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Appendix one: Shetland and Lewis
A1.1 As an extension to the
BSL Access project, it was suggested
that some note be taken of the views of Deaf people in the
remote areas of Scotland. It was decided to focus this on
two centres - Stornoway and Lerwick. As far as can be
determined, there has never been any research carried out
on these Deaf communities. Indeed at the start of this
sub-project it was unclear as to whether there was a
community in these locations. This appendix separately
describes the situation which was found in Shetland and
Lewis. Some of the findings and quotes are already listed
in the main report as appropriate. However, it was felt
that both locations are different and of sufficient
interest to merit a separate explanation of the findings.
There are three sources of data - questionnaires,
individual interviews and group interviews. These produced
slightly different responses and are therefore, described
in turn.
A1.2 As a starting point, data from Government
Statistics and from previous estimates (Deaf health in
Scotland, 1997) were used.
Stornoway and Lewis
A1.3 The total population in Lewis and Harris aged 18
years to 79 years (taken from the
SCROL website - census) is 14,685. Using
a simple measure of Deaf community membership as those who
have attended Deaf schools (see Kyle et al, 1997 for
rationale and statistical analysis - this equates to 4.60
per 10,000) we can predict 6.7 adults who are Deaf and
would, on the mainland, be members of the Deaf community.
By visiting Stornoway, the researcher was able to interview
four people and were told of a fifth. Others may be living
away from easy reach of Stornoway or may have drifted to
Inverness or Edinburgh. There were said to be three Deaf
children on the island. An initial informal claim was that
there were about 20 Deaf people in the Western Isles -
however, this would seem to be a high estimate based on the
general population statistics.
A1.4 Perhaps not surprisingly, there is no Deaf club in
Stornoway. The previous regular meeting stopped 2 years ago
leaving a core of four Deaf people who meet each week in
each other's homes. On special occasions they meet in a
hotel or go for a meal together - at Christmas and so on.
There is very little infrastructure - the social services
are staffed by people who do not sign and only one of the
Deaf people seems able to communicate with the social
worker. He acts as intermediary for the others. The social
worker is the agent for the British Deaf News which is
passed out to the group. At one time there was a social
worker who could sign but that was "three social workers
ago". There are no interpreters on Lewis.
A1.5 In theory, the community is served by the Tayside
Association for the Deaf in Dundee but no mention was made
of any visit or contact. In the event of funerals or other
needs for interpreters/social workers, these seem to have
come from Aberdeen. There was some contact with Inverness
although this was unspecified but the four participants
expect to attend the British Deaf Association Congress to
be held in Inverness in July 2004.
A1.6 They recalled the visit of the 'British Deaf
Association' some years ago to demonstrate videophones but
there was no follow up. We were later informed that this
had been the
RNID.
A1.7 The reports are consistent with an island way of
life with work and home as a routine. Hearing people seem
to be friendly enough to want to learn to sign, but
according to one Deaf participant despite repeated
'teaching' people were never able to say more than 'Hello,
how are you?' 'nice weather'. This means that the Deaf
people seldom use sign language between their meetings.
There is contact by one person with friends in Edinburgh by
text either on a minicom or instant messenger (on the
Internet) and it is said that Deaf people from Edinburgh
have been known to come and stay for a holiday. However,
the feeling is of considerable isolation.
A1.8 The form of signing used is considered 'frozen' as
if it were a subset of mainland Scottish
BSL. Without services in
BSL, no accessible media in
BSL apart from
TV programmes like See Hear and limited
interaction with other Deaf people, it would be expected
that the use of language would be affected.
A1.9 These interviews were carried out in the home of
one of the participants and in the hotel of the researcher.
As there was no Deaf club premises and because of the time
limitations in the length of stay in Stornoway, the
conditions for interviewing were less than perfect. All
four contacted took part in the group interview but only
three were available at a time when the individual
interviews could take place. As in the interviews on the
mainland, a set of questions were used (see Appendix 1
& 2) but in many cases there was a lack of experience
of the situation and this could not be probed further.
A1.10 There were two males and two females aged between
32 and 55 years. They had all attended Deaf school on the
Mainland although one had spent his primary school years in
a mainstream school. All learned to sign when at school.
None had achieved qualifications from school or had
followed any course successfully thereafter.
A1.11 Many of the scenarios used to elicit comments, did
not apply to the island. They were not in regular contact
with other Deaf people in situations where they could use
BSL. The group of four met but with
little contact with other Deaf people.
