Arriva are Deaf Aware

Arriva North East has become the region’s first travel provider to be named ‘deaf aware champions’ as part of the Get Deaf Aware (GDA) campaign. Eight Arriva North East employees attended the GDA training course, which aims to increase awareness of the everyday communication barriers faced by people with a hearing loss. The course content, qualifications and accreditation came from Signature, the awarding body in deaf communication. The operator plans to train more staff using GDA’s e-learning course, which presents training in a fun, interactive format, takes only 30 minutes to complete and enables participants to complete training literally anywhere and anytime.

Training and Development Manager for Arriva North East, Tony Hart, said, ‘We recognise the importance of training frontline staff to deal with the specific needs of each customer. We now have eight “Deaf Aware Champions” who can ensure that Arriva maintains first class customer service for people who are deaf or have a hearing loss. Our “champions” have a newfound confidence because they know exactly what they need to do to communicate effectively with a deaf person and, going forward, they will be able to pass on what they have learned to their colleagues.’

For more information on Get Deaf Aware, contact [email protected] or call 0191 383 7911.