Advocacy for You!

Advocacy is the act of arguing or pleading for something, most commonly a cause, idea or movement. In terms of BSL users, the term relates more specifically to expressing an opinion or view relating to services, choices, rights, opportunities or problems faced by Deaf people.

• Advocacy can help to give Deaf people control over their own rights.

• We can provide friendly, independent, experienced advocates for various domains e.g. legal, medical, mental health, employment services, etc.

• Advocacy breaks down barriers, aids the communication process and provides information in a clear, understandable manner for the Deaf person.

• We can provide a service on a short or long term basis.

Our Deaf Advocacy Officer holds a Certificate in General Advocacy, a degree in Community Education, postgraduate in Education as well as a wealth of experience with family, employment and education law.

There are three types of advocacy service we can provide:

• IMHA – Independent Mental Health Advocacy for clients covered by the Mental Health Act (1983)

• ICAA – Independent Care Act Advocacy, which supports clients who are being assessed under the Care Act (2014).

• BSL Language Advocacy – Where an interpreter doesn’t meet the needs of a particular Deaf BSL user, for example a user with low fluency, idiosyncratic use of BSL or low cognitive ability.