Signposting and Resources

City of York Council BSL Interpreting Service

BSL users can contact the Council using Sign Solutions and you can book an appointment at their customer centre.

City of York Council Deaf and Hearing Support Team offers a wide range of support according to individual needs and receive referrals from a range of sources.

North Yorks Children and Young People Services provides information on the support available to schools and settings to support the needs of children and young people with hearing loss or who are Deaf.

York SEND Local Offer provides a dedicated resource for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, their families and the professionals working with them.

Raise York is part of the city’s new network of Family Hubs; a project funded by the Department for Education to bring together organisations supporting children and families in a ‘one stop shop’.

York Family Information Service is a free and impartial information service for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0 to 19 (or up to 25 for disabled children).

The Deaf Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Deaf CAMHS) team works with children and young people aged 0-18 who have a severe to profound hearing loss, have deaf parents or have BSL (British Sign Language) as a first language and who also experience emotional and/or behavioural issues consistent with a Children’s Global Assessment Scale [CGAS] rating of 50 or less. They work to improve the mental health of these children and young people through supporting them and their families.

Accessible Arts and Media have been running arts and creative media learning projects in and around the city since 1982.

The people who take part include disabled young people among other vulnerable groups and AAM supports their wellbeing by helping them develop the confidence and skills to connect with their local community and have more of a say in the things that matter to them.

AAM run Inclusive Music Projects (IMPs) holiday clubs in the school holidays and have sessions for ages 5 – 10 and 11+: https://www.aamedia.org.uk/our-projects/imps/

Coastline Sight & Hearing are based in Scarborough. They support people living with sight and hearing loss and were established to promote social inclusion as a result of their impairment. They provide information, advice and guidance on matters relating to visual and hearing impairment. They also offer recreational activities for the visually and hearing impaired.

Deaf Unity‘s mission is to empower deaf people by providing the right support at critical moments from youth to adulthood. They work to ensure deaf people have equal and full access to information and opportunities.

They provide practical support and information when deaf people need them most. By providing a community, learning opportunities and targeted training they address the barriers and disparities that deaf people face, equipping them with the right information and tools to achieve.

The Goodricke Appeal Fund was established to provide hearing impaired children and young people with the latest technology to support their communication and development.

John Goodricke who was deaf and a native of York became a Fellow of the Royal Society for his pioneering work in astronomy in 1785. The fund benefits children and young people in North Yorkshire and is able to provide a wide range of equipment. Applications are invited on behalf of children and young people up to the age of 30 who are deaf/hearing impaired and resident in York or North Yorkshire.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People train dogs to alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds they would otherwise miss – such as the smoke alarm or alarm clock. Being aware of these – thanks to a hearing dog – makes a real difference to deaf people’s lives. Their amazing dogs help deaf children and adults to leave behind loneliness and isolation that they might be experiencing, and reconnect with life. 

The National Centre for Early Music’s I Can Play! programme provides music-making opportunities for D/deaf children across the city of York. Lollipop is proud to be a partner of this project! The project builds on a long-term programme of research and development activity investigating the levels of provision and barriers to making music for deaf children and young people in York, the East Riding of Yorkshire and Hull, which was initially resourced through the NCEM’s Music4U programme.

I Can Play! is run by the National Centre for Early Music in partnership with Music and the Deaf, Lollipop York, the University of York, York Arts Education and York Council’s Deaf and Hearing Support Service.

Sessions take place at York Music Centre, at Millthorpe School, thanks to support from York Arts Education.

Microtia UK is a charity that supports those born with Microtia and their families. They aim to raise awareness and provide support through events and publications while supporting medical and psychological research. They have a shop with awareness-raising items such as books and a range of soft toys with right-sided, left-sided or bilateral microtia.

Music and the Deaf is the only UK charity that is entirely dedicated to using music to enable people with a hearing loss to unlock their potential. They work to remove barriers (real and perceived,) and inspire children, young people and adults alike to access and enjoy music.

Shout is the UK’s first and only free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Text 85258.

Shout is the first service from mental health charity Mental Health Innovations, founded in 2017 with the support of the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.

To date, they have had more than 1.7 million conversations with people who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and who need in-the-moment support.

Signature is the leading awarding body for deaf communication and language qualifications in the UK.

SignHealth work to improve the health and wellbeing of Deaf people. Their work is varied and aims to promote easier access to healthcare and information. They partner with the NHS and other services and take on projects, carry out research, and raise awareness. 

They also deliver their own services to reach Deaf people in their moment of need, through crisis textlines, domestic abuse support, therapy, advocacy and residential services. 

ToyLikeMe create art and design projects to start playful conversations about disability, encourage and consult the toy industry to better represent disabled children and educate through school workshops, teaching resources and public events.

