Supporting Deaf People online conferences

We have run two major conferences so far in this series.

In 2001 we ran (in association with Becta, http://www.becta.org.uk) the first Supporting Deaf People conference, aimed at professionals such as Sign Language interpreters who work with d/Deaf people. It had 122 delegates from ten countries, a large number of papers and was an overwhelming success, in spite of the great majority of the delegates being unfamiliar with online conferencing. Feedback included:

"The main discussion group was lively, fascinating, controversial, provocative. The papers that were presented were 'cutting edge' and have challenged us all to look at our working practices, ethics and codes of conduct".

"Excellent in terms of cost, excellent in terms of flexibility and access. I would have real problems attending a 'normal' conference due to childcare issues, so this was a real bonus for me. It also enabled people from much further away to participate... So I think we had a more international mix than would have been possible otherwise. I thought the idea was great and it worked really well for me. It never really occurred to me that this type of thing might be possible, but I think it was really effective."

"I would do this again in a heartbeat. The level of the discussion and supportive, respectful tone of the comments set it way above many live forums (or online, too) that I have been in."

"This conference is absolutely wonderful...mind-boggling"

The conference covered three themes: educational interpreting, training and ethics and professionalism. Each theme ran over a number of days and delegates debated a number of papers. There were also a number of closed groups where small numbers of delegates could conduct private discussions. The paper titles for this conference can be seen here.

The second Supporting Deaf People conference was held in February 2004. There were 230 delegates from 19 countries, many of them people who had attended the first conference. The conference was aimed at both d/Deaf people and professionals working in the deafness field. Again, feedback showed it was a huge success:

"I did find the conference very stimulating, and a great way of sharing info and making contacts."

"The discussions get so interesting it is hard to stop."

"I have had a wonderful time during my first online conference. I have learned so much."

"I must thank Direct Learn for facilitating this conference to enable it to run smoothly without any hitch! I look forward to the next one!"

"I found the whole environment excellent from start to finish."

"It's nice to have [a conference] that's a bit lighter on the pocket but still weighty in content!"

The conference ran for eight days and was available to delegates around the clock to allow for different time zones. It contained two themes: ethics and professionalism, and language. Participants could discuss keynote presentations and supporting papers in discrete discussion groups, as well as in the social area and live chat. The abstracts for this conference are available for download.

The full papers for previous conferences are made available to delegates at our current conferences.