Employment Trends: Creating the Deaf Pound & Threatening the Sign Language Community

1. Employment Trends: Creating the Deaf Pound& Threatening the Sign Language Community Dr Tyron Woolfe BDA Conference 2006

2. The Deficit/Repair Model

3. Service Led Organisations • Organisational activity and Government • 10yr. plan to not be needed any more? • Within or outside? Statutory and Voluntary employment • Deaf people are working in these organisations • A hidden political agenda?

4. Deaf-related Businesses

5. Positive message Control of own destiny Creates employment Some are truly doing a great job and supporting the Deaf Community, e.g. Deafworks, Remark!, NCA Sends a message that questions the validity of mainstreaming all Deaf children Platform Pros

6. Cons • Sustains the repair work needed • Lack of IIP • Capitalises on society’s problems • Does not solve things • Threatening BDA’s existence – membership? • Gives message that Deaf can only work within the Deaf sphere • Do teachers tell deaf children about these career paths?

7. Communication Services for the Deaf, Inc (CSD) • “CSD gives back to the community by sponsoring several hundred national, state and local conferences, organizations, agencies, associations and miscellaneous events as well as providing and subsidizing some specific direct services identified by the various local communities to increase self-esteem, social skills, communication skills, independence, well-being, self-sufficiency and productivity because we firmly believe that it is important to give back to the communities we serve.

8. Forest Bookshop • Father Cyril Example • HIV/AIDS edition example • Employment of Deaf people

9. mousepledge • “Mouse promises that every year we will put a proportion of any profits we make back into the Deaf community. All clients who are registered with us will have an opportunity to say where they think all the money should go, by voting from a shortlist in our annual poll” • www.mousemouse.com

10. Thoughts on profits • Should BSL-related businesses be more explicit about where their money goes to? • “Its ok, lots of businesses are ruthless and money-making….we should be the same” • “Hang on a minute, your money is because of the existence of Deaf people!” • “Hang on a minute, your profit is because of an inadequate system!” • “Hang on a minute, your profit is because the BDA campaigned for BSL recognition for so many years”

11. TITHE

12. You get what you pay for….

13. Capitalism is everywhere! • GAP, McDonalds, etc do it, so why can’t we? • Dept of Trade and Industry WANTS it! • Keep the repair work needed, which means more people in employment, which means more tax for the Government?! • Isn’t it a lot cheaper than stopping the damage?

14. Deaf business growth and BDA • Membership Organisation • Creation of an Underclass • Reduced voluntary efforts by skilled Deaf leaders • Criticism rather than support • Lack of sponsorship/membership • BDA has had to become business-thinking rather than charitable • BDA’s long campaign for BSL recognition is not appreciated by businesses that make income from BSL • Everyone is too busy doing free lance/contract work, and Deaf children still arrive at the desk at the age of 16 with varied needs. • Brain Drain

15. ThePINKPound • How the Gay community used to be cohesive and low-key • Gay businesses – mortgages, solicitors, caterers, • Pride events • Sponsorship • Charities, community and businesses

16. Where does the Deaf Pound go?

17. Sustaining the deficit model • Some really incompetent interpreters out there, some working in education and adding to the problem • Who teaches these courses? • Who is teaching deaf children BSL? • Hearing “communicators” • Who is sustaining a system that ensures that deaf children who need “help” at the age of 16? • How many Deaf people teach deaf children compared to hearing students?

20. Access to Work fund • AtW campaign • Agencies • AtW working? No! AtW the answer? No! • Abuse of AtW and DLA too • And what about the double message here – Education and interpreters/communicators??

21. DWP BSL Initiatives Fund • What the hell went wrong????!!!! • The average person in the street still has not got a clue on what is BSL • UKCOD and BDA’s fall out • Splitting of the Deaf community • And all for what??? £1.5million? • WHY didn’t we say “NO!” ?

22. In-Vision Interpreting.. • Where is the Deaf leadership? • Why has it got out of hand? • Why can’t many people read subtitles? • READ! • Negative effects of in-vision interpreting • Sign Language Channel not progressed? EUD?

23. Deaf BME females (GLDA problem before) University Graduates Mental Health Support workers Classroom Assistants (even CSWs in some places!?) Officers Employment Advisors In-vision signers Last resort jobs Deaf CEOs Deaf Managers Deaf interpreting agencies Deaf Teachers Deaf Directors (e.g. BDA) Deaf Artists Deaf Editors Deaf Psychologists Deaf Researchers Deaf Lecturers Employment trends

24. BBC2 Soundproof (Blast!) • Who taught them sign language? • Who decided to go ahead with this film?

25. But on the other hand… • “Deaf know best, they should be working in these fields rather than Hearing” • “Deaf are the best teachers” • “It is more comfortable to work in a Deaf environment” – who are we kidding? An easy route for some – “I’ll just work in the Deaf field”

26. The need for a Platform, the BDA

27. What should we be aiming for? CRITICAL MASS

28. HOW? • GCSE BSL= critical mass • INCREASED MEMBERSHIP = critical mass • INCREASED DONATIONS = critical mass • MORE IIP = critical mass • MONEY INWARDS RATHER THAN OUTWARDS = critical mass • GREATER RELATIONS = critical mass

29. Concluding remarks • Recognise and address the inconsistencies • Both in education and employment • Would this be the end of deaf-related businesses in future? • Glass ceiling of today • Deaf organisations to campaign more, and repair less unless Government Funded • Double messages • Society’s value of deaf related employment • Parallels with Black Movement and Minority Languages