‘The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do’ (Siltanen, 2011). Witnessing human nature at its very best can inspire and uplift you. It rivets your attention, warms your heart and draws you in. Feeling inspired not only feels good but creates the urge to do your best and pulls you out of your shell of self-absorption (Fredrickson, 2013).
A great deal of support and enthusiasm is being built around the Deaf Nest Project, a vision of maternity services where every deaf parent has full access to services, an excellent childbirth and pregnancy experience and the information to make informed choices. The Deaf Nest Project aims to improve deaf users' equality of access, choice and control over maternity care with a strong collaboration being demonstrated by supporting national and local charities, midwives and other health professionals. The evidence of this enthusiasm and commitment has been demonstrated during the past 12 months, reaching its momentum at the first Deaf Nest Conference held on the 11th June. The event was hosted by the University of Salford where 200 delegates were welcomed from different parts of the UK. The event helped health professionals share good practice and knowledge, exchange ideas and was an inspiration to all those who cherish deaf women's reproductive rights.
The Deaf Nest Conference began with a conversation about inequalities deaf people face when accessing health service. We asked: How the health service is failing deaf people? What are the challenges deaf people face on their journey into parenthood? And, most importantly, what steps can be taken to improve the experience of pregnancy and childbirth for deaf parents?
Feedback from delegates shows that they felt more empowered to facilitate and implement change on the frontline and by using deaf awareness skills they feel confident about providing care to a women and her family who is Deaf or hard of hearing.
The dedicated health professionals, academics and campaigners who presented their perspectives during morning sessions offered inspiration and at times, tears. Let's take encouragement from their devotion and make accessible maternity care a reality for deaf women and their families.
Making appropriate changes in care provision can ensure that Deaf mothers will be happier with the care they receive. In order to offer greater choice and control for deaf women and include them in provision of care, midwives and other health professionals need to understand the health inequalities they experience to access healthcare services. There is no doubt that midwives and other health professionals need access to regular good quality training in deaf awareness. It is hoped that the Deaf Nest conference will not be the last event of this kind and that in the future deaf awareness will be offered to midwifery and nursing students as a part of their training programmes.
My pledge is to work with midwives and other health professionals across England to help them to understand deaf women's needs and the problems they may face when accessing maternity services. And to work with deaf parents to provide them with best start to parenthood. As health professionals we have to remember that: ‘A woman's relationship with her maternity providers is vitally important. Not only are these encounters the vehicle for essential lifesaving health services, but women's experiences with caregivers can empower and comfort or inflict lasting damage and emotional trauma. Either way, women's memories of their childbearing experiences stay with them for a lifetime and are often shared with other women, contributing to a climate of confidence or doubt around childbirth.’ (White Ribbon Alliance, 2011)