Through Chance to Meet, based on Lincolnshire, supports children, right from birth through to 18 years old. All of our members are deaf, hard of hearing, visually impaired or Deafblind, and many also have additional needs. 

Living in a world designed for those with hearing and sight creates barriers for our members whether at school, joining a local sports club, hanging out with friends at the bowling alley or just popping our for a snack. Even at home, many children with sensory impairments experience barriers, for example, if British Sign Language (BSL) is their chosen communication but family haven't had the opportunity to learn it. 

Having fun, hanging out with friends, trying new activities, getting active and spending quality time with family, is, as we all know, vital to children's mental health and also their development. The skills we learn outside school such as social skills, communication skills and learning to ask for what you need and advocate for yourself, are just as important as skills learnt in school. However, without appropriate support, understanding of the needs of our members and how to make activities accessible, be that adapting intructions, using BSL interpreters, or simply creating an environment in which people can socialise and hang out, without fear of judgement, these opportunities are often not available to our Chance to Meet members. 

Therefore, through Chance to Meet, we provide activities throughout the year which are full accessible to members, whether they are a deaf BSL user, are hard of hearing and use speach and sign together or if they have a sight impairment and need additional support through verbal instructions. All of our activities are designed to be fun, bring our children and their families together and create opportunities to learn. Even a trip to the ice cream shop is a learning opportunity; communicating with others, ordering what you want, building confidence, managing your money; all from one seemingly simple task. Our activities include bowling, sports, farm trips, beach days and our ever popular summer pool party and Christmas party. Families are encouraged to take part as much as the kids, creating valuable family time. 

Thanks to you, Chance to Meet can continue to offer these activities helping children build friendships, develop a sense of identity amongst their peers, spend time with their family enjoying activities, and most importanly, have fun! But don't just take our word, here's what our members have to say: 

“My highlights this year were the Christmas party where we baked a Christmas tree pie, definitely the quizzes.”

“I was quite nervous when I first joined the [bowling] league as I wasn’t sure I would be good at bowling and I didn’t know anyone. Now I have friends that I meet with once a month and it is my time to do something I am now quite good at.”

“Events give us the chance to meet other families with children having the same (or similar) disabilities and have fun at the same time. We feel that seeing other kids with hearing aids/glasses etc. gives our children extra confidence in day-to-day life and the realization that it’s completely normal.”

We are so thankful to everyone who can support Chance to Meet, thank you!

Chance to Meet is delivered through BID Services.

Header Image: There are 6 photos showing a number of young people enjoying various activities including crafts, a visit to a local farm, a bowling session, swinging at an activity centre, an animation session and a day out at a local beach.

Image: Text reads Registered with Fundraising Regulator with FR in a circle to the left, all forming the Fundraising Regulator logo.