The Royal Institute for Deaf People

Our work in the criminal justice context focuses on training and consultancy for staff in the management of individuals that are deaf or hard of hearing. One in six people in the population has a hearing loss of some degree, creating communication barriers that can impact on behaviour, well-being and, at the profound end of the spectrum, access to rehabilitative services.

Action on Hearing Loss offer Deaf Awareness and Sign Language training courses to help prison or probation staff understand the needs of people with hearing loss. We provide professional communication support of all kinds - from sign language interpreters to notetakers - to enable access to service. Our products (assistive listening devices and alerters of all kinds) are available online or in bulk from a dedicated account manager. We also provide work based assessments for staff themselves, with cost-effective recommendations for reasonable adjustments to support them in the workplace.