Playing sport with industrial deafness
The past two decades have seen a fall in the number of cases of industrial deafness qualifying for the Industrial Injuries Scheme Disablement Benefit. However, during that period there have still been thousands of new cases.
And this may not be an accurate reflection of the true picture. Only a few years ago it was calculated that around 81,000 people in the UK believed themselves to be affected by some level of deafness attributable to the noise and environment of their workplace.
Whether you have been a labourer, a factory worker or a music industry professional, coming to terms with industrial deafness will always be a difficult process. There are many misconceptions about what suffering some form of hearing loss means to a person's life.
All kinds of prejudices still linger in the popular imagination. One of the most misconceived prejudices is that hearing loss means an end to a meaningful sporting life. While individuals will have to make adaptations to their lives, it is now recognised that all kinds of hearing impaired people at levels of deafness ranging from the mild to the profound can live sporting lives very close to what any fully-hearing person would consider as normal and unlimited.
Just as with a reading group, a dance party or a cinematic gathering, the deaf community can contribute to and participate in sports in meaningful ways both inside and outside the mainstream of existence.
Take the example of footballer Lee Farrell. In the mainstream world he is a top-level footballer with a prolific strike rate and an experience of FA giant-killing glory, while in the deaf community he is the hero of the Great Britain deaf football team's deaflympic gold medal-winning side, having scored the decisive goal in the final in Melbourne in 2005.
He is not alone. There are literally thousands of highly talented deaf sportspeople in Britain today playing in both mainstream and deaf-only sporting events.
Operating under the umbrella of UK Deaf Sport, a body who advocate the interests of deaf sports players, this is one aspect of the deaf community that certainly seems to be thriving.
Make a no win, no fee deafness compensation claim
Occupational deafness is a very serious issue. This is why all employers have responsibilities to protect the hearing of their workers. Failure to do so can have profound consequences for the individual.
YouClaim recognise this and our panel of occupational deafness solicitors are committed to working hard to achieve the best possible compensation outcomes for their clients.
We believe in securing claimants the damages they deserve. That is why our service is completely cost-free and guarantees all of our successful clients 100% compensation; we never take any cuts.
If you would like to find out more about our service, you can fill out an online claim form or have a text discussion with a legal advisor by using e-chat.
Our industrial deafness team can also be reached by telephone on 0800 10 757 95.
