About this factsheet

This factsheet is part of RNID's South East range. It is written for deaf and hard of hearing people. We use the term deaf people to refer to deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people throughout this factsheet.

This factsheet gives details of organisations in Bedfordshire and Luton that provide services to deaf people. We give a brief description and contact details for every service. The organisations are listed under the following headings:

Audiology

If you have any concerns about your hearing or think you need a hearing aid, ask your GP (family doctor) to refer you to your local audiology department.
Audiology department, First floor, Simon Whitbread House,
Bedford Hospital, Kempston Road, Bedford MK42 9DJ.
Telephone: 01234 792191
Textphone: 01234 795888
Fax: 01234 792012

If you have a problem with your NHS aid, there is an open repair clinic every morning, Monday-Friday, 9am-12pm at Luton and Dunstable Hospital.
Hearing aid and hearing therapy department, Calnwood Bungalow, Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Lewsey Road, Luton LU4 0DZ.
Telephone: 01582 497154
Textphone: 01582 497010
Fax: 01582 718091

Hearing therapy and tinnitus clinics are also available at both hospitals.

Benefits

There is a range of benefits that you may be able to claim as a deaf person. You will need to fill in a claim form for each type of benefit you want to claim. You can get these from the Benefit Enquiry Line or download them from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website (external link, opens new browser window).

Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL)

This is a free advice line run by the DWP.
Telephone: 0800 882 200
Textphone: 0800 243 355
Monday-Friday, 8.30am-6.30pm, Saturday, 9am-1pm.
The BEL can help you fill in your form. They will normally call you back within five days of your request for help to fill in the form.

To claim tax credits, you need a claim form from the tax credits office.

Tax credits helpline

Help and advice about claiming tax credits.
Tax credits office, Inland Revenue, Preston PR1 0SB.
Telephone: 0845 300 3900
Textphone: 0845 300 3909
Open 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

British Sign Language (BSL) classes

Classes are run at several colleges and community education centres. For details, search the Council for Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP) website (external link, opens new browser window), go to the ‘Find a course provider’ pages and check the South East of England section.

Children and young people

Bedfordshire Deaf Children’s Society

The society provides support for deaf and hard of hearing children and their families and organises social activities. Easter and summer play schemes enable deaf and hard of hearing children to meet their peers in school holidays and avoid isolation.
Contact Karen Vine.
Telephone: 01234 856955
Fax: 01234 856955

Bedfordshire education department

Service for sensory impairment and communication difficulties,
Child development centre, Hill Rise, Kempston MK42 7EB.
Telephone: 01234 300710 
Email: sicdteam@bedscc.gov.uk

Luton education department

Hearing impairment service, Unity House, 111 Stuart Street, Luton LU1 5NP.
Telephone: 01582 548106
Textphone: 01582 548106
Email: hearingimpairment@luton.gov.uk

Communication support

Bedfordshire

Services for deaf people, County Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AP.
Telephone: 01234 228480
Textphone: 01234 228353
Fax: 01234 408186

Luton

Contact the communication support unit at Alban Neve centre, 49 Old Bedford Road, Luton LU2 7NX.
Telephone: 01582 483417
Textphone: 01582 722285
Fax: 01582 720679
Email: communicationsupport@luton.gov.uk

RNID Central CSU

Telephone: 01296 392294
Textphone: 01296 392295
Fax: 01296 381103
Email: csuaylesbury@rnid.org.uk

Employment

If you are looking for work and would like help and advice, go to your local Jobcentre Plus. You can ask for an appointment to see a disability employment adviser (DEA). A DEA is part of the disability service team. They will help you draw up an action plan to find a job or training and tell you about the access to work scheme.

Supported employment team

If you have a disability or long-term health consideration, you live in Luton, Dunstable or Houghton Regis and want to work, or talk to someone about work, the team offers you individual advice and support based on your skills, abilities and needs. The team also helps employers who would like to know more about employing disabled people.
Supported employment team, 7 School Lane, Luton LU4 9QS.
Telephone: 01582 508421
Fax: 01582 507962

Equipment

The Disability Resource Centre

A countrywide disability information service for disabled people, their families, carers, friends and associated professionals. The centre has an equipment display area where you can see and try out equipment. Staff members are on hand to give advice and general guidance on the suitability of equipment.
The information and equipment area’s opening hours are Monday to Friday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4pm. There is a drop-in session on Wednesdays from 10am-3pm.
The Disability Resource Centre, Poynters House, Poynters Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU5 4TP.
Telephone: 01582 470900
Textphone: 01582 470968
Fax: 01582 470959
Email: information@drcbeds.org.uk

Bedfordshire libraries

Videos with closed captions are available for loan from Bedfordshire libraries. You can also borrow caption decoders. For more information about equipment, check "Buying equipment" later.

