Powerful television PSA

Check out this very powerful public service announcent from the European Disability Forum (France)

Upcoming visit from Bristol Uni

Dear Friends and Colleagues


Although we consider ourselves to be a new part of the E.U., life on the margins of Europe is a new challenge for many Cypriots. Reinventing one's self through education and restructuring our goals and ambitions is a challenge to everyone; the Deaf community is no stranger to these realities. As a relatively young tertiary institution, Intercollege underderstands this reality and has stood by the Deaf community for the last 10 years. There are an increasing number of students supporting and participating in the work of the Deaf community.

The cooperation between Intercollege and the Cyprus Federation of the Deaf has a lot to gain from an awaited visit of Jim Kyle and Linda Day from Bristol University's Deaf Studies Centre scheduled to take place this January 25-28th. Dr. Kyle has made a proposal to do some pilot research and we are proceeding to finish off the preliminary findings to discuss when they arrive. The Sign on Europe research carried out in 1997 can offer a timely point of comparison for the Cypriot community since the Parliment passed legislation in 2006 recognizing Cy Sign and supporting its development and use. We will share this information with parents, teachers and government officials to increase awareness and fruitful interaction.

You are all included in this e-mail 'to be informed'! In some way in the past, you have touched the Cypriot Deaf community. Cyprus, although divided, has a unique Deaf community on the periphery of Western developments in the international Deaf community. Through our experiences, we are actively evolving from the 'simple club life' to the complex community and cultural awareness. In our judgement this will become stronger through the improvement of meaningful and constructive relationships.

Given this opportuntiy, I hope that your hands are prepared to join us in any way that you can.


Sincerely

Yiannis Yiannakides, President of the Cyprus Federation of the Deaf

Steven Price, Senior Lecturer of Social Science, Intercollege