SANDRA "SIGNS" UP TO DEAF AWARENESS

12.01.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 2nd May 2008

Hampshire and Southampton MP Sandra Gidley made a recent visit to the Hampshire Deaf Association - to learn some sign language and highlight Deaf Awareness Week.

During her visit, Sandra met with a sign language trainer and was taught some basic sign. She also met with several staff members who explained the services HDA offer.

Commenting, Sandra said:

"It was great to visit such an important organization, and to see first hand the terrific work they do with the deaf community.

"I was expecting that learning sign language would be quite tricky, but it's surprising how much sign is already used in day-to-day life.

"Learning sign language is just as important as learning any other language, and will hopefully allow me to more easily communicate with my deaf constituents."

There are up to 9 million people in the UK who have varying degrees of deafness, with over a quarter of a million of those people in Hampshire. It is a condition that affects people of all ages from young children, to pensioners. The majority of deaf children leave school at the age of 16, with a reading age of 9, whilst 94% of people over the age of 80 will be affected by significant hearing loss.

"Deafness continues to be a problem for a significant number of people in this country," Sandra added.

"Deaf Awareness week is very important in highlighting the problems that deaf people face. With one in seven people either deaf or hard of hearing, we must do much more to ensure that we cater for their needs."

Sandra learns sign language at the Hampshire Deaf Association

ENDS