A1.12 We asked about time of day and week when they used
BSL, and for most this is minimal being
confined to the afternoon/evening when they met. The
researcher estimated around 3 hours per week.
A1.13 None of them had experience of the use of
interpreters for any of the circumstances listed in the
questions. This means that all transactions to do with
health or the council or any meetings, had to be transacted
in speech and lip-reading, or more likely, were simply
avoided.
A1.14 They were not regular readers of the news,
although two said they read a magazine once a week or so.
They received the monthly British Deaf News. They said they
used the Internet about once a month and one used email
more frequently.
A1.15 They watched
TV with subtitles every day. Once said
she watched
TV without subtitles sometimes. All
watched See Hear, although one only rarely and only one
watched Sign Zone, and then only rarely. One had seen a
signed video. Two claimed to watch signed news once a week
but it is not clear which programme this referred to.
A1.16 All said they used a textphone at least once a
week but none used fax. Two used
SMS everyday and one used email
regularly (everyday - although this contradicts the extent
of use claimed in a previous question - which was less).
One used the Internet once a week, the others, rarely or
never. None had used any video communication device - ie
webcam, videophone.
A1.17 They had no contact with any education provision,
police, and only one dealt with the Council occasionally.
There was some contact with
GP and chemist but more often Post
Office and Library were the services which they used.
A1.18 The pattern of responses from the closed questions
is of limited scope for communication in
BSL, limited contact with the outside
world and uncertain quality of interaction with local
contacts.
A1.19 Only one person had experience of hearing people
who signed and it was just 'thank you'.
"Sometimes it can be frustrating as no one can sign
and you have to write it down. You have to learn to
cope with your frustration and stress. Eventually I got
used to it." S1
A1.20 Asked about automated ticket systems, they said
predictably, that there were none in Stornoway.
"Nothing here - no train. Everything closed on
Sunday even paper shop and no Sunday paper. Now hotel
and restaurant opens so that is good. Everyone goes to
church but my family doesn't." S2
"Never seen one as no trains around here. In
Edinburgh, I once went to get a ticket and the person
could sign. I was surprised and it was easy to
communicate. It was good. Here with the ferry, I write
it down or ask a child to interpret." S1
A1.21 The topic of door entry systems seemed to be less
of a problem,
"My partner is home all the time and so my partner
hears the doorbell…. No idea how to let you know if I
am at your door." S2
"Here at Social Services there is a problem because
of voice doorbell. I speak twice and wait for the door
to open. There should be a code number for Deaf
people." S3
"I have a doorbell light in the lounge which is
small and inconvenient. Often a family member will tell
me if someone is at the door or I leave the backdoor
unlocked. I would
SMS you to let you know I was at
your door." S1
A1.22 They had no experience of information kiosks nor
of staffed services behind a glass screen.
"Never visit them - normally deal with postal forms
…. I haven't been to a bank with a glass screen - all
are open. I have no experience in Stornoway." S1
"I live in a village, just a Post Office. People
know me. One man at the Post Office talks to me - but
just says 'how are you?'. He has known me since I was a
kid. If I want something , I write it down. Usually we
exchange, regular brief messages like, 'weather's cold'
- that's all. I wish he could sign." S2
A1.23 People coming to the home are often a problem for
Deaf people but one thought it was not a problem and the
others used relatives.
"Usually I fix things at home. Sometimes ask a
friend - a plumber - to come to fix things. It is very
safe around here. No problem." S3
"Yes I had a faulty gas pipe. I contacted my father
who called the Council emergency number. The person
came and communicated with my father… I am not able to
communicate on my own as my English is poor. I need to
depend on my father. I wish I could deal with it but
how to communicate?" S1
A1.24 Visits to the doctor were problematic. The same
issues came up regarding privacy and independence but
perhaps even more clearly here than on the Mainland.
"I am used to going on my own - all my life. ….
Doctor would write down just one word like 'operation'
or 'hospital'. I would show or point to my body where
the problem is. If there is a problem with other family
members, my partner goes. I wouldn't want an
interpreter as it is my privacy. The doctor should sign
to communicate with me." S2
"I had a terrible pain here. He (doctor) told me
there was nothing wrong. I went back again. Same reply.
Six months later I went to see a different doctor, who
took an x-ray and told me I had xx (serious problem).
So I had treatment in the hospital. There should be a
nurse to interpret for Deaf people - not the family."
