WHEN

WHERE

This book has been written by two of the founders of DH Trailblazers, Stuart Harrison M.Ed and Morag Rosie MBE.

Deaf & Hearing Trailblazers was created in the years following the publication of this book and our philosophy of deaf and hearing people working together is the DNA of FYD legacy that lives on in our daily lives and work.

What do you think the biggest strength of FYD was?

Morag: FYD was unique for one thing, the partnership between deaf and hearing people – it is what Denis Uttley called the ‘friendship insurance’ – the development of life-skills and socialisation with hearing peers.

At first Denis was concerned for those Deaf children who were in schools for the Deaf who were without hearing peers as friends.

But we all soon came to the realisation that even mainstreamed young people were cut off from their hearing peers because integration was not planned out and constructed in the most efficient manner to have a positive impact on deaf children and their peers.

What do you feel FYD’s biggest legacy is ?

In the book we describe the legacy as deaf and hearing people, who had been given the opportunity to lead a many different levels in the organisation and have now used that experience to do greater things.

FYD’s former participants are today demanding that opportunities to lead be created so that deaf children of the future can benefit.

Is there a gap now where FYD was, in terms of what it provided Deaf people ?

Yes there is, but it might not be what people think it is. I think they would be surprised by our answers and we suggest that they read the book so that they can judge for themselves.