About Us
Deaf Access Bedfordshire is here to support around 135,000 deaf and hard of hearing people from across the County, including:
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Bedford Borough,
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Dunstable,
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Luton,
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Central Bedford,
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Olney,
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Leighton Buzzard.
We also welcome visitors from Milton Keynes, St Neots, St Albans, Northampton, Cambridge, London and beyond.
As a charity serving a minority community, we know that the deaf world is a small world - we welcome visitors and friends from beyond Bedfordshire as an important opportunity for us to connect with and celebrate those who have a shared cultural identity with us.
2013
A group of friends established a community group and youth social group for the deaf and hard of hearing community in Bedford, determined that their community should have better access to services, events, activities and education.
2014
Access Bedford was registered as a charity, and began working with local partners such as Health Watch and the Police to improve communication with the Deaf community, including training the Chief Inspector and a number of staff to achieve the Level 1 BSL qualification.
2015
2016
Working with Partner organisations, we hosted a fully BSL-accessible Hustings for the candidates for the 2015 General Election.
Our Deaf day was well attended and a number of partners, including Bedford Borough Council, Health Watch Bedford Borough and Bedfordshire Fire And Rescue Service attended to share information with our community.
2017
Access Bedford is nominated for, and wins, the Local Heroes award for our services to the deaf community in Bedford.
2018
Access Bedford trustees are featured in the 'Women of Bedfordshire' exhibition at the Higgins Museum, Bedford. The exhibition focused particularly on the role women play in creating community. Our trustees were recognised for championing the deaf community's rights.
2019
Access Bedford recognised the need for deaf BSL-users to be able to learn how to prepare and cook nutritious, healthy, budget-friendly and delicious meals. Before she was on Morning Live, we were delighted to have Yvonne Cobb run a cooking class for our community.
2020
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Access Bedford's trustees and volunteers went above and beyond to keep our community informed and safe and to prevent isolation. From creating translations of key regulations and health information, to running online BSL cafes and offering doorstep visits to our most vulnerable service users. This effort was recognised by HM Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire and the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire.
2021
Access Bedford is delighted to receive a donation from the Cooperative society, which in turn enables us to start a 'Deaf 'Fit' group, bringing in a Deaf, BSL-using personal trainer to put our community through their paces and improve their physical and mental wellbeing.
2022
Access Bedford secures funding from Bedford and Luton Community Foundation, enabling us to appoint our first paid member of staff! We also host a deaf day and comedy evening, with special guests; Gavin Lilley and John Bishop, as part of the ITV programme 'John and Joe Bishop: Life after Deaf.'
2023
Access Bedford partners with Remark! to bring a Face to Face Level 1 BSL qualification to Bedford. The course, initially delivered by our much-missed friend, Bob Rose, is very popular, with all of the places being filled within two weeks. Every student who took part in the final exams achieved a pass, with several going on to study Level 2 and Level 3.
2024
Thanks to funding from The Harpur Trust, Access Bedford has been able to offer a series of BSL-accessible workshops for our community, on topics ranging from Dance and fitness, Diabetes and Sexual health to Mental health.
We also conducted extensive research and gathered community feedback to enable us to create a 3-year strategic plan, which also resulted in a name change - as we become 'Deaf Access Bedfordshire'.
2025
Deaf Access Bedfordshire is awarded funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to enable us to move into our own office space! Working with the team at The Place Theatre, we have transformed a disused, self-contained unit into a bright, welcoming space to run the charity from. Further funding applications will see the first floor unit fitted with stair lifts and eventually a Lift, to enable everyone to access the services in our office. With our office and staffing secure for three years, we are excited to see what we can achieve for our community - watch this space!
KEY FACTS
Some key facts about the community we serve:
18 million deaf adults
50,000 deaf children
There are estimated to be over 18 million deaf adults and approximately 50,000
deaf children in the UK today.
Deaf Access Bedfordshire serves an
area with a total population of
675, 599
Districts of Bedfordshire
With 1 in 5 people in the UK having some form of
hearing loss, that gives us a potential regional
population of 135,000 deaf and hard of hearing people.
We want to ensure that every deaf and hard of hearing person in our region knows where they can get support, knows how to find community and commonality and shared identity, and that they feel proud to live in Bedfordshire, confident that they will be included, welcomed and understood wherever they go and who ever they meet.
Size, Diversity & Living Standards
Bedford
Population
173,237
Central Bedford
Population
285,931
75% white British population
25% non-white British population
90% white British population
10% non-white British population
Luton
Population
218,045
45% white British population
55% non-white British population
51% non-deprived household
49% deprived household
54% non-deprived household
46% deprived household
41% non-deprived household
59% deprived household
Luton, Bedford and Central Bedford rank 109th, 110th and 111th most deprived out of 326 regions across England. We have multiple barriers to access in our community, compounded by socioeconomic challenges, spoken language barriers, the cost of living crisis and generational trauma. The average deaf child leaves school with a reading age of nine. We need to support service providers across our region to understand these challenges and to do better.
There are countless challenges for our D/deaf communities, and as a charity run by and for the community, we are very aware of where those struggles lie. However, it is important to recognise the opportunities, the positive developments in society and the strength, abilities and resilience of our community as we make plans for our place in Bedfordshire in the coming years.
Our ambition for Bedfordshire is to be a region where deaf people can live, work, study, visit and age well. For it to be a place where inclusion is automatic, not asked for, and where the D/deaf and hard of hearing community are recognised for the value they bring and the contribution they make to our society.