WISE OLD OWL

DISABILITY PAGES

COMMUNICATION

There are many reasons for having communication difficulties, through injury, illness or disability.

In this section we hope to add useful advice and information, show ideas, give links and contact information to specialist companies and products. Its development will always be ongoing, and we would love to include your ideas. If you have something to share then mail us on communication@woo-uk.com

Communication is important to everyone, but when you are elderly or have a disability it is even more so.  It is vital if we need to call for urgent help, and it can also help beat the isolation and the loneliness that living alone or with a disability can bring with it.

With modern comminication technology so readily available in the form of mobile and internet devices we need to utilise this to the maximum to help, but the technology can often prove daunting and difficult to use for those that are new to it and it can take time to explain how to use a mobile phone, use 'Apps', or connect via the internet.

But these devices are getting easier to use, and simple apps are available and easy to set up.

VIDEO CALLING DEVICES

What better way can there be of checking that a family member or friend is ok than to be able to talk and actually see them.

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TAFN
The Accessible Friends network

A online voice communication channel for the Blind.

Our mission at TAFN is to provide friendship and support for people with vision impairments. We are a nonprofit organization located

 in the United Kingdom. Our members come from around the world and every walk of life. Although from diverse cultures, we

 have similar experiences of living with visual impairment. AT TAFN we share our strengths, hopes, experiences, laughter and successes. 

OMEGA - CHATTERBOX

Telephone Befriending Service

Chatterbox makes weekly half hour phone calls to people in the community who are lonely. These phone calls last around 3 months and by the end of that the aim is that our well trained befrienders have found avenues for their clients to make new connections, for example with a church group, exploring new or old hobbies, join a walking club or even signpost to somewhere more appropriate if they are beyond our remit.

Contact us on 01743 245088

NON_VERBAL COMMUNICATION

POLICE PEGASUS SCHEME

HOW TO CALL WHEN YOU HAVE COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES

PEGASUS

If you have communication difficulties, Dyfed-Powys Police can make things easier for you with their Pegasus Scheme.

This innovative scheme makes it easier to contact and communicate with Police quickly and easily by telephone or face to face.

After registration members are issued with a Pegasus Key-Fob and a password.

The caller will only have to say the word 'Pegasus' and give their password to be identified by the officer or call handler's who will have access to that persons information, including details on how best to communicate with that person.

The user is also supplied with a Pegasus Key-Fob to carry, then if they are approached by Police officers or PCSO's and find it difficult to communicate then they just have to show the key-fob and tell the officers their password to enable them to receive help.

Use the button below to email Dyfed-Powys Police, marking your email 'Pegasus Application'

or apply by post to the address below:-

Dyfed Powys Police

Force Communication Centre

PO Box 99

Llangunnor

Carmarthen

SA31 2PF 

SIGN LANGUAGES

24/7 ONLINE SERVICE

SignLive is a deaf-owned organisation based in the UK. It is a first-class service provider of online video interpreting services through its Video Relay Service (VRS) and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). This allows Deaf people anywhere in the world to communicate with anyone, at any time, using an app which connects them to a qualified British Sign Language Interpreter.

SIGN LIVE UK

ONLINE INTERPRETATION

Not being able to communicate in the normal way using speach and hearing is more common than we realise, yet unless we have direct family that is affected very few of us bother to learn any of the languages used.

Ideally these alternative non-spoken languages should be taught in schools alonside French, German, Spanish etc., allowing us to communicate more easily with those around us.


WHY WOULD WE NEED TO USE ALTERNATIVE LANGUAGES ?

There are many reasons for the need to use  alternative non-verbal languages, For those who are Deaf or hard of hearing, this could be from a birth defect or due to illness, injury or progressive deafness due to age. It can also be needed by those unable to speak, this could be due to injury, brain damage, throat or mouth cancer, or through Laryngectomy .


WHAT ALTERNATIVES ARE THERE ?

The most widely used is Lip-reading, in fact we all naturally lip-read when in conversation without knowing it, but we do not develop these skills further unless we have a need to.

Sign Language is also widely used around the world, and although there are variations in different countries, BSL - British Sign Language, ASL - American Sign Language, they are very similar and enable communication between.

Finger Spelling is used widespread, and a simple language to learn.

Finger Spelling Chart

Credit to Signature

Credit to: BDA

HOW TO SIGN THE ALPHABET

Credit to: Commanding Hands

LEARN BSL THE EASY WAY by Sonia Hollis

Credit to:  LSLSoniaHollis

MAKATON EXAMPLE

Learn this week's simple phrase.

Click button below to find out more, sign up and have a new phrase emailed to you each week.

Create awesome mobile-friendly websites. No coding and free.

THIS IS ME!

Performed in Makaton Sign Language.

Credit to:  Melodysigns

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