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Proposals for future use of
the Quaker Meeting House in Darlington.
My name is Richard Moriarty; I
live in Darlington and work here as Chief Executive Officer for D/deaf
Development Community Interest Company - a social enterprise and not for
profit charitable organisation working with people having hearing loss,
set up to enable training and support for D/deaf
people particularly in the areas of Counselling and Advocacy.
‘Deaf’
(with a capital D) refers to people born deaf who use British Sign
Language (BSL) as their first or preferred language. Written with a
small ‘d’, ‘deaf’ refers to people who have become deafened after
acquiring spoken English as their first language: Hence, the title of
our organisation conveys that we work equally with the full spectrum of
the hearing impaired community, because
‘D/deaf’ refers to anyone who has any degree of hearing loss
who uses any method of communication. This includes Deaf BSL users,
deafened people, Hard of Hearing people, people with unilateral deafness
and deaf blind people.
In serving the ‘Deaf’ community,
the core aims are to:
-
Focus upon language and culture in order to promote equality of access to needed services
-
Represent members of a linguistic minority group
-
Respect the British Sign Language (BSL) community – people with their own identity, language & culture
And for the deaf or deafened (with a small d), who comprise a much larger linguistic minority than the BSL community, those aims are to:
-
Focus upon use of English in non-verbal formats
-
Facilitate use of sign language supported English or lip-reading
-
Promote respect for the BSL community – who are in a position to help deafened people come to terms with their condition.
I am, a member of the Iona
Community – a Christian community which embodies the idea of work and
worship being a fundamental part of Christian life. We follow a fivefold
rule which includes:
-
Daily prayer and
reading the Bible
-
Mutual sharing and
accountability for our use of time and money
-
Regular meeting
together
-
Action and
reflection for justice, peace and the integrity of creation
Since a commitment to Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation is an
integral part of the Rule of the Iona Community, this is a key aspect of
our lives both as individuals and as a community.
The
Iona Community’s Peace Working Group is currently conducting an audit of
how we live out this part of our rule - as members, as local “Family”
groups, and as a whole community.
Members' involvement varies according to the area they live in and their
individual circumstances, but it is clear that across the community
there is an unwavering commitment to peace and justice, reflected in
many types of activity, from quiet peacemaking in our neighbourhoods and
families, to political lobbying and nonviolent opposition to weapons of
mass destruction
VISION
I
have worked for several years to develop services for, and to advocate
for, D/deaf people throughout County Durham and beyond, and have begun
working on new ways of being ‘Church: as many D/deaf people are simply
excluded from worship by the very style and format of ‘hearing’ church
services.
I
believe there is a need for a church or community which is not just
about a place of worship used for brief periods each week, but is a
centre of community activity, welcome, learning and healing.
Church is not merely a place of worship, but is rather the community of
fellowship that lives and works together under a common aim and belief.
The
Iona community was built from the vision of one man who saw the need to
bring the church and community together at a time of deep recession, and
which brought trainee ministers together with out-of-work craftsmen to
rebuild Iona Abbey as a place of work and worship. The ministers learnt
from the craftsmen and the craftsmen learnt from the ministers, and in
so doing the Abbey was rebuilt and became a symbol of community in
action for all to see.
At a
time when the churches are reducing work with D/deaf people rather than
including them, and where unemployment is such an issue for D/deaf
people both young and old, I feel it is time for a new community project
which will engage and transform our community as a whole.
George McLeod the founder of the Iona Community recognised the need for
a -Demanding Common Task’ to bring people together and to rebuild a
church which was engaged with the community it served rather than
preaching one thing and doing something completely different. He started
with nothing and so shall I.
I
see a demanding common task in three distinct areas for D/deaf people:
1.
Getting into work or
training to enhance job prospects.
2.
Having a place where
worship and healing are accessible.
3.
Having a place where
information and help is accessible.
My
vision is of a centre with a place of worship that is open to visual
prayer – perhaps with pictures, video, and individual or group activity
in worship.
A
place of welcome where people can come and socialise with others without
feeling alienated.
A
place where we can meet, eat and drink around a table, and share our
problems.
A
place that offers support and training, healing and wholeness.
All
of this is achievable given the right premises and willing volunteers.
One
other part of my concern for the D/deaf community is the lack of
counselling services available to them. Mental health issues are higher
in the D/deaf community than in the hearing community, and particularly
high in those who lose their hearing later in life.
These people are not dangerous –
just anxious or depressed human beings the same as many others around
us. The nearest centre for D/deaf mental health is in Manchester, and
for D/deaf people who are already depressed or anxious the thought of
being institutionalised and sent to a place so far away from their
friends and family is horrendous.
Long
ago hearing people with mental health issues were institutionalised in
asylums – these have been closed and local care is now provided, with,
if needed, local specialist hospitals. For D/deaf people the threat of
being sent to an institution so far away is still seen as being
condemned to an asylum.
Asylum also comes to mind with a number of deaf ‘Asylum seekers’ coming
to the north of England, seeking a place to work and live in safety.
The
word ASYLUM has dark and inhospitable overtones.
My
vision is of a place of welcome, worship and healing where trained Deaf
and deafened counsellors are available and where people can come for
counselling or advocacy, or just to share time together in their own
language and with the specialist help they need.
This
vision is not ASYLUM, but a place of SANCTUARY.
All
of these visions could be brought together in the Quaker Meeting House
in Darlington. The situation is ideal, with good transport links and
accessibility.
Having looked around the Meeting House I can envision a coffee house
where people can meet and socialise, counselling rooms and offices for
people to work, and a place of worship open and useable on a daily
basis.
The
coffee house would provide initial training opportunities for young
D/deaf people and others to gain basic work placements to give them a
foot on the ladder, and there is now funding available to support this.
The
counselling rooms would provide placements for student counsellors, and
training programmes for specialist Deaf and deafened counsellors.
As well as catering for D/deaf needs, the building
would be refurbished over time, with a display and guided tours to
enable the people of Darlington and visitors from elsewhere to learn
about the Quakers and their rich heritage that is that is the foundation
of Darlington.
They will be able to learn about not only the
Meeting House and its environs, but also the key people and events that
have shaped and built Darlington and the surrounding area across the
years.
The
offices would provide space for video translation work – hence providing
further work placement and training opportunities
And
the meeting room would provide a living place of worship for daily
prayer and meditation.
Richard Moriarty