Deaf Son Was Able To Give His Dad A Heartfelt Goodbye, Thanks To Charity Fund

A deaf man from Chester whose father sadly died was able to give him the peaceful send off he deserved thanks to DSN.

The son of the man who died aged 97 in September, was living with his father in Chester.

A spokeswoman from DSN said: “[The son] who wasn’t able to be with his father when he died  was very confused and obviously very distressed that his father had passed away. Thanks to our interpreters we managed to make him comfortable and communicate as best as possible what the situation entailed, which is part of the day-to-day work here at DSN.”

Despite having saved funds for a funeral, like many families, they did not foresee a cost for hiring a BSL interpreter to attend the service, which was held last month. Without a BSL interpreter he would have been left without any understanding as to what was being said during the service.

But thanks to a crowdfunding initiative started by DSN with the help of Dignity Funerals, W.Williams & Sons Funeral Directors on Chester Road, Little Sutton, who donated £200 - funds are now available to those deaf people facing interpreter costs at funerals.

During the service led by Laura Southby from Dignity Funerals, W.Williams & Sons Funeral Directors, an interpreter from DSN signed in BSL to ensure the son understood exactly what was said. The gentleman was able via the interpreter to say an emotional goodbye to his father for the final time.

Laura added: “No matter what anyone’s disability and no matter whether we are in a pandemic or not, deaf people should be allowed to mourn and understand the service and it’s a shock that this is still an issue. We are pleased to see that our funds have gone to help this gentleman and we hope many other funeral directors and members of the public will boost the pot and help to take out an unnecessary cost for families at the most significant time.”

Gill Reeder, Operations Executive at DSN said: “Whilst nearly every venue will have a ramp for those in a wheelchair and adapted toilets, we’ve seen cases where venues have even charged deaf people who need to use a loop system, for example. This is against the law and something we are working to eradicate.

“The idea that these inadequacies are now affecting families of those who have died is really something we need to put a stop to, sooner rather than later and we are pleased to see the fund has really helped in this instance. We must keep this funding going and would urge anyone who can spare money to help deaf people during the most difficult time, to do so.”

Anyone who needs an interpreter for a funeral and would like to seek some advice, can contact DSN on dsn@dsnonline.co.uk or call 0333 220 5050. Or to donate to the crowdfunding pot for funerals email: fundraising@dsnonline.co.uk

Pictured - Laura Southby of Dignity UK and DSN's Gill Reeder.