The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) is a British charity dedicated to providing support, information and advice for
deaf
Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...
children and young people, their families and professionals working with them.
The Society campaigns for improvements in services aimed at families with deaf children, working with central and local government, health authorities, education professionals, social services, manufacturers and other voluntary organizations. Its headquarters are located in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, with regional offices in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
,
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
(NDCS Northern Ireland),
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
(NDCS Wales) and
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
(NDCS Scotland).
Origins
NDCS was founded as the Society of
St John of Beverley and was renamed the Deaf Children's Society in 1945. It adopted its current name in the 1950s. At its established its objective was 'to further in every way possible the provision of full modern education for all deaf children in England, as originally accorded to hearing children'.
The National Deaf Children's Society was founded in London on 15 December 1944 by a handful of parents of deaf children concerned about the impact of the
Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 ( 7 & 8 Geo. 6. c. 31) made major changes in the provision and governance of secondary schools in England and Wales. It is also known as the Butler Act after the President of the Board of Education, R. A. Butler. Histori ...
on their schooling.
2002 saw the merger of NDCS with Friends for Young Deaf People, resulting in the creation of the NDCS youth wing. The merger allows NDCS to provide a service supporting families with deaf children from birth to 25.
See also
*
Audism, discrimination against Deaf and hard-of-hearing people
*
National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
*
IFHOHYP International Federation of Hard of Hearing Young People
*
Post-lingual deafness
*
Pre-lingual deafness
*
Royal National Institute for Deaf People
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), known as Action on Hearing Loss from 2011 to 2020, is a charitable organisation working on behalf of the UK's 9 million people who are Deafness, deaf or have hearing loss.
History
The Royal ...
*
Youth hearing conservation programs
References
{{Authority control
Children's charities based in the United Kingdom
Deafness charities
Deafness organisations based in the United Kingdom
Health charities in the United Kingdom
Health in the London Borough of Islington
1944 establishments in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in the London Borough of Islington
Organizations established in 1944