I have to say that the RNId is pissing me off big time, and this time it’s personal. Why? They are letting Rachel down in their provision of Speedtext operators at university.

On several occasions this academic year, the RNId has failed to provide Speedtext operators. Rachel has attended university a number of times only to discover that the Speedtext operators booked for certain sessions have failed to turn up. Even when she is told that no Speedtext operator will be available, she is usually only notified at the very last minute, which does not allow her enough time to make alternative arrangements so that she can still access her lectures and seminars.

So far this term, Rachel has only had a Speedtext operator for 4 out of 10 seminars, and 4 lectures out of 9 for her China module. How is she expected to do well if she is unable to access the information given in these sessions, in a similar vein to her peers? It is hardly surprising that a lot of Deaf people lack the confidence to go to university or drop out of university, considering the severe lack of communication support.

For the amount of money that the RNId charges for the use of Speedtext operators, ?35.50 an hour, the poor level of service they provide is just shocking.

This brings me to this point: are charities such as the RNId really providing a viable business service? Do they actually make a profit? Why do fees keep rising for no apparent reason? Where is the competition? This idiocy reinforces the point in my mind that all charities should be dismantled and businesses should be set up, by Deaf people, to provide services to the Deaf community such as BSL/English Interpreters, Speedtext operators etc. Only will they become profitable and competitive.

It appears to me that the RNId has a blatant disregard for Deaf university students in general, aside from the fiscal benefits, in not providing a good service. The RNID?s Speedtext service certainly does not appear to run parallel with the RNID?s vision ?of a world where deafness and hearing loss are not barriers to opportunity and fulfilment?.

What are we going to do about it? Hmm … ?