S3
"Yes I don't like to go to the
GP but I have to build up confidence
to face it. It is OK afterwards. The problem is
communication. I write it down. Sometimes I don't
understand what doctor has written so I ignore it and
carry on. Really need an interpreter but it is a
question of my own privacy….. Interpreters are prying
(part of their job)….. This lack of communication - I
have to accept it - what can I do? I don't want to use
other family members as it is my privacy. I don't trust
interpreters. I don't trust people." S1
A1.25 Job interviews or longer transactions are where
interpreters would normally be used but as on the Mainland,
family members or informal interpreting were still
common.
"I went to the interview with a relative. They gave
me one month training - that was years ago. This
relative can sign. There is no interpreter on
Stornoway." S1
A1.26 This group had always taken someone with them to
waiting areas - a relative - and so the problem of alerting
was reduced. The usual issues of lack of communication were
re-iterated. Typically deaf people are isolated when in
groups of hearing people and this was simply reinforced in
the responses in this section.
A1.27 Contact with the police and use of an interpreter
would entail someone coming from Edinburgh or Inverness.
One person reported that another Deaf person had re-located
to the Mainland because of these communication issues.
"Very rarely interpreter comes to Stornoway. Only
recently for a wedding and court case….. Yesterday I
got a letter from the Job Centre pressuring me to get a
job. I couldn't understand the letter, so I went to the
social worker who sorted it out for me. But I needed
someone to explain to me in sign language." S1
A1.28 Similar themes arose in regard to emergencies with
people split on the use of
SMS or textphone to reach the police.
Difficulties are the delay and risk in the text message not
arriving. Most responses included recourse to relatives -
ie contact that person and that person makes a voice call
to the emergency services.
A1.29 As expected automated voice services on telephone
pose a special problem for Deaf people.
"Sometimes it takes too long or the message is
rude, so I hang up. …. I ask a family member to phone
instead." S3
A1.30 None of this group used fax for direct
communication. Although most Deaf people like
SMS, there are some who have
reservations.
"Brilliant - it is easy to use and you can use
anytime, anywhere with a brief message. It is better
than minicom/Typetalk. Yes we should have it for all
services." S2
"I am too busy for
SMS…. although
SMS is useful for the doctor or
hospital or whatever. But
SMS controls your life and I don't
like that." S3
A1.31 One of the respondents used the Internet a lot
while the others were less sure, mentioning the English
content and fear of making a mistake. None of them had any
experience of signed videos. Although people mentioned
subtitles as their usual experience with television, they
also commented on use of signing. Typically they were
unhappy about use of 'English' signs and the use of hearing
signers.
"I don't always watch the signing as it is English
signing. I prefer Deaf signing as it is natural."
S1
A1.32 The themes which have appeared in the Stornoway
are not greatly different from those elsewhere but there is
a general lack of experience and great deal of isolation in
the responses.
A1.33 They were unprepared to offer views about other
Deaf people and their behaviour. Most answers had to be
related to their own decisions and views.
"Really here is a quiet place with a few Deaf
people…. It is true we are passive." S1
"It depends on hearing people who frown so I say
nothing - it makes me more passive." S4
"Most of the time we just write things down."
S2
A1.34 Writing things down for hearing people was not
successful.
"When you write it down, hearing people reply but
then you don't understand. Hearing people have no
patience. So I give up and walk away." S4
A1.35 The alternative might be to try speech and lip
reading but this was not successful.
"Definitely write down. It is difficult to lip-read
and there is a risk of getting the wrong information. I
prefer to write down." S2
"I agree it is better to write down." S1
"I can't lip-read. I asked a person to write down -
they refused and walked away from me in a temper. I was
thunderstruck." S4
A1.36 The consensus on the development of interpreters
to support Deaf people was negative in that it might not be
feasible anyway and there was the problem of dependence on
an intermediary.
"If you bring an interpreter, the hearing people
think you are stupid and need help." S1
"I prefer to deal on my own with staff signing."
S2
"Really all need to learn to sign - shop staff,
teachers and so on - All"
A1.37 When asked about having information in sign there
seemed to be little understanding of what that meant
although they concluded that if it could be provided on
DVD that would be OK as they all had
DVD players. The reactions to the video
devices shown where signing was playing on a small computer
or handheld was that this was 'brilliant but was it
expensive?'
A1.38 As in the question above, when asked why
other people had replied that they did not use
interpreters at job interviews, the participants here just
discussed their own situation.
"At work meetings, there is no interpreter and no
access. They ignore me." S4
"At work in the past, they told me to carry on
working while everyone else attended a meeting.