They have a shop section where you can find links to many toys that represent disabled children and an Etsy shop that sells toy hearing aids and cochlear implants!

York Inspirational Kids (YIK) is a family-focused group for all families who have a child with a disability and/or additional needs, They aim to support each other online, offer information and signposting to help families through difficult periods as well as offering social events so that families can meet informally.

YIK also run York Parent Carer Forum for parents/carers of young people (age 0-25), who have special educational needs or disability/ties.

Yormind was created by York Mind for the under 25’s as a place to find information and support about mental health in the York area. As well as information about mental health it also has information about local support groups. While not specifically for deaf young people, it is a good place to start if you are looking for mental health support for young people. For immediate mental health support for deaf young people see Sign Health above.

The Yorsensory Team operate within the Wilberforce Trust providing supportive services to anyone living with any degree of visual or hearing impairment, or both.

The team use their training, knowledge and experience to support people with sensory loss to live as independently as possible, providing detailed information, advice, guidance and equipment to improve daily living and reduce the risks of living with sensory loss.

They provide sensory assessment loss, equipment demonstrations at ‘The Hub’ in Wilberforce House, further signposting and support with technology.

York District Deaf Society (previously Jorvik Deaf Connections and York Deaf Club, which have now merged into one group from 1st February 2023!) are based at Oloman House, 376A Huntington Road, York, YO31 9HP. The new social media page isn’t up and running yet, in the meantime for enquiries and questions email jorvikdeafconnections@gmail.com

The British Deaf Association is a national Deaf-led organisation that works directly with Deaf people that use British Sign Language (BSL).

Their work concentrates on campaigning for equal rights on a national level and working at a local level empowering Deaf people to achieve access to their local public services. They deliver individual and community advocacy and work to ensure BSL is included by public bodies.

The Ewing Foundation is a national charity, promoting inclusion and achievement for deaf children through listening and speaking. Their team of Education Advisors and Technology Consultants support professionals in acquiring the skills and confidence needed to help deaf children use their residual hearing, access technology and develop natural spoken language. They work with teaching staff, schools, services and resource bases. They have two sister charities, The Burwood Park Foundation which supports deaf children with additional learning needs and the Ovingdean Hall Foundation which is a grantmaker, supporting projects from registered charities and small organisations working with deaf children and young people.

Wherever you live in England, you’ll have a local Healthwatch nearby (there are over 150 across the country). They are entirely independent and impartial. Their goal is to enable people to have a voice about their health and social care systems. 

The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) provide nationwide support for deaf children, young people, parents and professionals. There are in-person and online courses, information events, a wealth of up to date advice on adaptive products and technology and support for the whole family.

Panathlon is a national charity which gives young people with disabilities and special educational needs the opportunity to take part in competitive sport. In 2021/22, a record 52,746 pupils participated in their events – either external competitions with other schools or in-school through the Virtual Programme that was launched in September 2020 in response to the pandemic.

The RNID is a national charity supporting the 12 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. They campaign for equity for deaf people in 4 key areas: inclusion, health, employment and research.

DEAF IDENTITY is a fashion brand founded by Luke Christian of Harrogate in September 2019. Luke was born deaf, into a deaf family and he wanted to mix his love for fashion with his passion for raising deaf awareness! Luke designs clothing and accessories for kids and adults with his deaf identity branding, with awareness-raising phrases and BSL fingerspelling designs.

Based on Blake Street in York, Living 4 Moments provides interactive training, enabling and improving access for colleagues/clients who have a hearing loss or other disability.

They emphasize listening, taking the problem seriously, and suggesting effective help. They have ideas for employers to enable them to get rid of obstacles that prevent them  attracting, employing and keeping a diverse workforce and they have practical suggestions for would-be employees to overcome their difficulties in the workplace.

Sign with Sarah-Jade is run by former Lollipop member Sarah-Jade Walker. She provides fun and friendly short courses in BSL and baby-signing classes in the Selby area.

SignVideo is a remote interpreting company offering Video Relay Services (VRS), Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) and BSL/English Translation Services.

Deaf people can sign up to the service and are provided with their own SignVideo account where they can make VRS calls through SignVideo BSL interpreters, participate in meetings through VRI or use our BSL/English Translation service. The Translation Service provides a translation of the document from BSL into English or vice versa and can correct and improve documents in written English as required.

Yorkshire BSL Interpreters is a quick and convenient way for you to contact qualified, registered British Sign Language interpreters who live in the Yorkshire region.

Contact freelance British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters who are fully qualified, registered with the national registers and carry appropriate insurance. A simple one click button lets you send an email to all the interpreters listed.