Washington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson met with representatives from the National Deaf Children’s Society and a young deaf campaigner today (24 September) to talk about the future of deaf children’s education in the region.

Ella, 14, met Ms Hodgson at the Labour Party Annual Conference in Liverpool and the pair discussed key issues affecting deaf children, including vital education funding and the gap in attainment between deaf children and their hearing peers throughout the North East. The meeting comes as deaf children’s services across the country face cuts of £4 million this year.

Sharon said: 

"It was great to meet Ella and the National Deaf Children's Society team, to speak about the challenges deaf children face every day in classrooms up and down the country.

"It is shocking that there are so many deaf children in England in mainstream education who do not get the specialist support that they require.

"I wish Ella all the best in her education and campaigning to ensure that deaf children receive the support they need."

Jessica Reeves, Campaigns Manager at National Deaf Children’s Society, said:

“It’s great to see MPs like Sharon Hodgson coming to meet young deaf people to hear about the daily challenges they have to face.

“Deafness is not a learning disability and when deaf children get the support they need at school, there are no limits to what they can achieve. However, deaf children in the North East are currently falling a grade behind their hearing classmates at GCSE.

“Meetings like this are an excellent way for deaf children like Ella to talk to MPs about the barriers they face in their education and how we can all work together to overcome them.”