Afterwards they gave me some brief notes." S2
A1.39 When asked why younger people seemed to use
interpreters more than older people, they suggested it was
lack of experience and that the fact Lewis was a small
island. In regard to the fact that Deaf people claim to
read television subtitles (more than books), they mentioned
the speed and complexity of the news as a problem ie a
factor which would produce a different answer among other
Deaf people. But it does seem likely that Deaf people do
have more problems in reading subtitles than might be
thought - even though they all claim that they use
TV subtitles every day.
A1.40 The decline in use of minicom was not explained,
rather re-stated as the fact that people now used
SMS and email. Although they were
surprised to find hearing people also used
SMS with abbreviations, they also
admitted that only 50% of text messages were
understood.
Comments on Stornoway
A1.41 For most of the time the comments of Deaf
participants are similar to those reported in Sections 4
and 5 but the extent of experience is much less than in
other parts of the study. There is a reluctance to explain
why other Deaf people might react in one way or another.
Most questions are taken to relate to that person's own
experience. As they said in response to the very first
group question:
"Really here is a quiet place with few Deaf people
…"S1
"Difficult - it is just us … a few Deaf and no
interpreter. Just only us." S2
Lerwick and Shetland
A1.42 The population of the Shetland Islands aged
between 18 years and 79 years is 15,780 (
SCROL - census for 2001). Based on the
calculation of 4.6 per 10,000, this would imply 7.3 Deaf
people who would be members of the Deaf community on the
mainland.
A1.43 Lerwick has a Deaf and hard-of-hearing club with
25 members. They meet once a month. Of those 25, it was
estimated there were 7 who may be signers. During the visit
to Shetland, the researcher was able to meet 5 people and
was aware of two others in outlying areas, who could not be
reached in the time available.
A1.44 Although demographically similar to Lewis, the
researcher considered the group on Shetland to be more
isolated and more removed from the mainstream Deaf
community. There appeared to be no relevant services - no
social service support, no interpreters and limited signing
among the community.
A1.45 There is an expectation of support from the
Aberdeen Society for the Deaf but this has seemed to be
inoperable and there were reports of requests for
interpreting support to Aberdeen which could not be met.
One chaplain for the Deaf from Aberdeen visited each year.
This group seem to meet only occasionally.
A1.46 Travel to the mainland is considered very
expensive and there seemed to be a greater concern about
money among this group. They seem to be un-connected to the
Deaf community on the mainland. Opportunities for signing
seemed minimal.
A1.47 Interviews were carried out in the hotel, in one
person's home and in a social centre. Three participants
were met firstly at their club evening, when there was to
be an
AGM - but for some reason unknown to the
participants, this was not taking place. On explaining the
project, the arrangements for interviewing could be made
quickly and the remaining participants were contacted.
A1.48 Five were interviewed individually and four took
part in the group session. There were four men and one
woman, aged between 19 and 72 years. Two had jobs in
offices, one was a cleaner, one was retired and the other
is a painter. Four had been to Deaf school and one had
never really attended school at all. One of the four had
only been in contact with a Deaf school up to the age of 13
and then was mainstreamed. All said they learned signing at
school, although the one who had not attended had learned
outside of school - although it is unclear how. The nature
of the signing in this case can be studied further.
A1.49 Apart from the monthly meetings of the club, they
seemed not to mix with other Deaf people. There is limited
opportunity to use sign language. None of the group have
used interpreters in any of the list of situations which
would be considered possible by Deaf people in other parts
of the
UK.
A1.50 One claimed to read the newspaper everyday, but
the others were not regular readers. Three read a magazine
at least once a month. Only one ever read books. Two people
said they read the Deaf News (British Deaf News) each month
but the others rarely or never saw it.
A1.51 All but one said they watched
TV with subtitles and never without.
Three said they used teletext information services. Three
watched See Hear at least once a month but the others
rarely did - often people say that their viewing changed
when the programme changed slot to Saturday (from Sunday).
Video recording seems inoperable. None of them watched Sign
Zone, or Signed news on television and none had seen a
signed video.
A1.52 One person said he used textphone everyday and
another said once a month. The other did not. Two people
used
SMS and fax frequently but the others
did not use these means at all. Two people said they used
the Internet and email but the others did not use it all.
None of them had seen a videophone or used a webcam.
A1.53 The general picture here is of serious isolation
even though they are surrounded by hearing people.
A1.54 The opening questions concerned how they
communicated with other people.
