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Our Story
This is our story Deaf Village has been proudly serving both Deaf & Hearing community's for over 20 years. From the beginnings of the School of Sign Language to the launch of Silent Card Co, our journey has grown with passion, inclusion, and a Deaf-led vision
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Read below to discover more about who we are and how our story began.
The journey to creating the Deaf Village, has been 20 years in the making. Debra Cartlidge who founded the School of Sign Language in 2006 has always had the core aim of:
“Breaking Down the Barriers between the d/Deaf and Hearing Community”.
Part of Debra’s vision was to create a Deaf Village, a Deaf-Led organisation that promotes inclusivity at its core. The Deaf Village aim is to establish, develop, maintain, operate and manage a cohesive and prosperous community where everyone is active, treated fairly and thriving, where people’s faith and cultures are understood and respected, addressing community segregation, reducing social exclusion, enriching all of our lives by developing communities.
For over 30 years Debra has campaigned for Deaf rights and access to networks of support for disadvantaged and isolated people. Deaf herself (with reliance upon bilateral BAHA systems) Debra has given so much of her life over to raising awareness and understanding about the different needs, of both Deaf and disabled lives.
“Be the reason someone feels welcomed, seen, heard, valued, loved and supported”.
“Be the reason someone feels welcomed, seen, heard, valued, loved and supported”.
Our Vision for The Future
Our vision for the future is to expand Deaf Village across the UK and then globally, creating safe, Deaf-led spaces where communities connect, learn and thrive. We are actively growing our model, increasing our impact and building a global network shaped by Deaf leadership, lived experience and inclusion.
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