DISCOUNT CARDS
Did you know that your deaf child is entitled to some useful discount cards that give the child, or the carer, or both discounts on - cinema admissions - rail travel - bus travel.
CINEMA DISCOUNT CARD
The card entitles a carer to free entry when they accompany the deaf child. The carer can be family or friend and the card is issued to the deaf child so a different person could accompany your child on each occasion.
If you have more than one deaf child they can each get a card and each can have a free carer accompany them.
To apply for the card, which costs £5 per person, and is valid for three years go to the following website or click on this link - www.ceacard.co.uk. The website also has a useful Q & A page to answer your queries.
To qualify for the card you will need to send a passport size photo of your deaf child and a photocopy of their entitlement letter for disability living or attendance allowance. Send this with your £5 cheque and the application form which you can print from their website and you should receive your card within 3 weeks.
The card is accepted by all the major cinema chains including these local cinemas -
UCI - Tower Park, Poole.
Odeon - Westover Road, Bournemouth and New Canal, Salisbury.
Cineworld - New Bond St, Weymouth and Old Station Way, Yeovil.
Please note it is not valid in some of the smaller independant local cinemas but the website has a very useful postcode search facility which tells you which of your local cinemas will accept the card (Bridport and Dorchester cinemas will accept it and so will Wells cinema)
The Dorset Deaf Childrens Society is happy to recommend this card to its members - several of our members have the cards and find them a good cost effective way to enjoy a family day out at the pictures.
The DDCS is currently involved in lobbying the major cinema chains in an attempt to get more subtitled films shown at times that suit our members - this is an ongoing process and we will keep you updated with our progress as we achieve any.
Don't forget that loop systems are available at the major cinemas for deaf and hard of hearing people wearing hearing aids or cochlear implant processors. These are of great benefit to the deaf - ask at the cinema reception or ticket booth for a loop and ask them to make sure the loop is switched on and working. For more information on what a loop system is and how it works click on this link - www.rnid.org.uk and enter LOOP SYSTEMS as a search in the top right hand corner search box.
RAIL TRAVEL DISCOUNT CARD
This card is available to all deaf children. It offers a discount off the adult rail fare for rail travel within the UK. Although it is probably cheaper to buy a child ticket anyway, the advantage comes in the fact that an accompanying carer travelling with the child gets a third of the price off as well. The card costs £14 and is valid for one year so you need to be making regular use of it or doing a longish journey to make this worthwhile. To read more or apply go to - www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk
DORSET BUS TRAVEL FOR FREE
Profoundly or severely deaf children can TRAVEL FOR FREE on buses within Dorset(and on journeys that finish outside Dorset but start from within Dorset).
East Dorset ,North Dorset,Purbeck and West Dorset Councils are all grouping together for this. You will need to apply for a travel card from either the West Dorset or East Dorset Council and send proof of disability and a passport style photo with their application form.
More details are available on the councils Dorset For You website and you can download the form and print it out in PDF format or get one from your council offices or click this link to go to their website - www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=546