When I stepped into my role at DSN, I carried with me a belief that would come to define everything I do – no one should feel invisible because of hearing loss. Based in Northwich, I am responsible for taking DSN’s work out into the community. My job is to build relationships, raise awareness and connect people to support.
DSN, a registered charity, has supported people with all levels of hearing loss across Cheshire and North Wales for nearly 50 years. Yet despite the scale of its services and expertise, a problem had become increasingly clear – too many people simply had no idea DSN existed. Individuals struggling with their hearing were often facing challenges alone, not knowing that support was available, not knowing who to speak to and, perhaps most worryingly, believing they were the only ones experiencing these barriers.
Talk to people where they are
As local communities, health organisations and councils began to recognise the emotional and social impact of hearing loss, particularly for people in rural or isolated areas, DSN recognised an opportunity and a responsibility. People were not reaching out. So DSN decided it needed to reach in.
That shift required more than leaflets or occasional attendance at community fairs. It required a sustained, visible presence in local spaces and someone who could form genuine relationships with people, professionals and organisations. I became the face, voice and energy to drive this mission. My job was never about waiting in an office for referrals. Instead, I became DSN in the community, visiting anywhere people might gather. My remit was simple – talk to people where they are, not where services traditionally expect them to be.
Alongside this new role, DSN invested in a fully electric outreach bus – a mobile, accessible support hub that allows the team to travel into parts of Cheshire and North Wales where services are limited. Many of these areas are rural, with ageing populations, limited transport and residents who struggle to access support.
By driving directly into these communities, DSN brought help to people’s doorsteps. For someone anxious about their hearing or unsure where to turn, seeing the bus arrive outside their local village hall or parked at a community event can be the moment everything changes. People board the bus with questions, fears and frustration, and often leave with support, answers and hope.
Proactive engagement
I spend much of my time working closely with community development officers from local authorities across East and West Cheshire, Wrexham and Flintshire. Together, we identify rural areas where people may be isolated or struggling with access to services. DSN then sets up a welcoming drop-in service where people can receive advice, information about hearing loss and communication support, hearing aid maintenance help or signposting to additional services. Many individuals first meet me straight after a hearing appointment, as DSN now has a regular presence in NHS audiology departments. This means that the moment someone receives a diagnosis or begins to use hearing aids, DSN is already there to support them.
People who visit the outreach bus are often surprised at how easy and personal the process is. There are no forms to complete before speaking to someone, no intimidating clinical environment, just a friendly face willing to listen. Our approach is simple – meet people where they are, listen first and build trust. For many, DSN might be the first organisation they have ever asked for help.
Alongside the outreach bus, DSN also runs community projects that I help promote and grow. One of these is CAMEO (Come and Meet Each Other), a bi-monthly social group for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. For some, it is the only social contact they have that feels comfortable and accessible. Another project, HaND (Health Awareness ’n’ Deafness), focuses on health information, bringing in health practitioners from the NHS, charities and community organisations alongside interpreters to ensure that deaf people receive health advice that is clear and accessible.
Raising awareness
The biggest challenge at the start of the project was awareness. People cannot ask for help if they do not know where to find it. Many individuals with hearing loss have grown used to feeling dismissed – told to ‘turn the TV up’, ‘just wear your hearing aids’, or ‘use subtitles’. Over time, some stop talking about their hearing loss altogether, believing that nothing will change. But when DSN started showing up consistently – in villages, at supermarkets, inside GP practices and at community events – the effect was immediate. People began to talk. They started opening up. The connection turned into action.
Of course, geographical reach has been a challenge. DSN covers a vast area of more than 3,000km2, much of it remote countryside. Travelling into these communities required planning, strategic partnership and the right outreach model. The outreach bus became the answer. With it, DSN moved from ‘we don’t know how to reach them’ to ‘we can bring support directly to them’. In the time since the service launched, the outreach bus has travelled 11,000 miles, meeting people who would otherwise have been excluded from support. Through these visits, DSN has received dozens of new referrals, met over 2,000 individuals and attended 191 sessions and events.
A ripple effect
Community groups, local councils and residents consistently express how valuable and welcome DSN’s presence is. People frequently say they had no idea support existed and are often emotional when they realise there is help available. Local professionals, including social prescribing teams, voluntary sector organisations and audiology departments, now refer directly to DSN, and new partnerships continue to emerge as word spreads. DSN has become the organisation people call when they want to improve accessibility or support people with hearing loss more effectively.
The effect of DSN’s outreach extends beyond individuals. When a person with hearing loss receives support, there is a ripple effect. Families experience less tension and fewer misunderstandings. Carers feel more confident communicating. Community groups become more inclusive, reducing loneliness and social isolation. In essence, DSN helps people reconnect with their communities, their relationships and themselves.
What makes DSN’s approach stand out is its combination of professional expertise and genuine compassion. Many team members have lived experience of hearing loss or communication barriers, giving them an authentic understanding of the challenges faced by the people they support. They understand that when someone says they feel excluded, they are not just describing difficulty hearing – they are describing a loss of connection. DSN answers that with empathy, patience and presence.
Expand and strengthen
Looking ahead, DSN aims to expand the reach of its outreach bus, visiting even more rural communities and strengthening existing partnerships with health and social care organisations. Plans include developing new projects, increasing drop-in clinics at audiology departments and continuing to raise awareness of communication barriers and how to overcome them. The future vision is clear – a region where no one feels isolated because of hearing loss, where support is easy to access, and where communities understand how to communicate inclusively.
For me, the motivation remains deeply personal. Every day I meet someone who says, ‘I wish I’d known about DSN sooner.’ My goal, and DSN’s mission, is to ensure that one day, no one has to say that again. We are not here to wait for people to find us. We go to them, wherever they are.
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Kerry Clarke is a Community Liaison Officer at DSN. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: @DSN