Open Doors Days at Highland Deaf Centre

If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at sign language, or if you are struggling to hear the TV or the phone, the Highland Deaf Centre is the place to visit on Friday (7 May) and Saturday (8 May).

The Centre, at 16 Kenneth Street, Inverness, is throwing its doors open from 10am to 4pm, on both days, to give people a chance to discover the range of equipment, services and training on offer.

People with a hearing loss can check out equipment to make everyday life easier and safer, including TV listening devices, doorbell alerters and smoke alarms that flash or vibrate to catch your attention.  Specialist staff from the Highland Council’s Deaf Services Team, which runs the Centre, will be available to advise on how to select and use the equipment.

Short ‘taster’ sessions will run throughout the event.  ‘Deaf  awareness’ sessions can help family and friends of people experiencing hearing loss, by demonstrating  simple tactics to help make communication easier and clearer.   Sign language tasters will demonstrate how to introduce yourself in sign language, and find out more about learning this fascinating language.

Staff will be on hand to discuss other services, available across the whole Highland area, including one-to-one support and rehabilitation, social work services, sign language support and lip-reading classes.