My brother Robert was born profoundly deaf in 1957 to hearing parents with no experience of deafness or knowledge of how to communicate with a deaf child. 

The sub-titled video clip below was made by my daughter Frances Everingham - now a fully qualified BSL/English Interpreter - interviewing my Mum about when she realized Robert was deaf and his early school years. Skip to 2 min 15 secs.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scXtMi-JG20

I'm fortunate in having a great relationship with my brother and  communicate fully using a mixture of BSL and family sign language. 

Although Robert has had a successful working life which has included being an exceptional painter & decorator; a teaching assistant and teacher of Deaf Studies at Oak Lodge and Hamilton Lodge schools for the Deaf and now runs his own micro business called http://www.silentspectrum.co.uk/ providing adaptations to deaf people; he strongly believes that had he had  the same opportunities which were available to hearing young people today he could have achieved so much more.

By supporting NDCS,  together we can ensure NDCS is around for the next 75 years continuing to provide invaluable support to deaf children and their families.

Whatever support you're able to provide be it an on-online donation in recognition of my Marathon attempt or organising your own fundraising event on my behalf - all support will be gratefully received no matter how small or large - every bit  helps. 

• £30 means a deaf child can borrow a vibrating alarm clock that will help them to wake up independently for the first time.

• £480 will give a deaf child the chance to go on a weekend activities event where they can make friends, gain confidence and be included in the same way as any other child.

• £5,000 would fund a 10-week Family Sign Language course where 8–10 families can learn how to communicate with
  their deaf child.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thanks for visiting my JustGiving page. 

Ray Sparra Everingham

#TeamNDCS