Legal

There are time limits for bringing complaints under the Disability Discrimination Act. The time limit starts from the date when the discrimination took place. If it is an employment issue, you have three months (minus one day) to bring a complaint to the Employment Tribunal. If it is to do with goods, services or education, you have six months (minus one day) to bring a case to court. If you are thinking of taking legal action, you should get legal advice immediately.

Luton law centre

Luton law centre, 28 Clarendon Road, Luton LU2 7PQ.
Telephone: 01582 481000

You can also get legal advice from the following organisations:

The Disability Law Service

Telephone: 020 7791 9800
Textphone: 020 7791 9801
Fax: 020 7791 9802 
Email: advice@dls.org.uk

Lipreading classes 

Many deaf and hard of hearing people benefit from joining a lipreading class. A qualified teacher can show you how to recognise words by their shape on the lips rather than by sound. This can increase your confidence and allow you to participate more fully in conversations, meetings and social situations. Classes are held at locations throughout the county.

For details of classes in Luton, contact Mrs M French, 4 Kingswood Close, Houghton Conquest MK45 3BE.

For details of classes in Bedford, Woburn and Leighton Buzzard, contact Mr Philip Brindle, Workers’ Educational Association, 73 Gladstone Street, Bedford MK41 7RS.
Telephone: 01234 360 329
Fax: 01234 360 329
Email: pbrindle@wea.org.uk

Alternatively, contact the Cambridge WAE Regional Office.
Telephone: 01223 350 978
Fax: 01223 300 911

You can also visit the Royal Association for Deaf People’s website (external link, opens new browser window) for other listings.

Social activities

Bedford Association of the Deaf

The deaf social club is open on the last Friday evening in each month plus the second Friday in the winter.
Simon Jones, Secretary, Barkers Lane social centre, 10 Barkers Lane (next door to the Roman Catholic church near the corner of Goldington Road), Bedford MK41 9SG.
Fax: 01234 344 979

Luton Deaf Centre

The deaf social club is on Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm –11pm.
There is also an afternoon club for older deaf people, a parent and toddler group and church services.   
Alban Neve centre, 49 Old Bedford Road, Luton LU2 7NX.
Telephone: 01582 483417
Textphone: 01582 405710
Fax: 01582 720629

Cinemas

To find out about subtitled screenings of films in Bedfordshire and Luton check the "Your local cinema" website (external link, opens new browser window).

Theatres

To find out about BSL interpreted performances in Bedfordshire and Luton, contact SPIT (Signed Performances in Theatre).
SPIT, 1 Stobart Avenue, Manchester M25 0AJ.
Telephone: 0161 773 1715
Textphone: 0161 773 1715
Email: sarah@spit.org.uk
Website: SPIT (external link, opens new browser window)

To find out about captioned performances in Bedfordshire and Luton, contact Stagetext.
Stagetext, York House, Empire Way, Wembley, London HA9 0PA.
Telephone: 0208 903 5566
Textphone: 0208 903 5566
Fax: 0208 903 5566
Email: enquiries@stagetext.co.uk
Website: STAGETEXT (external link, opens new browser window)

Social services

Bedfordshire

Services for deaf people

A specialist team working with people of all ages who are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind and living in Bedfordshire. The team aims to provide services so that their clients become as independent as possible, maintain control over their lives and achieve full equality. Interpreting services are available.
Services for deaf people, County Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AP.
Telephone: 01234 228480
Textphone: 01234 228353
Fax: 01234 408186

Luton

Services for deaf people

Provides a range of specialist services to promote social inclusion for deaf people in Luton. They organise sign language courses and provide communication support. They may also be able to help the families and carers of deaf and hard of hearing people.
Services for deaf people, Housing and social services department, Alban Neve centre, 49 Old Bedford Road, Luton LU2 7NX.
Telephone: 01582 483417
Textphone: 01582 405710
Fax: 01582 720679
Email: deafservices@luton.gov.uk

Solicitors

You can find a solicitor from the following organisations:

The Law Society

Textphone: 0870 600 1562 
Website: Law Society (external link, opens new browser window)

Community Legal Service

Website: Community Legal Service (external link, opens new browser window)

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

Your local CAB will give free advice. See your phonebook for your nearest CAB or search the CAB website (external link, opens new browser window).

