A CHARITY working to make Cumbria the most deaf-aware county in England has been nominated for an award.

Cumbria Deaf Association (CDA), which has a base in Kendal, is up for a community organisation award for disability at the National Diversity Awards 2023 in association with ITV News, which last year, saw 75,000 people nominated.

The awards recognise role models and community organisations across the UK for their selfless devotion to equality, diversity and inclusion.

The charity's mystery nominee said: "CDA is celebrating its 130-year anniversary this year and has been supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the region throughout this time.

"Their two interpreters cover 1,000 miles a month each in order to meet and support access throughout the vast county.”  

The community organisation category is split into age, disability, gender, LGBT, race/ religion/ faith and multi-strand.

 

CDA chief executive officer, Caroline Howsley, said: "As an enterprise firmly embedded in the deaf community, we emerged from the pandemic with a new vigour, keen to build stronger relationships with the wider community, especially now more people have a greater understanding of the anxiety caused by wearing masks, not being able to understand information in the news and living isolated from your support network – which for many deaf people is their normal way of life but, it shouldn’t be.

"We are a birth-to-death support network – recently providing a BSL interpreter for a lady in labour for four nights and days, the same interpreter assigned to her for prenatal appointments.

"I am so proud of all the work done by the staff, trustees and volunteers, it makes CDA a very special place to be.

"It’s a privilege to serve a community who not only is teaching me a new language but, also see the changes that we as an organisation are making, helping to deliver our goal of making Cumbria the most deaf-aware county in England."

CDA work with schools, families and businesses across the county to improve inclusion and accessibility.

Voting closes on May 12 ahead of a ceremony live from Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral on September 15.

To vote, visit: https://www.nationaldiversityawards.co.uk/awards2023/nominations/cumbria-deaf-association/