News

Community Voices: Andrew Mootoo, Built From the Inside Out

After surviving a Deaf education that taught him to copy but not to understand, Andrew Mootoo spent his career at Deafax building visually-led resources so others wouldn't face the same gaps.

What a Fax Machine taught Deaf Children about being Heard

The programme Deafax began in a school corridor is now part of how public infrastructure works

What Fax Buddies taught us about Deaf children, Literacy and Connection

"She sent seven faxes. He sent two back. So she asked why."

What Happens When Sexual Education Is Not In Your Language

The first time our team walked into a school to deliver sexual health education to a group of Deaf young people, they were not prepared for what they would hear.

Former employee Andrew Mootoo shares his experiences in this now historic film

The film was made by the BBC in partnership with Deafax in 1998

Golden Anniversary of the First Telephone Call Between Two Deaf People

Deafax supports Deaf Aspirations in celebrating the Golden Anniversary of the first UK telephone call in 1973 between two deaf people David Hyslop & Andrew Kenyon

Matchlight: Illuminating the Deaf Identity, Mental Health and the Healing Process of Art

Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq is Deafax’s Lead Trainer, she has worked with Deafax for over 20 years. She is also an extraordinarily talented artist.

Farewell to Paul Simpson

We have had the pleasure and honour of knowing and working with Paul over many years. He supported, contributed and added great value to the pioneering work of DEAFAX and its associated charitable and technological enterprises.

Congratulations in order!

We are delighted to report that the National Lottery Community Fund are going to fund our latest project called Access all Health.

Deafax Honorary Vice President praised in The Oratorian

Ken Carter introduces a selection of highly talented and outstanding Old Oratorians whom he had the privilege of teaching at the Oratory School and who have become leaders in the charities he has set up.

DEAL (Digital Education & Assisted Learning)

A brief overview of the latest research study based on experiences of students in higher education.

Did you know in 1973 the first UK telephone call between two deaf people was made?

Breakthrough Trust deaf directors, Andrew Kenyon in London and David Hyslop in Birmingham made the first UK telephone call.

The Technology Revolution and Deafness - A Future Book For All Seasons

An overview of a book project still to be completed in BATOD Magazine

Deaf Awareness Video

A fantastic DEAF AWARENESS VIDEO promoting inclusion and the "Deaf Can" model

A Celebration of Professor Harold Silver's Life

Professor Harold Silver's inspiration and innovation were responsible for helping Deafax to be established.

Transforming London Overground Journeys for Deaf Passengers

ARL, which operates the London Overground on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), has developed a comprehensive training programme alongside Deafax, Signly and DCAL, University College London's Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre

Major Grant Secured From The Leverhulme Trust

We've partnered with GOALS4LIFE, AACT and the University of Reading for a major Leverhulme Trust funded research project!

Lloyds Bank Partnership With Signly

Signly wins yet another award - Best Financial Inclusion or Outreach Initiative!

Signly App Wins Prestigious Award

Signly Innovation at Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre wins at 2017 Jodi Awards Ceremony

Community Interview With Our Chairman

We recently interviewed our Chairman, Terry Waller

Sex and Relationships

Access to the vocabulary of SRE all too often proves especially challenging for deaf children. It is common in our experience for terms such as genitals, contraception, intercourse, sexuality to be met with blank faces.

Say Cheese

Deafax’s annual Cheese, Wine and Quiz evening went off with a bang!

Introducing the Signly Network Rail App

Signly & Network Rail's new app will aid the 1 in 6 deaf people who live in the UK have access to a range of information that will help them to cross the railway with confidence.

Mind Your Language

Deafax has had the pleasure of working with on a range of projects where we’ve used interpreters, translators and native users of BSL.

Interview with Debbie Flory

Our interview with Debbie Flory, the Administration & Events Coordinator for Deafax.

Interview with One of our Team

Today we interview one of our team members Tracey, who is a native user of BSL.

Did You Know? - Sex and Reproductive Health

We believe that sex and relationships education (SRE) should be a statutory subject for children and young people of all ages at primary and secondary schools. We also want to see it taught in a deaf-friendly way.

Sexual Health Week

Don't forget it is Sexual Health Week from 12th - 18th September!

Our Interview With Will Sidebottom

This month in our ongoing series we interview Will Sidebottom, a long term volunteer with Deafax

Scotland Roadshow

The roadshow in Scotland is happening again thanks to fresh funding from The Agnes Hunter Trust.

Emergency Services - the Deaf Way

We were moved and saddened by Stuart's story in Channel 4's "999 What's Your Emergency", who was being targeted and hounded because of his deafness.

HIV and Deafness

Did you know that the deafness rate among children born with HIV is much higher than those without?

Our interview with an ASL Interpreter in Barbados

Continuing our series of interviews, this month we interview an ASL interpreter in Barbados

A Signly Update

The Signly team has been very focused these past few weeks on the Health sector

A Holiday and Work Trip to Barbados!

