Introduction Welcome to Deaf Access Bedfordshire. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. Information We Collect We may collect and process the following data about you: Personal identification information(Name, email address, phone number, etc.) Demographic information (Age, gender, etc.) Technical data (IP address, browser type, etc.) How We Use Your Information We use the information we collect in the following ways: To provide and manage our services To communicate with you, including responding to your inquiries To improve our website and services To comply with legal obligations Data Security We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. We have implemented suitable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. Sharing Your Information We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to outside parties except as required by law. Your Data Protection Rights You have the right to: Access the personal data we hold about you Request correction of any inaccurate data Request deletion of your personal data Object to the processing of your data Request the transfer of your data to another service provider Changes to This Privacy Policy We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on our website. Contact Us If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at: Email: info@deafaccessbedfordshire.org.uk Privacy Statement

We are happy to attend community and networking events to share information and increase deaf awareness. Community Engagement We are always happy to come and get involved in your community events. If you have a space for us to set up a table and share what we do with your teams and communities, let us know! Roughly 1 in 3 people in the UK have some form of hearing loss. You might not know who they are, but there will be people you live with, work with, study with, and socialise with, who can't hear you. People who are missing chunks of your conversation and who are exhausted from lipreading and the extra processing needed to understand you. We can help you to make them feel included, welcome and represented. Contact Us We love coming out and attending community events, meeting other service providers and making sure deaf and hard of hearing people - and the parents of deaf children - from all backgrounds know where we are and what we offer. If you have an event coming up, and space for us to set up a table, please get in touch !

Who are Deaf Access Bedfordshire and what do we do? Support for deaf, hard of hearing, BSL users, lip readers, hearing aid users, cochlear implant users, hearing loss. Support for adults and children. Support for families. Deaf Awareness Training for individuals, schools, nurseries, businesses and statutory organisations. BSL courses. RSLI, TSLI, Interpreters and communication support workers. About Us Deaf Access Bedfordshire is here to support around 135,000 deaf and hard of hearing people from across the County, including: Bedford Borough, Dunstable, Luton, Central Bedford, Olney, 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.

Contact Us Questions? Suggestions? Complaints? Billing? Compliments? Collaboration? Sponsorship? Here's how to get in touch: General enquiries info@accessbedford.org.uk Use this email for events, activities, training, complaints, suggestions, compliments, collaborations, sponsorship. Information, Advice & Guidance service deafspace@accessbedford.org.uk Use this email address to contact our information service or to request an appointment You can also send an SMS or BSL video to our Whatsapp: 07376 262 873 Please do not phone this number, is it text and video call only. Interpreting and Translation info@accessbedford.org.uk For help booking a BSL interpreter or to discuss how to add BSL translations into your videos, please contact Grace. Billing and Finance Finance@accessbedford.org.uk Please send all invoices to the finance team so that we can find them and process them on time for you. Visit Us Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, we now have gorgeous office space! Find us: Upstairs @ The Place Bradgate Road Bedford MK40 3DE Core Office Hours: Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday 10:00am - 4:00pm Please note, we may be working off site or at meetings at any time. To arrange a visit to the office, please email: info@accessbedford.org.uk