Elderly people, generally, can find themselves extremely isolated in their homes in these days of migrant family life and busy neighbours.  However, most of them would at least have access to a telephone to keep in some kind of touch with the outside world.  Unfortunately, elderly deaf people experience this isolation to a much greater degree:  limited contact and communication with their hearing neighbours;  impersonal tele-communication with family and friends via minicom, email or text message-ing.  Videophones, on the other hand, open up this isolated world;  they offer deaf people the opportunity to communicate with each other and with other signing people through their natural, visual medium of sign language.  Videophones afford them the facility to talk directly to, and to keep in constant touch with, their families and friends;  just like hearing people can via the telephone.  What an innovation!  What a blessing!  This is why I wish to promote the work of Deaf Studies Trust.

Whilst on my trip, I am hoping to visit some deaf organisations with whom DST and my current place of work, Centre for Deaf Studies, have connections.

Deaf organisations visited:

Cyprus:  Deaf School, Nicosia

Egypt:  Deaf School, Cairo