Zebra Access 2019-20 Impact Report

Zebra Access is a specialised Deaf-led organisation committed to ensuring that Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing people and communities have equal access to local services and opportunities, providing an invaluable lifeline for them to transform their lives.

April 2019 to March 2020 saw Zebra Access achieve the following:

Partnership:

• Officially became one of the delivery partners for the Black Country Futures programme, securing 2-year funding to provide specialised holistic employment support and English/maths tutorials for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing people.
• Work with Wolverhampton Healthwatch was shortlisted and highly commended for the ‘Championing Diversity and Inclusion’ category at the Healthwatch 2019 Network Awards in delivering Health inclusive workshops on Diabetics, Dementia and Cancer.
• Became an official partner of City of Wolverhampton Council and Wolverhampton Homes.
• Supported participation at various forums such as the Grand/Arena Theatre Disability forum, NHS Wolverhampton, Healthwatch etc. to improve access and services for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing people.

Services:

• Delivered weekly Advocacy service drop-in sessions (3 times a week), supporting 164 Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing clients in addition to making 22 home visits and attending 50 one to one appointments.
• Provided Advocacy support to a total of 545 people (including via our online service) on 767 separate cases/issues, including successfully supporting 2 EU settlement applications and several tribunals.
• Delivered a Befriender scheme where volunteers visited isolated Deaf people, whilst recruiting 25 volunteers to develop, lead and support events and activities for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing people and communities.
• Provided employment and English/maths support to 12 people. 

Training:

• Our Advocacy Officer achieved the Level 3 City & Guild Certificate/Diploma in Independent Advocacy, specialising in General/Community Advocacy.
• Completed Advanced Safeguarding training as an Organisation.
• Supported the delivery of Fire Safety and further First Aid training to the Deaf community.
• Provided free Deaf Awareness courses to 14 different not-for-profit organisations, such as; St John’s Ambulance, Base 25, Compton Care, Healthwatch, The Haven, Alzheimer Society, Wolverhampton Sea Scouts, Cubs etc.
• Delivered free BSL sessions to 4 families/carers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people to enhance/enable communication at home. 
• Raised Deaf awareness of 169 people representing various organisations by giving presentations at several events/conferences.

Activities:

• Provided opportunities to try new activities such as golf and yoga, led by qualified coaches/tutors and delivered in BSL.
• Increased engagement with previously excluded young Deaf and Hard of Hearing people through various workshops (Deaf Roots and Pride, Youth Club sessions, Arts sessions and so on).
• Organised educational trips to places such as; Shrewsbury Prison, Circus Starr, Coffin & Pen museum and Wolverhampton Crown Court, to name but a few. A total of 602 people attended these events and commented on how much they enjoyed them.
• Supported Wulfranians Deaf Badminton Club which has 12 committed, regular members who currently run the sessions themselves.
• Developed and delivered Deaf-led Arts sessions with RAW (Real Arts Workshop) which successfully unearthed lots of talent within the Deaf community.
• Hosted coffee mornings and afternoon tea attracting an average of 22 people per session, with new members joining almost every month. 
• Continued our Befriender scheme via video calls for those who had access to WiFi and appropriate devices during the beginning of the pandemic.

Additionally, we have seen an increase in complex cases being referred to us when they have become too complex for other organisations/parties to deal with or navigate. This shows that our holistic and specialised service is well-placed to support Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals and communities.