Wales’ deaf-friendly organisations to be heard at upcoming awards
DEAF and hard of hearing people in Wales are being called upon to nominate the organisations that communicate well with them.
Action on Hearing Loss Cymru’s Excellence Wales Awards recognise businesses that take steps to ensure the 575,500 people in Wales who are deaf or have hearing loss can use their services. The charity launched the Excellence Wales Awards three years ago, in an effort to celebrate success and raise standards across Wales.
Winning organisations are praised for their great communication and support of people who are deaf or have hearing loss.
This year, for the first time, Action on Hearing Loss Cymru is asking deaf and hard of hearing people to get directly involved by nominating the organisations that have given them outstanding assistance.
The charity’s statistics show that deafness and hearing loss is on the rise and that by 2035, one-fifth of people in Wales will be affected, often with devastating effects to their daily lives.
The 2017 Excellence Wales Awards are open to all public services, private companies and voluntary organisations providing services in Wales. Three awards will be decided by an independent panel of judges, all of whom are deaf or have hearing loss. The categories are: Service Excellence Excellence in Health Excellence in Arts and Entertainment.
The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by gocompare.com, will be awarded to one of the shortlisted organisations via a public vote.
The ceremony will be held at the St David’s Hotel in Cardiff on May 5 2017, presented by ITV journalist Megan Boot.
Richard Williams, director of Action on Hearing Loss Cymru, said: “Deafness and hearing loss can make the lives of over half a million people across Wales a daily struggle.
“It can be hard to comprehend just how difficult it can be to do simple things the rest of us take for granted.
“Checking a balance or querying a bill with an organisation has the potential to lead to confusion, frustration and upset if the right access isn’t in place.
“The tragedy of this is that the solutions are often so simple, particularly now with the technology available to support good communication.
“The good news is many companies are getting it right, and the benefits are there for both sides; three quarters of our members said they would be more likely to use a service if their staff were deaf aware.
“That’s why we’d urge all organisations which are taking steps to be more accessible to the 575,500 people in Wales who are deaf or hard of hearing to enter our Excellence Awards. It’s vital to recognise those who are leading the way and the awards create the perfect platform for them to act as role models for others across Wales.”
Past award winners have included Western Power Distribution, The Welsh Assembly Government and Bridgend County Borough Council.
To enter the awards, or for more information visit Actiononhearingloss.org.uk/ excellencewales . Entries must be submitted by February 28, 2017. All winners will be announced at the Excellence Wales Awards on May 5, 2017.