How You can Help Break Down Barriers for Deaf People with Zebra Access this May 

Posted on 28 Apr 2023 by Emily Atkinson-Dalton
Zebra Access are one of the amazing charities taking part in our May charity poll here at Discount Promo Codes. They are hoping to earn your vote, and win 20% of our profits this month which will go towards helping to provide deaf people with access to opportunities, support and advocacy to break down the barriers often faced by deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Find out more about Zebra Access below and see how you can help deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people for free this May. 



 

What Do Zebra Access Do? 


Zebra Access is a truly Deaf-led charity recognised by the Deaf community as dedicated to developing opportunities for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing people to have better chances in life and enjoy equal participation and access without communication barriers by providing access to a range of activities enabling Deaf and Hard of Hearing people to have self-belief and confidence to achieve their aspirations by breaking down barriers. Zebra Access also aims to promote and advocate healthier lifestyles by raising and improving awareness of available activities and other health choices.

Zebra Access provides a range of specialist holistic support to Deaf, Deafblind, Hard of Hearing and Deafened customers across our current region of Birmingham, West Midlands and The Black Country. We have pioneered effective ways of working with Deaf people providing fully accessible services, including via digital platforms; especially through the Covid-19 pandemic. 

zebra access

 

What Services do Zebra Access Offer?


Our menu of specialist support, below, lends itself to innovation to provide Deaf customers with a holistic and empathetic support for a truly unique approach via our experts-through-experience members of staff and volunteers:



    • Specialist employment support 

    • Travel Training 





  • Wellbeing and health support



  • Community Development





    • Advocacy / IAG





  • Maths and English tutorials



  • Talks and presentations by Deaf role models



  • BSL training



  • Deaf Awareness Training 


Deaf people habitually shun mainstream provisions because of the difficulty in communication and lack of accessible services. This could have such a serious impact that many vital opportunities are lost, and they can become disillusioned and sceptical of any support offered.  Deaf people are considered hardest to help and are already at a huge disadvantage for a number of reasons. As well as overcoming the barriers linked to their disability and social barriers, they will often need to work on learning a whole new culture in a ‘hearing’ environment. Being Deaf is more than just whether or not a person can hear—it’s about being part of a community with its own social history, values, and cultures. We support and encourage mainstream provisions to participate as part of their Social Corporate Responsibilities. 

Our strength lies in being a truly Deaf-led organisation that shapes our culture and values and how we deliver these services. Our spectrum of specialist services allows us to take a holistic approach when working with individual Deaf, Deafblind, Deafened and hard of hearing customers and thus encourages empowerment and independence. We maintain an extensive cultural understanding of the wider Deaf community and the barriers faced by Deaf people on a daily basis. We recognise there is more than one route to achieving great things in life, identifying additional and multiple barriers requires appropriate assessment and specialist skills support. 



 

The Guiding Principles of Zebra Access


Our Guiding Principles drive everything we do. These are a passionate commitment to ensuring we work together ceaselessly to promote:

  • Equality of access 

  • Equality of opportunity

  • Removal of barriers


Through:

  • Highly capable, motivated and fully trained people

  • Simple, efficient, and consistent processes and procedures

  • Easy to use, effective and transparent systems


Additional Needs 


A high proportion of severely or profoundly Deaf people have additional disabilities, mostly of a physical nature and as high as 45% in the under-60s. Among severely or profoundly Deaf people over 60 years, 77% have some additional disability. For 45%, this means significant dexterity or sight difficulties, or both, including: 

 

  • Intellectual/cognitive disabilities 

  • Emotional and behavioural disabilities 

  • Learning disabilities 

  • ADD/ADHD 

  • Visual impairment 

  • Cerebral palsy 

  • Autism and Asperger’s

  • Orthopaedic involvement, or 

  • Other physical disabilities. 


 

All of the above disabilities require specific individual support to help the customer move into employment; however the paramount consideration with this customer group will always be communication, without which no progress can be made to achieve a level playing field.

 

How Can I Find Out More About Zebra Access? 


If you want to find out more about Zebra Access, need to access their services or are keen to find other ways to get involved, then visit their Website. You can also send them an email at [email protected] or give the team a call on 01902 421 919.

As well as heading over to our Homepage to vote for Zebra Access this May, you can also support them by sending them a Donation, helping to Raise Money for them and/or becoming a Volunteer. They are always in need of additional help and funds to provide more opportunities and essential support for deaf, deablind and hard of hearing people, so if you want to get involved then the Zebra Access team would greatly appreciate it.  

Don’t forget to cast your vote this May and help Zebra Access to make the world more accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people. The poll will open on 1st May 2023 and close on 31st May 2023 at midnight - so make sure you head to our Homepage to get your votes in before the poll ends! Everyone gets 1 vote, however you can of course share the poll to get some more votes for this great charity. Every voucher spent raising the amount donated to the winning charity too, so enjoy some great savings whilst raising money for a good cause.

Discount Promo Codes Blog