A new initiative has been launched to help coaches communicate with deaf young players. Video clips of Harlequins rugby union stars and the England Deaf Rugby squad signing rugby buzz words have been produced.
The clips – created in partnership with England Deaf Rugby Union (EDRU) and the Rugby Football Union – are part of a groundbreaking programme, Me2, run by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) to make sport clubs fully inclusive for young deaf people.
Available free at www.ndcs.org.uk/rfu the clips aim to encourage rugby clubs and leagues to address the needs of deaf children and make the game more accessible for them. The clips show useful words and phrases such as tackle, attack, pass – signed in a clear and accessible way – and are essential in communicating with deaf young players during matches or training sessions.
Hayley Jarvis, NDCS Sports and Leisure Activities Manager, says: “In the past there has been a real lack of rugby coaching sessions available for deaf children and young people. Due to the commitment from RFU and EDRU, more deaf young players can now take part in the game and we are currently working with these organisations to design a deaf rugby coaching guide which will be the first of its kind.
“Access to sport is extremely important for deaf children as many are isolated from activities that hearing children take for granted. We are therefore calling all rugby clubs to have a go at learning the signs and join our programme to break down communication barriers faced by deaf children.”
Nic Scott, RFU Equity, Inclusion and Safeguarding Manager, commented: “At the RFU we are continually striving to ensure that the game is as inclusive as possible, and extend the enjoyment and values of the sport to as many as possible. By producing video footage that will support our coaches in working with deaf children and young people, we believe we will accelerate their already increasing integration into mainstream clubs.”
Lyndon James, Secretary of England Deaf Rugby Union, stated: “This is a tremendous step forward towards our ambition to make rugby union available to all deaf and hard of hearing people. We are looking forward to further work with the NDCS and the RFU to further improve accessibility to the sport.”
Me2 initiative offers clubs a free training course on how to work with deaf children and rugby clubs wanting to find out more about the programme should email me2@ndcs.org,uk
For more information on the rugby clips or the Me2 drive, please phone 0121 234 9820 or visit www.ndcs.org.uk/me2.