Organisations

British Tinnitus Association (BTA)

Helps tinnitus patients, provides information about tinnitus, encourages and finances research and has details of local groups and contacts.
BTA, Ground Floor, Unit 5, Acorn Business Park, Woodseats Close, Sheffield S8 0TB.
Telephone: 0800 018 0527 or 0845 4500 321
Fax: 0114 250 9933
Email: http://info@tinnitus.org.uk (external link)
Website: British Tinnitus Association (external link, opens new browser window)

Hearing Concern

Hearing Advisers visit people at home to give advice on all aspects of hearing loss and technical help. This may be basic help with changing batteries and re-tubing aids. It may be supporting first-time hearing aid users or people having difficulty coming to terms with hearing loss.
For details of hearing advisers, contact the Hearing Concern helpdesk.
Telephone: 020 7440 9871
Fax: 020 7440 9872
Textphone: 020 7440 9873
Hearing Concern (external link, opens new browser window) 

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

This organisation trains dogs to alert severely and profoundly deaf people to important sounds such as the doorbell, smoke alarms and alarm clocks.
Mrs Eve Whitehead, 6 Fulmar Road, Bedford MK41 7JX.
Telephone: 01234 356875
Email: eve@whitehead587.freeserve.co.uk
Website: Hearing Dogs for Deaf People (external link, opens new browser window)

The LINK Centre for Deafened People

Link has a network of volunteer outreach workers who provide support and information to deafened people and their families. Contact LINK for details of support available.
LINK, 19 Hartfield Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 2AR.
Telephone: 01323 638230
Textphone: 01323 739998
Fax: 01323 642968
Website: LINK (external link, opens new browser window)

National Association for Deafened People

Information and support for deafened people.
Secretary, PO Box 50, Amersham HP6 6XB.
Telephone: 01494 723613
Fax: 01494 431932
Email: enquiries@nadp.org.uk
Website: NADP (external link, opens new browser window)

Northampton diocese deaf and hearing impaired pastoral service

The pastoral service helps people with a hearing loss to share fully in the life of the church. This is promoted with the help of groups of volunteers in Bedford and Luton. Masses in sign language and spoken word are held regularly; meetings, pilgrimages, retreats and social events are organised and catechists are provided for deaf children.
Co-ordinator: Mr Martin Redmond, Kings Corner, 9 Main Road, Biddenham, Bedford MK40 4BB.
Telephone: 01234 218036
Mobile: 07889 015610
Email: martinredmond@btopenworld.com
Chaplain: Rev Gerard Byrne, 2 Brereton Road, Bedford MK40 1HU.
Telephone: 01234 352569

Sign National Society for Mental Health and Deafness

Offers a range of services including advocacy, outreach and supported living to any deaf person in need of emotional support.
Sign, 5 Baring Road, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 2NB.
Telephone: 01494 687600
Textphone: 01494 687626
Fax: 01494 687622
Email: information@signcharity.org.uk  
Website: Sign (external link, opens new browser window)

Further information from RNID

We offer a wide range of information on many aspects of deafness and hearing loss. Contact the RNID Information Line for further copies of this factsheet and the full range of our information factsheets and leaflets. 

Local RNID office

RNID South East and Anglia – Regional Communications

19-23 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8SL.
Telephone: 0207 296 8181
Textphone: 0207 296 8294
Fax: 0207 296 8199
Email: information.southeast@rnid.org.uk

Buying equipment

Visit the RNID Shop for up-to-date information about some of the products covered in this factsheet. If you do not have access to the internet, contact the RNID's Information Line for the same information.

Buying equipment from RNID

RNID Sound Advantage sells a range of equipment for deaf people. Visit the RNID Shop to buy some of the equipment online. Alternatively, send off for a copy of the RNID Sound Advantage Solutions catalogue.
RNID Sound Advantage, 1 Haddonbrook Business Centre, Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6YX.
Telephone 01733 361199
Textphone 01733 238020
Fax 01733 361161
Email: solutions@rnid.org.uk