ROSSENDALE MP Jake Berry teamed up with a Bacup-based deafness group to deliver training in the House of Commons.
Mr Berry commissioned Julie Ryder, founder of HearFirst UK, to deliver training sessions in Parliament on communication methods used by deaf, deafened, deaf blind and hard of hearing people, including sign language and lip-reading.
The event took place last month as part of Deaf Awareness Week.
Mr Berry said: “Taking part has really helped me raise my awareness to the issues faced by people experiencing all types of deafness in Rossendale.”
Ms Ryder added: “Deaf awareness training sessions were organised to raise awareness of deafness and provide MPs with the knowledge and skills to help them make real changes for deaf people within their constituencies.
“In the case of MPs, it could mean being deaf aware during one-to-one meetings with constituents, making more formal meetings accessible and considering the needs of British Sign Language users in written or web based materials.
“We are really pleased with the response to the training and hope MPs can use what they have learnt to improve their communication skills with local deaf people.”
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