Deaf Awareness Week: Newcastle’s Life Centre launch deaf science club

Deaf Awareness Week is set to take place from Monday, May 6 to Sunday, May 12. 

The dedicated week for the deaf community is held to raise awareness and increase visibility of the challenges deaf people face, and how others can support them. 

Newcastle’s Life Science Centre, which is located in Times Square near Central Station, is set to launch their first ever deaf science club, which will support hearing impaired children in exploring science. 

The South of Tyne and Wearside Deaf Children’s Society and Newcastle’s Life Science Centre have teamed up to launch the brand-new club, as a way to offer valuable support and education in science to deaf children, who often face barriers in accessing STEM opportunities. 

The science club, which will be completely free to join and attend, is being launched after receiving funding from the Ogden Trust, which is a national charity supporting physics teaching.

The club will provide activities to youngsters, which will include practical engineering challenges and experiments, which will give the club members the chance to explore STEM-related topics, such as space, buoyancy and electrical circuits. 

Receive a news round-up, as well as breaking news alerts, when you sign up to NewcastleWorld’s newsletters.

Newcastle’s Life Science Centre previously hosted a deaf science club three years ago, working alongside Newcastle primary schools. The brand-new club being launched on Deaf Awareness Week, will build on the success of the previous project. 

Chief Executive of Life, Linda Conlon, said: “This latest science club will provide a valuable gateway into science for deaf children and their families and will underpin our commitment to making the science centre an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone.”

Newcastle’s Life Science Centre was awarded the Deaf-friendly Bronze Standard from the National Deaf Children’s Society, for their support to young people in the deaf community. 

Chair of South of Tyne and Wearside Deaf Children’s Society, Lynne Rowan, said: “Over the years Life has gone above and beyond in their proactive approach to working in partnership and seeking our feedback to make the centre a welcome space for deaf children and their families.

“The sessions we’ve had at Life have been so valuable to our families, providing apeer-to-peer network for children and a support system for parents too, and we’re delighted to have received this funding for a new science club at Life.”

For more information, please visit the Life Science Centre’s website.