Geraldine

“I learned about Ideal for All from a friend of mine who had picked up some walking aids as she has poor mobility. The lady who gave her the equipment told her of other services including the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Group. Both my husband and I are deaf so we thought we would give it a try.

“Before joining the group we had little contact with the local community in the area in which we live (Sandwell), we didn’t think local people understood the problems deaf people have when communicating with others, they didn’t understand sign language so at the time we both felt isolated. We come on a regular basis to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Group. We have been out on trips with the Social Events group with people from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Group.

“The lady who organises the trips has a deaf daughter so she understands some of our difficulties. Going to the group has helped us enormously. We have the opportunity to meet people and make friends.

At meetings we are encouraged to get involved and make decisions to determine what activities the group can do including social outings. We are also encouraged to put ideas forward for guest speakers to talk to us on subjects of interest.

“The group has given me a new outlook on life, I have fun, and enjoy being with others who live locally.”