International Deaf Children's Society launches www.idcs.info

From: The National Deaf Children's Society - Apr 21, 2004

On 15 April 2004, The International Deaf Children's Society (IDCS) launched www.idcs.info, a major global online forum for deaf children and young people, their parents and professionals. IDCS is the international wing of The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS), a UK registered charity founded in 1944.

IDCS was launched in 2002 with the aim of improving the life chances of deaf children everywhere. It currently has an in-country programme in India and works in partnership with local charities in Ghana, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Guyana, Mongolia and Croatia via its Small Grants Programme.

The website, www.idcs.info is intended as a way for everyone working with deaf children, including teachers, to exchange information and ideas, and for deaf children to communicate with others like them all over the world.

The site's Real Lives section includes a 'Day in the Life' diary by May, aged 11, who loves horseriding and is the only deaf child in Thailand to have passed the British Pony Club "D" test. It also has 'My Story' by Muhammad Akram from Pakistan. Muhammad went deaf as a result of illness when he was a teenager, but tells how he graduated one of the top of his diploma class and has gone on to achieve a successful career in computing.

The website has a Schools' Network section encouraging schools with deaf pupils to link up with similar schools in other countries. Schools can submit details about themselves including the age range of their pupils, whether they are residential or non residential and the first language of the school. They can then state if they are already participating in an exchange programme and whether they would like to do so. They can also list any special interests.

In the Professionals at work section, teachers and other professionals talk about specific projects and personal experiences of working with deaf children in developing countries. The purpose of this section will be to raise awareness of the kinds of projects in place for deaf children on an international scale and the different approaches and outcomes these projects can have.

There is also a Resource Library for professionals which features a series of articles on different approaches to working with deaf children in developing countries from places as diverse as China, Tanzania and Jordan.

To ensure your organisation is listed in The Directory, the wesite's database listing hundreds of useful organisations worldwide, submit your details through a simple, online form at www.idcs.info/thedirectory

For further information please contact Rachel Willoughby, Web Content Officer on rachel.willoughby@ndcs.org.uk or +44 (0)20 7490 8656 (v/t)