STAFF at a sports shop in Stroud have donated kit and equipment to a Gloucestershire charity which aims to get young deaf people involved in physical activities.
Football kits, badminton equipment and running clothes were donated from Batemans Sports, on the corner of George Street and Kendrick Street in Stroud, to the Gloucestershire Deaf Association.
GDA has received funding from Gloucestershire County Council to encourage more young deaf people in to sport and physical activities.
As well as encouraging more young people into sport, the aim of the project is to promote equality and eliminate discrimination and foster good relations between disabled and non-disabled people.
GDA staff state that many deaf youngsters don’t get involved in sport because of accessibility and as a result, not only does their physical wellbeing suffer, their mental wellbeing is also being compromised.
“Time and time again young deaf people are telling us they do not participate in mainstream sports activities because of communication issues, and they do not feel ‘right’ being encouraged to join disabled sports activities because they do not feel disabled,” said Reg Cobb, GDA’s project developer.
“This mirrors the findings of a 2012 qualitative research report carried out by the English Federation of Disability Sport ‘Exploring Why Disabled People and Deaf People Do and Don’t Participate in Sport’.
“The support of Batemans Sports in Stroud is invaluable in helping to encourage more young deaf people to get active.”
Last Friday (August 18), Reg, along with members of the Gloucester Deaf Football Club, went down to Batemans to pick up the new equipment and kit.
Over several months, GDA has been in discussions with its youth club members about ‘being young and deaf in Gloucestershire’.
These members reflected on the different challenges young deaf people face today compared to years ago.
They stated that to the hearing world they appear on the surface to lead a more ‘included’ life, often equipped with a cochlear implant from a young age and then educated through mainstream school, albeit often with teaching support.
For more information about GDA visit www.gda.org.uk
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