INTRODUCING YOUR CURRENT DCS COMMITTEE:
Trustees:
Josie Singleton - Co-Chairperson
Josie is an Audiologist/Clinical Scientist at Great Western Hospital, Swindon. and has been on the committee since 2022.
Michelle Lloyd - Co-Chairperson
Parent of a deaf child, Michelle has been involved in the charity for many years. Michelle has been a trustee and chair of other local charities.
Jo Coote
Jo has been a Teacher of the Deaf for 20 years and has been our contact to the Hearing Support Team for many years. As Jo steps down from the Hearing Support Team she has now become a trustee bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge.
Committee Members:
Emily Beardshall - Secretary
Parent of a child with unilateral hearing loss, works for the NHS. Has BSL Level 2.
Les Cavilla - Treasurer
Private adult audiologist who also has experience with paediatric audiology.
Salim Suleman - Safeguarding Officer
Head of Audiology Services and Newborn Hearing Screening Programme Team Leader Based at the Great Western Hospital, Swindon
Hayley Cozens
Audiologist at Great Western Hospital, Swindon.
BECOME A VOLUNTEER OF THE SWINDON AND NORTH WILTS DCS
The DCS has gone from strength to strength over the years, but we rely on our volunteers! Would you be interested in joining our team?
All you need to bring is your passion and enthusiasm. We will find where your skills lie and focus the role around the time you have and the your skills.
Examples of tasks that we are seeking help with include:
- Events- Organisation plus assisting on the day, including greeting and mixing with attendees
- Administration, including social media
- Fundraising
The committee meets every other month and how much or how little you take on is up to you.
If you're interested, please sign up as a 'Volunteer' member through our membership form on the 'Join Us' page and we will be in touch.
Alternatively, please contact us via email or the 'Contact Us' form to discuss further. Thank you!
events
We hold regular events for all ages and always welcome your ideas and suggestions of what you would like to see. For our upcoming events, visit the EVENTS page.
volunteering
Our group has supported many families since it's creation in 1993 . Some of the children join us in adulthood to volunteer - We welcome all our supporters.
mission & vision
THERE ARE OVER 100 LOCAL GROUPS AFFILIATED TO THE NDCS, ACROSS THE UK, USUALLY RUN BY PARENTS AND CARERS OF DEAF CHILDREN.
Our group was established by parents who have children with a hearing impairment 30 years ago. It is still run by volunteer parents today. We organise fun events, provide a great network of families, hold fund raisers and offer information and support to deaf and hearing impaired children and their families in the Swindon & North Wiltshire area through our free membership scheme. We also work closely with audiology and other professional organisations involved in the day to day care of our children. We advise and provide feedback on the services they offer and have professional members on our committee to ensure we are providing a full all-round offering and support for hearing impaired children and their families.
WE CONTINUE WITH OUR SUPPORT AND FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION.
Vocabulary and communication skills are important, regardless of a child’s hearing status or communication mode, and learning a sign language has many benefits in terms of supporting communication with a child with hearing loss. Using sign language alongside spoken language can reduce frustration and improve self esteem, may be beneficial to the development of verbal skills and could also help to improve literacy. It can also help with understanding speech and can be particularly useful at times when a deaf child is not using hearing aids or cochlear implants. It also gives the ability to communicate with other Deaf children and adults whose first language is BSL.
In previous years the DCS has offered the opportunity for members to undertake an online introductory BSL course, which covered Fingerspelling, Numbers, Colours, Deaf Awareness, Introductions, Family, Descriptions, Hobbies and Leisure, Time, Money, Days, Months and Seasons, Food and Drink, and Conversation. Members have also taken advantage of funded places on a Signalong course, a key word sign-supported communication system based on BSL that is used in some early years settings in the Swindon area. In 2021 we will be continuing to support our members to undergo training in Signalong and BSL. If you would like to know more about what we are currently offering to our members, then please feel free to contact us.
Exciting opportunity to become a trustee for the Swindon & North Wiltshire Deaf Children’s Society (DCS)
Make a donation to Swindon and North Wilts
Deaf Children's Society through JustGiving
