Old name, new purpose: why we’ve gone back to RNID

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Our work

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We are RNID:

the national charity supporting the 12 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.

Together, we will end the discrimination faced by our communities, help people hear better now and fund world-class research to restore hearing and silence tinnitus.

Many areas of life are impacted by hearing loss, deafness and tinnitus. So are many people. Hearing loss alone affects 1 in 5 adults.

The change we want to see

In the next five years, we want to see progress for our communities in 4 key areas:

Inclusion

Deaf people and those who have hearing loss and tinnitus should enjoy access to the same information, spaces and services as anyone else.

That’s not the case right now. We’ll work to make life fully inclusive for our communities, and transform public understanding and attitudes in the process.

Three people working

Health

Looking after your hearing health needs to be high on the national agenda. We want to make checking your hearing as much a part of daily life as having your eyes and teeth checked.

We will work with experts and our communities to improve audiology services, so that from the point people notice their hearing loss or tinnitus they find it easy to get the high quality healthcare, treatment and support they need. And we want to get rid of the barriers deaf people, and people with hearing loss and tinnitus, face in getting access to healthcare of all kinds.

Employment

1 in 8 working-age people in the UK have hearing loss. They are less likely to have a job than the rest of the population. When they are in employment, our communities face multiple barriers to succeeding in the workplace, mainly due to lack of support and awareness.

We will work so that our communities have equal access to rewarding employment. We’ll help leaders understand how to successfully recruit people into their organisations, and support individuals to excel when they get there.

Scientist in a laboratory

Research

For millions of people, hearing loss and tinnitus are permanent – and there’s often no way to prevent it happening. Our work to support pioneering new medical research will change that.

We will fund world-class research to find new treatments to prevent hearing loss, restore hearing and silence tinnitus. We’ll work to increase the number of scientists focussed on developing better treatments. And we will ensure our communities are involved at every step, so that new treatments truly meet their needs.

How you can help

“It’s very hard when you first come to terms with the fact that you have hearing loss… We all need somebody to point us in the right direction. That is the purpose of [RNID], to help people get the most out of life. Deafness is one of the most isolating conditions that exists, really, because if you can’t participate, if you can’t communicate… that is surely the longing of every human heart.”

Janine Roebuck, retired opera singer

See what your support can do

Our communities and supporters enable us to create the change we all want to see. Celebrate our successes, and learn what’s still left to do, by signing up to our newsletter.

Get involved

Want to help people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus? Join us! Whether you want to volunteer or join a campaign, donate or fundraise, you can make a difference with RNID.


More about our work

Page last updated: 18 October 2023

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