"I use lip-reading and speech or write down. It is
often difficult to lip-read people because I am Deaf,
so I write it down." L2
"I communicate by lip-reading and speech or I write
down by finger
2." L3
"It is hard as no one signs to help me with
interpreting . I am frustrated by this especially with
the doctor." L4
A1.55 Two people mentioned coming across individuals on
the island who could sign - however, it is not clear if
this was because of a formal course, or whether it was only
finger spelling. Predictably there was almost no experience
of automated services for buying tickets. One person
mentioned a broken machine in London which cost her money
but their response was typical - 'prefer face to face'.
People reported writing down to buy a ferry ticket or
asking a relative to help.
A1.56 When asked about entry systems, not surprisingly
there was no experience but this prompted other
comments.
"Social service do not provide any environmental
aids to Deaf people. We have to buy it ourselves.
Minicom, doorbell light and so on we have to buy from
the
RNID ourselves." L4
A1.57 Such a situation seems unusual - lack of Social
Service support and commercial activities of the Deaf
organisation, when almost certainly there is severe need.
No one had experience of information kiosks. However, the
typical problems appeared when the Deaf person had to deal
with staff directly.
"I had a problem with the staff (at an office -
bank or Council) - it was difficult to lip-read. They
laughed at me when I tried to talk. I asked for a
social worker but there was none. I went back to work
and asked my boss who agreed to come with me on my next
visit. This time the staff behaved differently because
I was with my boss. She agreed to come with me in
future if necessary." L2
A1.58 In case of need, neighbours are called and when
service personnel come to the house, there is limited
communication.
"Yes it happened with the washing machine - there
was a burst pipe. I ran to the neighbour who called the
Council to send a plumber. He came and fixed it while I
watched
TV and then he went. There was no
communication apart from saying 'OK now'. If I was on
my own without the neighbour, it would be impossible."
L4
A1.59 As with many Deaf people going to the doctor is
problematic, although the issues here seem more severe.
"I have a friend whom I taught to sign, This friend
helps me phone the doctor and sometimes comes with me.
Sometimes I go on my own. It is difficult to
communicate with the doctor - I have to lip-read or
write down. I only get a brief response. I had an
important test and waited for the result by letter -
there was none. That was three years ago. Also I had
another important test and I am still waiting for the
result. I told them I was Deaf and unable to use the
phone, so I gave them the number to fax me with the
result - no response. It is so hard being Deaf with
little support." L2
"Doctor knows me - he can gesture - I point to my
body. If different problem, doctor will write down."
L3
"It is so hard - there is no one to help with
communication. It is so difficult to explain to the
doctor what I want to say. It is difficult to do it by
writing….. Social worker never helps in Shetland. There
is a Deaf club but the social worker never comes to
meet us Deaf people to see if we need anything or any
help - nothing at all.
Yes I hate going to the doctor because of the
communication and I am fed up with waiting in the
reception room. I can't relax because they call out the
names or the appointments are delayed. I wish they had
an announcement light." L4
"I always go with a family member as I am unable to
communicate on my own." L5
A1.60 The problems with doctors and potentially with
health are extremely serious affecting privacy and
independence as well as personal well-being. In longer
transactions such as job interviews, an interpreter would
have been an option if there were any. One person mentioned
contacting Edinburgh for the
RNID service; another mentioned a friend
who is good in sign language. Another did not have such
good experience.
"A lot of times in the past, I did not succeed in
interviews with a family member as interpreter; then
with my partner, I still failed. I don't know why. Then
I decided to learn word processing and computer skills.
Then I got a job. It is best to learn practical and not
theory. Hearing people are unsure of Deaf people's
skills in theory." L3
A1.61 In hospital settings, people seem to think the
nurse was better at writing down than the doctor but as is
common, Deaf people prefer to take someone with them who
can tell when it is their turn (as the names are called
out). Otherwise it is difficult.
"Once I broke my arm and I went on my own. I was
lost with communication." L2
A1.62 As indicated already, the most difficult
circumstance for Deaf people is when surrounded by hearing
people on a course or in a meeting. Most of the time, Deaf
people try to avoid this because of the feeling of
isolation and the teasing.
"Only a few of us in the team, so we can
communicate with each other. They tell me what is going
on. I will be redundant soon." L3
A1.63 One of the interviewees explained it
succinctly.
