Member Article

Winns Steps up Support for Deaf Awareness Week

As part of Deaf Awareness Week - 2- 8 May - Newcastle-based Winn Solicitors is showing its support to the millions of adults in the UK affected by hearing loss with the introduction of qualified sign language communicator

Donna Taylor from Holystone is qualified as a Level 4 communicator in sign language and can now provide specialist communications support to clients at the initial stages of a person’s claim.

She said: “Taking the first step when you have been a victim of an accident that wasn’t your fault can potentially be difficult; you have a number of questions and maybe unsure of the process so it’s important that we are able to make every client comfortable from the outset.

“The support that I can offer is vitally important to those who have hearing difficulties; knowing that there is someone who at their very first meeting can help to explain everything to them is something which they find extremely reassuring.”

Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults in the UK with an estimated 10 million people reporting some form of difficulty from total deafness to slightly hard of hearing. Donna’s mother is profoundly deaf and it was because of her own first-hand experience that she understood some of the potential challenges that they may face.

Donna, who has worked in sales support at Winn Solicitors for the past seven years added: “It is estimated that around one in seven people in the UK experience some form of hearing loss; that represents a significant number of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. We want to ensure that they are confident that they can access quality legal advice which embraces practical support as well as any medical and rehabilitation expertise that they need as a result of their accident to help them move forward.”

As well as being able to offer the services of Donna, Winn Solicitors offers a range of other support mechanics to those affected by hearing loss including a text relay initiative which is run by highly trained staff, loop systems that aid the hard of hearing and, as their case progresses, access to external experts with British Sign Language and other skills. Their efforts have already been recognised by Action on Hearing Loss, the leading authority which supports people who are deaf or hard of hearing, who accredited the firm to its Louder Than Words charter.

Michael Warmington, Office Manager & Head of Human Resources said: “We place huge importance upon ensuring that the best legal advice is accessible to anybody who has been involved in an accident and as a firm we have made a commitment to taking whatever measures we can to make this possible. Not only does Donna bring a valuable skills set but through personal experience, she also has a unique understanding and empathy which immediately creates trust with a client.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Winn Solicitors Ltd .