Deaf social events

The Deaf community has a strong history of running social events where Deaf people can meet up and socialise using their first language, British Sign Language (BSL). There is a documentary called Power in Our Hands, which talks about Deaf people’s struggle to gain civil rights, which includes old footage of Deaf people and their families attending events together; it shows them relaxed and happy, socialising with other members of the community and communicating with ease.

I remember when I was younger, there were many Deaf events, and ticket prices were very affordable. Events were always very well attended. I went on trips to Hull, Sheffield, Brighton, and London, among others. I went to a weekend rally in Blackpool, which was a great opportunity to not only see local sights like the Winter Gardens, but also to meet lots of new faces. I remember we all had a great time. There was a real sense of community. There were also many Deaf sports events in the past, such as a darts league.

Times were very different then, as there were no mobile phones and no social media; people can communicate with each other every day now online. At that time, it was really exciting to meet up with Deaf friends at the weekend, and for some people with hearing families or colleagues, this might be the only time they got to use BSL and could really relax and be themselves. 

Deaf centres were very popular places for Deaf people to meet up and socialise with their friends. Now Deaf centres are not so well attended, and many have sadly closed down due to a lack of funding. The way the Deaf community engages with each other is changing. Now people meet in mainstream pubs and set up Deaf pub nights in their local areas. These were traditionally very well attended, but even they seem to be less crowded nowadays.

Similarly, the number of Deaf events has decreased due to the closure of Deaf schools, which often had their own communities attached to them who would run community events.

Deaf balls are popular events that happen regularly and are a good way for people to meet up. They are often run as fundraisers for charity and can be quite expensive to attend, but they are usually great fun for the people attending. 

Some Deaf groups organise regular events for their members. These could be things such as bingo, a very popular pastime with the older Deaf community, Halloween and Christmas parties, or trips to other cities. These trips will often involve visiting the local Deaf centre and mixing with the local Deaf community. This can be useful for sharing ideas about how to get by in a changing environment where deaf services face increasingly harsh funding cuts, or just a chance to communicate using BSL and make friends with new people. 

Join me next time when I will talk about my Christmas event with my students, and the activities we did to develop their skills and confidence.