"There are quite a few people in my workplace. I
have never been involved in any meeting." S1
A1.64 The questions about the police did not produce any
specifically Deaf related issues and the questions on
emergency provoked similar reposes to those already
highlighted - Deaf people do not wish to use textphone or
Typetalk for such purposes and mostly prefer (at the
moment) to ask a hearing person to call as it is more
immediate. The hearing person may be a neighbour or a
relative. As before people said they were not confident in
Typetalk and would like to have some means through
SMS. There was little experience of
automated voice services - one person said he preferred to
type direct. Fax was preferred to minicom on account of
speed and cost. People said they were really happy with
SMS and could send messages to their
partner anywhere and anytime.
A1.65 The interviewees repeated the common complaints
about subtitles not being completely reliable and the
English being too difficult. They preferred signing for
information. Deaf signing was a priority. They had never
seen signed video and were unable to comment on that set of
questions.
A1.66 The group interview took place with four of the
participants after the individual interviews. As indicated
in the Stornoway group, the questions to be asked had to be
amended a little to simplify and make them more direct. The
group interview was shorter as in a number of cases, there
was little experience to support the response.
A1.67 When asked why Deaf people were reluctant to take
part in this sort of interview, the responses all focused
on their own experience of being contacted for this project
and not as hoped for, on the topics of Deaf people
perceptions and priorities. So it was explained how each
person had been contacted and came to know about the
project.
A1.68 When asked about preferences for communication and
interaction with hearing people, the comments were similar
to what has been found elsewhere.
"Of course signing would be first choice." All
"I know it is difficult for hearing who can't sign
so I have to write down." L3
"Best to write down and then lip-read otherwise it
is more embarrassing if the wrong information is picked
up." L4
"Only gesture - it is easier as I am not able to
write English" L1
A1.69 The researcher pointed out that in the future is
not possible that everyone could sign. Their response again
repeated what others have said - they preferred direct
communication from hearing people and not interpreters. The
resistance to interpreters seemed to be based on some older
mythology.
"I don't want interpreters everywhere - they are
prying." L3
"Interpreters will gossip around" L2
A1.70 Even after explaining the roles and ethical code
of interpreters, people were still not fully convinced.
"Well in future, I am not sure. I prefer people to
learn sign language and not have interpreters…."
L4
"I can ask hearing people to write it down. A while
ago I saw on
TV something about a virtual signer
- that looked good." L3
"My wife speaks so I am left out and I don't know
what is happening." L1
A1.71 When asked about future signed videos and other
means to deliver sign language, they shrugged. The
researcher explained in more detail demonstrating some
examples of portable means for sign language - video, on
computers and
PDA. They agreed that this would be a
step forward but were dubious as to how you could use this
on the move. Further explanation of the use of notebook
computers or small handheld displays for playing sign
language information was thought to be of value. Again the
question of cost was raised.
A1.72 When asked questions about the previous results of
the project it was clear that these could not be easily
answered as people tended to relate the question only to
their own experiences and not to searching for reasons why
Deaf people had already responded in a different way. For
example, when asked why younger Deaf people had reported
that they used sign language interpreters more than older
people, the responses related directly to Shetland.
"That is a difficult question." L4
"It does not apply to Shetland as there is no
interpreter here." L3
"Here is a quiet place" L4
Comments on Lerwick
A1.73 Many of the same issues arise in Lerwick as in
Stornoway and many topic explanations emerge in the same
way as on the Mainland of Scotland. However, the extent of
isolation is much greater since people rarely meet and
since they seem unconnected to other Deaf communities. It
is obvious that people need to interact in communities but
this is happening to such a small extent here that there
are serious effects on well-being.
Summary
A1.74 The group in Stornoway seem to exist without
'bothering with hearing people'. They seem unaware of who
to ask or how to obtain help and this is perhaps a result
of their never having been asked about their needs. They
have a sense of belonging to the island and have no anger
against hearing people. They blame themselves instead of
making demands for access. They seem to feel that because
of their Deafness, they have no role to play.
A1.75 The group on Shetland have limited support and
even less contact with agencies and Deaf groups elsewhere.
This is a huge factor in their daily life. They have no
experience with many of the scenarios which were used to
elicit comment on the Mainland and they had great
difficulty with the questions especially in individual
sessions. The sign language used may benefit from further
study as there appear to be differences and limitations in
it. They are generally unaware of the information about
their rights or entitlements.
A1.76 If Deaf people in mainland Scotland experience
major difficulties in access to public services, then these
two communities have not even begun to know what services
might be offered. Although their numbers are very small, it
seems reasonable for them to have similar general access as
other Deaf people. Given the distances involved even to
contact each other, one might have imagined that they would
be early users of videophones and visual information. This
is not the case and they are probably the most isolated
Deaf people in the
UK.
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