Deaf EXperience
DEX Projects
MY DEAF STORY 2015-2017
The DEX Deaf Youth Council (DDYC) started in 2014 to gather the views of young deaf BSL users and later grew with Heritage Lottery funding to explore deaf history, culture, and identity. Members took part in trips to Parliament, deaf history museums, film festivals, and workshops with deaf historians. They created and performed My Deaf Story with support from deaf writers, directors, and actors, attracting an audience of 130 and receiving strong positive feedback. The play was filmed, photographed, and celebrated with a party. In the final stage, members worked with a deaf film‑maker to create short information films for West Yorkshire Local Offer websites, helping parents and young deaf people learn about deaf education, bilingualism, and the message that it is completely okay to be deaf.
ASDAN CITIZENSHIP COURSE 2017 – 2018
The DDYC ran a one‑year ASDAN Citizenship course taught fully in BSL, where members could choose whether to take the final assessments. They learned about Law and Order with West Yorkshire Police, and Rights and Responsibilities with Amnesty International. A London weekend included visits to the Bank of England, the Supreme Court, a Deafinitely Theatre workshop, and a BSL tour of Hampton Court. Members also visited Wakefield Recycling Centre, helped with a beach clean, and interviewed Deaf MEP Helga Stevens for the International Rights module. Ten members chose to take their assessments in BSL, and eight passed.
WELLBEING PROJECT 2018 – 2019
The NHS funded this project to support good mental and physical health and help the group become more independent by learning project management, with DDYC members Zara Emery and Sohaib Khan voted in as paid part‑time Project Coordinators. The group took part in workshops on healthy cooking, mental health, and the 5 Ways to Wellbeing, and created a street art mural about deaf identity with deaf artist Oliver Jamin. They also learned how projects work and planned their own activities, leading to the start of a deaf awareness video, with filming beginning just as the Covid pandemic started.
