Durham Deafened Support

About 10 years ago, Jane Atkinson became profoundly deaf in the space of about three months and she was dismayed to discover that there was virtually no help for people in her situation - unable to lip-read or use sign language.  So she set about forming the support group that has now evolved into Durham Deafened Support - to prove that there is "life after deaf".
Jane opened her talk with the statement that "deafness is the poor relation of disabilities" and went on to explain how the group provides support for sufferers and their families, including a number of training courses.  She described the early difficulties in finding funding - an initial grant of £300 from the Northern Rock Foundation got them "off the ground".  More recently they have received significant funding from the National Lottery and the Durham County Foundation.  The group now have an office in Peterlee from where they are able to provide a highly professional service.
Jane was accompanied by Jackie Graham, chairperson of the group, to provide her with any assistance in lip-reading.
Check out their website at www.ddsupport.org.uk (but note that you'll not be able to come back here!).