Deafblind UK’s Education Project won the prestigious ScottishPower Foundation Education Award at the annual ceremony in Glasgow on 1st November.
The project, which started earlier this year and is part-funded by the ScottishPower Foundation, aims to give every child the very best start in life, both academically and socially. The project will give teachers the confidence and knowledge to fully support students who have sight and hearing loss whilst giving students the reassurance that their needs are being met.
Steve Conway, CEO Deafblind UK said:
“It is an honour to be recognised by the ScottishPower Foundation for our work in the education sector. We truly believe that every single child should have an equal chance to learn and have a meaningful education, despite their sight and hearing loss. Winning this award means that we can support even more students and their parents to get the education they deserve.”
Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee at the ScottishPower Foundation, said:
“Huge congratulations to Deafblind UK for its success at this year’s ScottishPower Foundation Awards, which were a great opportunity to showcase the legacy and positive impact of the work we do.
“Deafblind UK’s work to tackle the stigma associated with being Deafblind and to ensure the people it supports have equal access to things many of us take for granted is truly inspiring. Their Education Project has the potential to be life enhancing for deafblind children. I’m looking forward to seeing Deafblind UK build on its legacy – and ours – for many years to come.”
“As ever, it was an incredibly tough decision to choose a winner this year but Deafblind UK, like all of our other winners, stood out as a shining example of everything the ScottishPower Foundation stands for and I’m proud we’ve been able to support its great work.”
Deafblind UK is a national charity that supports people with combined sight and hearing loss. The Education Project started earlier this year following feedback that more could be done to support deafblind students and to improve accessibility and awareness of deafblindness within schools.
The project is led by Carolyn Greig, a former secondary school science teacher. She brings a wealth of experience, understanding and passion for inclusive education to her role.
“Children with deafblindness can be isolated from their peers and excluded from some activities because of their specific needs regarding communication. Our Education Project aims to remove some of these barriers for young people and raise awareness amongst their peers to improve the experiences that these students have throughout school.”
As part of this project, Carolyn is working with a small number of schools to create and trial resources for teachers.
“All our young people have the right to high quality education which is tailored to their specific needs. There are some simple things which all educational establishments can do to make learning easier for some children, and we are keen to incorporate the views and insight of a variety of teachers when developing our advice.”
Deafblind UK would like to extend huge thanks to everyone who has been involved in and contributed to this project so far. The research and resources have been extremely well received and Carolyn and the team are extremely grateful for the input and support of others. If you would like to get involved in this project, please contact Deafblind UK on 0800 132 320 or email [email protected].