Helen, Deafax’s Chief Executive recently returned from a holiday in Barbados. Lucky her! However, it wasn’t all play.

Who can you trust?

Our new training programme for schools, Prevent 2B Safe, is part of a high-profile national counter-terrorism and security initiative.

What Are Big D and Little D?

Some deaf people may align themselves into two ‘categories’ - either Deaf with a capital D or being deaf with a little d. While these terms don’t begin to express the full spectrum of attitudes and conformities, they can help us to understand how identity differs in deaf culture.

Our Interview With a Trainee Teacher of the Deaf

This month in our ongoing interview series, we talk with a Trainee Teacher of the Deaf

Community languages saved, but What About BSL?

DfE press release annoyncing the saving of 12 community languages is great news, but no mention of BSL!

Prevent 2Be Safe

Our trainer Rubbena talks about our anti-radicalisation module for Prevent 2Be Safe

Our March Interview

This month we had an interview with Chloe, aged 14, who came into our office to do some work experience for a day.

Feel the Rhythm

Our volunteer Will accompanied Rubbena, our lead trainer, to teach Deaf children Emotional Wellbeing and Visual Music. Here is a bit about his experience.

Deaf Nest 2016

Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq, our Lead Trainer, attended the Deaf Nest Conference in 2016

Our Interview With a Teacher

Our latest community interview is with Mr Crawford Crombie Smith, a teacher; someone who became deaf later in life.

This is the BBC calling...

BBC News features Signly - the innovative app created by Deafax and Intermedia

Our Interview With a BSL Interpreter

“I felt it was the right time for me to make a career change – I was an engineer and was getting fed up with working outside in the cold and wet!”

MPs want SRE taught in all schools - but will it happen?

Four key Commons committees are asking the education secretary to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) which covers sex education compulsory in schools.

What's Happening to Me? in Scotland

Deafax completes its "What's Happening To Me?" project in Scotland, with grants from The Robertson Trust, Hugh Fraser Foundation and Miss Agnes H Hunter's Trust

Signly the Sign Language Interpreter in Your Pocket

A unique app is unlocking cultural venues for deaf people – starting with the world of master storyteller Roald Dahl.

Prevent 2B Safe

It is all over the news and being mentioned by politicians, CEOP and other safe-guarding agencies; but what is the Prevention Agenda and how can we meet it?

Books and Body Hair

Profoundly deaf and seriously naive, Sally fell pregnant at 17 hardly knowing what was happening to her. Now, 20 years later, she reflects on how this experience affected her parenting, and passes on a few words of wisdom!

Healthcare Revolution

There’s a quiet revolutions going on under our noses in health centres, hospitals and clinics all over the country.

24 Hours of Excitement for BSL Users

It’s been a really exciting time since our new app ‘Signly’ was launched on Monday.

A Tipping Point for BSL

Is it just me, or does BSL in particular and sign language in general, seem to be appearing much more in the media recently?

Deafax on the Road

For the past 30 years, Deafax has been providing training, resources and delivering projects which have a real and positive impact on the lives of deaf people.

Not Her Mother's Daughter

The first of a 2-part story based on an interview with Sally who is profoundly deaf; how she found out about sex as a naive schoolgirl and, in part two, what impact that had on her own parenting.

Sexpression

Rubbena, our lead Trainer attended the Sexpressions National Conference at Newcastle University Medical School to meet and learn with other people who are passionate about sex and relationship education and hear from influential speakers within the sexual health community

Contraception

The majority of the deaf children we encounter in a Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) lesson do not recognise the word ‘contraception’ or indeed understand what it means.

Is There a Doctor in the House?

We know that a visit to the doctor’s surgery can be difficult and usually it’s very personal, sometimes embarrassing.

Periods

If you look up the word ‘period’ in the BDA’s Dictionary of British Sign Language you’ll be directed to a sign using a flat hand tapping the mouth and chin twice (ref 1265). It’s interesting, and says quite a lot about this subject, that this sign has alternative meanings of private or secret.

What's the Sign For "#@~!¬"

Sometimes there simply isn’t a sign for a word, or a concept, or a thing! I know we can fingerspell it, but that doesn’t always help and in fact, sometimes it can make matters worse!

Special Educational Needs in Schools - Have You Noticed Any Difference?

You may have forgotten, or perhaps you never knew in the first place, that the whole system for SEN changed at the start of this school year!

Looking Forward to Your Holiday?

At the risk of coming across like a hairdresser, we were wondering what your holiday plans are?

You Can't Say That!

Five top tips based on our vast experience running sensitive workshops

Let's Talk About Sex

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) and Deafax have published their report called "No sign of support". It looks at young deaf people’s understanding of sexual and reproductive health, and highlights some potentially worrying facts.