Deafax brings deaf children together online

Deafax Trust - a charity for the hard of hearing - has launched a Web site to let deaf children around the world communicate online.

Deafchild.org attempts to break down the barriers faced by hard of hearing children using digital technology. The Web site provides learning facilities, a chat room, as well as a directory service for deaf children and schools.

Matthew James, director of operations at Deafax, told Silicon.com: "On average, deaf children leave school with a reading age of ten. It's very hard to encourage these children to put pen to paper but this site gives them a purpose and the confidence to learn."

James added: "If the children communicate through Deafchild.org they will see an improvement in their literacy levels, and it will have an impact on their teachers, schools and parents."

Links have already been established between children in the Australia, Nigeria and the UK. However, with the continued sponsorship of high-tech giants, Cable & Wireless and Oracle, James said Deafax hopes to extend the service to children in Barbados, India and the USA over the next few months.

Speaking at the launch, Graham Wallace, CEO of Cable & Wireless, said he hoped the project will ensure the deaf community doesn't become marginalised by the digital economy. "The wonderful thing about the Internet is that it's a great vehicle for communication - and particularly for deaf children. If you're communicating by email or over the Web, it's the same whether you are deaf or not - and that must be very liberating for the kids involved."

Deafax hopes to have more than 2,000 children signed up to the site by the end of this year.