Who are we and what do we stand for?

This Declaration has been created by the Hearing Loss and Deafness Alliance - a coalition of charities and professional representative groups working in partnership to prevent and reduce the impact of hearing loss and tinnitus on people's lives, and to promote the inclusion and participation of all people who are deaf and hard of hearing in our society.

Together we have produced the following declaration to ensure that the needs of people with hearing loss, deafness and tinnitus are at the heart of service developments, that the quality of services is improved, and that access is guaranteed for all who need it.

Our goals are to ensure that people have:

• Timely access to integrated services and support
• Choice and control and services designed around their needs
• Knowledge and information to get what they need
• Support and rehabilitation to adjust to life with hearing loss, deafness and tinnitus
• Communication support to access services and enable participation in all aspects of public life.

How will we achieve this?

We will work in partnership to promote individual and public action at national and local levels. We will aim to influence policy and practice and use our networks to ensure that people with hearing loss, deafness and tinnitus are able to shape the services they receive, and to achieve equality of opportunity.

Our immediate priorities are to ensure that:

• The Action Plan on Hearing Loss is promoted and fully implemented.
• The Commissioning Framework on Adult Hearing Loss is promoted and followed by all commissioners.
• Communication standards are put in place to improve access to health services, which could also be applicable to other public and private services.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing need access to high-quality services in order to enjoy equality of opportunity and choice, and be able to take positive action on their hearing loss.

If you support our aims, please add your name or your organisation's name to this declaration. You can do this and also join the Hearing Loss and Deafness Alliance by contacting Brian Lamb at [email protected]