From when you first get a diagnosis, through all the decisions that your family has to take, it’s important to get good quality, well informed advice. These local and national bodies will help you navigate your child’s journey.
This is the department that includes our Teachers of the Deaf (ToDs), an Educational Audiologist and a Family Support Worker and these are the people who are employed by the council to support our children and the whole family, from diagnosis, through early years and throughout their time in school.
Their address is:
Brighton and Hove Music and Arts Building
County Oak Avenue
Brighton
BN1 8DJ
Tel: 01273 293610
This is the NHS department, currently housed within the Sussex County Hospital, where many of our children are referred to be tested, where advice on amplification devices is given and where hearing aids can be mended.
They are currently working at these addresses:
Tel:0300 303 9640
Minicom:01273 697 102
For older children, there is also audiology testing in the soundproof booth at:
and also….
Brighton General Hospital, Elm Grove, BN2 3EW, Tel:01273 294944 is where investigations into the cause of deafness and related health issues are investigated.
This local charity offers a very comprehensive range of information, advice and support for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Sussex. Their website is full of information and they also run a telephone advice line, manned by employees and volunteers who are hugely knowledgeable and helpful on subjects such as EHCPs (Education and Healthcare Plans) and making Disability Living Allowance claims.
Amaze also runs the Compass Card and Carers’ Card schemes, which offer discounts and free access to leisure opportunities in Sussex (see the Social Connections section).
Their address is:
113 Queens Road
Brighton
BN1 3XG
Tel:01273 772289
This online resource is produced by Brighton and Hove City Council and sets out to show parents and carers of SEND children, where they can find help, guidance and information from a range of services (Health, Education, Social Care, Leisure and the Voluntary Sector).
Visit http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/localoffer
The National Deaf Children’s Society is the national charity ‘dedicated to creating a world without barriers for deaf children and young people’. They have a comprehensive website with a wealth of information to support families of deaf children, a youth council, a telephone support service, a quarterly magazine, information days, short breaks for deaf children and a new online parents’ forum, for support and advice.
www.ndcs.org.uk
Head Office Tel: 020 7490 8656
Helpline Tel: 0808 800 8880
Email: helpline@ndcs.org.uk
The Cochlear Implanted Children’s Support Group is a national charity run by parents whose children have cochlear implants to help others whose children already have implants and those who are considering implantation. Their quarterly magazine is very informative and as well as organising social gatherings and trips, CICS also runs an annual Information Day, with guest speakers talking on a variety of subjects relevant to implant users.
Tel: Tricia Kemp on 020 8876 8605
Based in Nottingham, the Ear Foundation offers advice and information resources for families and professionals, on the latest hearing technologies as well as organising social and learning opportunities for children and young people.
83 Sherwin Road
Nottingham
NG7 2FB
Tel:0115 942 1985
This Portsmouth charity is focused on supporting preschool deaf children to learn to listen and talk. They deliver education services at their Family Centre but they also offer an online Listen and Talk Programme.
Head Office and Hampshire Family Centre
The Elizabeth Foundation
Southwick Hill Road
Portsmouth
PO6 3LL
Tel:023 9237 2735
http://www.elizabeth-foundation.org
The University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service (USAIS) have put together an online guide to cochlear implants for families considering having their child implanted. It guides you through the process, all the way from assessment, through the operation and on to the reality of living with an implant, featuring the personal stories of people who have already been implanted. Go to http://aisexperiences.soton.ac.uk/
and
The John Tracy Clinic is a private, nonprofit education centre for infants and preschool children with hearing loss, in Los Angeles. They offer free correspondence courses internationally. Go to http://www.jtc.org