Deaf Child Worldwide Launches Family Friendly Resource

Main Category: Hearing / Deafness
Also Included In: Ear, Nose and Throat;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 02 May 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Deaf Child Worldwide, the only UK-based international development agency dedicated to enabling deaf children to overcome poverty and isolation, has launched a new action learning resource to help organisations working with deaf children and families throughout the world.

'Family Friendly - working with deaf children and their communities worldwide' has been produced to raise awareness of the important role that parents and families can play in the lives of their deaf children and in their communities.

Sofia Garavito, Director of Deaf Child Worldwide, explains:

"Families with deaf children in developing countries face some huge challenges, the biggest one being widespread poverty. For this reason, family priorities are focused on finding a way to look after the basic needs of their children and less time is available for engaging with and finding out the best way to support the development of their deaf children.

"The Family Friendly resource has been designed to help families with deaf children and the organisations working with them to learn quickly and easily how they can help improve the lives of deaf children by working together, or though self-help initiatives."

The resource is based on real-life examples and is packed with case studies written by parents and practitioners in over 20 countries around the world.

"A very great job has been done; this is a beautiful book - interesting and inspiring. We are sure the book will be very useful to many organizations and families with deaf children worldwide."
Joana Vanagiene Association of Families with Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children, Lithuania

"This book looks great and will be very useful to several of our programmes. Can we have 50 copies please?"
Helen Pinnock, Education Advisor, Save the Children UK.

"This book will be an inspiration to all who read it and it will really help to make sure best practices are replicated all over the world"
George Gachanja, Kenya Society for Deaf Children

For a free copy of Family Friendly, contact Deaf Child Worldwide by email info@deafchildworldwide.org or write to Deaf Child Worldwide at 15 Dufferin St, London, EC1Y 8UR. You can also download a copy from www.deafchildworldwide.info

Deaf Child Worldwide is the only UK based international development agency dedicated to enabling deaf children to overcome poverty and isolation. We work with partners in the countries where need is the greatest throughout the world and we are the international development agency of the National Deaf Children's Society in the UK. There are 20 million deaf children worldwide, 80 per cent of whom live in the developing world. 98 per cent of all disabled children in the world do not go to school. For many children and families a diagnosis of deafness means a life of inequality and isolation. For more information about Deaf Child Worldwide, visit www.deafchildworldwide.org" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.deafchildworldwide.org