss coins ~ Deal or No Deal

For further information contact: Hazel Rutherford, email