Our Team We take great pride in our dedicated team of trustees and staff who work tirelessly to support our deaf community. Our team is composed of passionate individuals, each bringing their unique skills and expertise to ensure we deliver the best services possible. Board of Trustees Our trustees include two profoundly deaf individuals, two parents of deaf children, and a registered BSL interpreter, with 80% of the team having a disability. They bring valuable lived experiences, from personal experience of deafness to supporting deaf children and breaking communication barriers. Their skills span social work, IT, finance, community engagement, interpreting, marketing, event planning, and leadership, enabling us to effectively meet the diverse needs of our community. Catherine Wright Founder & Chair of Trustees Claire Jones Trustee Becky James Trustee Our Staff We currently have a team of two, paid, part time staff, who support and are supported by a team of freelancers and volunteers. We will be recruiting a third team member to fill a part time admin and community support role, in 2025, so if you're interested in working with us, get in touch: info@accessbedford.org.uk Manager Jo Emmerson Jo has been working for Deaf Access Bedfordshire since 2022. As the daughter of a deaf adult, mother to a child with hearing loss and with hearing loss herself, Jo has numerous ties to the community. Jo's background is in Community Engagement, and having run her own successful business prior to joining our team, she is also well-versed in being a multi-skilled multi-tasker. She has been central to securing several grants for the charity and is passionate about bring BSL classes to Bedfordshire both to improve understanding in the hearing community and also to support families of deaf children to ensure every deaf child thrives with full access to language from birth. Communicaiton and Operations Officer Tammy Thwaites Tammy had been volunteering at Deaf Access Bedfordshire for over a year before joining the team in a paid role. She brings a wealth of experience to the team, with her background in Accounting, a level 2 qualification in Information, Advice and Guidance Services, plus extensive Communication Support Worker experience. She is progressing towards her Level 3 in British Sign Language and is passionate about helping our community to access the services, eduaction, employment and leisure activities that they require.

Fitness classes for the deaf and hard of hearing community across Bedfordshire, delivered with BSL and visual prompts. Deaf Fitness Classes We offer Gentle, Inclusive Fitness classes for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Delivered using BSL, these classes are suitable for all levels of fitness and ability. We welcome hearing allies to these sessions. Classes are delivered by Michael Easton from Back to the Fitness. Where: John Bunyan Sports & Fitness, Mile Road, Bedford, MK42 9TS When: Wednesdays ~ 10:00am - 10:45am Cost: Funds raised by our Bedford Running Festival team allows us to subsidise these classes to just £3 per person per week. Pay on the door - please bring cash. You can save your place here: Reserve a Place!

British Sign Language and Deaf Awareness training, courses, tasters and qualifications. BSL & Deaf Awareness Training Training & Education We offer CPD Accredited BSL and Deaf Awareness Training for Businesses, Non-profit, Education and Public/Community Groups. From 6-week BSL Foundation Courses to Bespoke Deaf Awareness training tailored to your specific needs, we can help you to make your organisation or community more welcoming, accessible and and inclusive for the 135,000 deaf people who are living, working, studying and relaxing right next to you. Let's Work Together Get in touch to discuss how we can work with you to make Bedfordshire an inclusive place to live, work, study and relax. First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for submitting! Community BSL course for Signs Of Unity Event with Queen's Park Community Organisation and Pride of Place-Bedford 2024 Foundation BSL course for members of the public 2024 Community BSL course for Signs Of Unity Event held at Eagles Bookshop. Free course funded by Queen's Park Community Organisation and coordinated with Pride of Place-Bedford 2024 Bespoke Intro to BSL class for staff at Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service 2024 BSL Foundation Course for members of the public 2024 Deaf Awareness Training for staff at University of Bedford Deaf Awareness Training for Bedford Borough Council BSL Foundation Class - 2023 Bespoke 1/2 day Intro to BSL class for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service BSL Taster Session. Free session for members of the Public in Bedford. We support Deaf BSL users to train as BSL tutors to deliver Family BSL classes, Deaf Awareness Training and BSL Courses. Our BSL courses, available to families, businesses, charities, schools, statutory organisations, and members of the public, bridge communication gaps and promote community understanding. An extraordinary legacy gift donated to us by the late Jose Harris, means that we are able to offer a limited number of free places for deaf attendees to our public BSL courses and Level 1 Qualification courses. Please contact info@accessbedford.org.uk for details. Our CPD-accredited courses help professionals fulfil their required CPD hours. Message training@accessbedford.org.uk for details of the next course. You can support us to train more deaf people to teach and to support more deaf people to learn BSL here: Donate

Coffee Morning for Deaf BSL users. Located in Bedford Town Centre with lots of free parking, we welcome British Sign Language users from across the UK to join us for this free social event. Deaf Coffee Morning Where: The Place Theatre, Bradgate Rd, Bedford, MK40 3DE When: We meet every other Friday between 11am - 2pm Cost: Free to attend. Tea, coffee, cold drinks and snacks available to buy at the bar, please feel free to bring your own lunch. For dates, see our What's On Page LOTS of free parking. Please be aware - we do not guarantee there will be BSL interpreters or communicators at this activity as it is not a teaching or practice session. Our Deaf Coffee Morning is a safe and welcoming place for BSL and SSE users to meet, chat and feel included. Our Deaf Coffee Morning provides a social lifeline for Deaf BSL and SSE users, particularly those aged 50-90, combating isolation and fostering community connections. Our welcoming and friendly group helps to strengthen community ties, increase visibility, and attract new service users as the group continues to grow. People travel from across Bedfordshire - and beyond - to attend our Coffee Mornings. These gatherings are funded by dontations and the sponsorship rasied by our team at Bedford Running Festival, as well as a winter suppliment from the Welcoming Spaces grant at Bedford Borough Council. The coffee morings are held in private spaces, providing a safe place for service users to communicate in their first/preferred language without fear of prejudice or discrimination. You can support our work and enable us to continue running our Deaf Coffee Morning, here: Donate