By Laura BennettSunday 11 Aug 2024Hope AfternoonsHealth and WellbeingReading Time: 3 minutes
Being part of a sports team can be very formative in your younger years, and no matter what age you are, there’s a lot of great community connection that can come from being involved in sport.
Key points:
- “It takes a lot of effort, a tremendous amount of effort for just a child with a hearing loss just to get to the starting line.”
- Deaf Children Australia’s free program Blueprint helps to promote inclusivity of deaf and hard of hearing kids within local sport.
- Hear the full conversation in the listener above.
Deaf children Australia are wanting to help out kids who are deaf and hard of hearing and all the benefits of being in sport communities while also trying to help out in some of the ways that can limit their engagement.
They’ve just launched a free program called Blueprint that is all about promoting inclusivity within local sport and recreation clubs. David Wilson is their CEO and he recently joined Hope Afternoons Laura Bennett to discuss the importance of inclusivity in sports for children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
“Many parents shared their concerns around their deaf and heart of hearing child just accessing the everyday ordinary activities that their hearing peers can easily access,” David said.
“Sometimes we forget their [children with a hearing impairment] communication needs and we have to really take them into account because it takes a lot of effort, a tremendous amount of effort for just a child with a hearing loss just to get to the starting line.”
“It takes a lot of effort, a tremendous amount of effort for just a child with a hearing loss just to get to the starting line.”
We’re all aware of the impact had by our experiences as a young person, whether positive or negative. And for someone who wants to be involved in sport, and to make friends in that way, to be held back by a hearing impairment can be devastating.
“It has an enormous downstream effect, a knock-on effect, which lasts pretty much the whole lives,” David said.
“Language access and the cognitive effects of having language at the very early stage, first five years, it’s critical, is important to the development of any child. And particularly more difficult for a child who’s deaf and hard of hearing.”
So, what can we do to fix this?
“Just be really transparent, have stuff that shows that you welcome everyone,” David advises those involved with running programs for kids.
Deaf Children Australia’s free program Blueprint helps to promote inclusivity of deaf and hard of hearing kids within local sport.
“And if you are delivering information, speak one at a time, don’t speak over each other. It’s very difficult for a deaf child who’s aided to really follow the conversation. Have a well-lit room, face the light so that people can get your expression lip reading as part of the way they access the full communication and the full information.
“I think underlying all this is this sense of being inclusive and check in so the teammates will check in. And that’s important too, if it’s a team activity, the team as a whole should be involved in welcoming this individual.”
Deaf Children Australia’s free program Blueprint helps to promote inclusivity of deaf and hard of hearing kids within local sport.
Hear the full conversation in the listener above.
Article provided with thanks to Laura Bennett. Laura is the host of Hope Afternoons and producer of a number of our podcasts, including UNDISTRACTED with Laura Bennett.
Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro