The brilliant reason this bright purple bus parked up in West Dorset

DEAF children can do anything other children can do.

To prove it, an eight-tonne purple bus that turns into a high-tech classroom parked up at Charmouth Primary School, where a team from the National Deaf Children’s Society spent the day delivering workshops to deaf children, their hearing friends, teachers and parents.

The workshops form part of an informative and engaging roadshow delivering support, advice and information to some of the 626 deaf children who live in Dorset. They cover all aspects of deafness.

One of the workshops, Look, Smile, Chat, provided advice and tips on how to communicate with a deaf child. This included: getting their attention with a wave or a tap on the shoulder; speaking one at a time; facing people when speaking; not covering your mouth when you talk; being visual and not afraid to use gestures or actions; never giving up and saying 'I’ll tell you later.'

Another workshop promoted mental health and emotional wellbeing support for deaf children. Through creative and fun activities, deaf children learnt what good emotional health is and how best to ensure both their bodies and minds remain healthy. This included identifying strategies to help manage their own mental health.

The National Deaf Children’s Society also showcased the latest technology and equipment available to deaf children to accompany the key skills learnt on the day. This ranged from flashing doorbells and vibrating alarm clocks, to Bluetooth neck loops that can make it easier to listen to an iPod or a mobile phone.

Sean Chandler, outreach officer for the society who is deaf himself, said: “Deaf children can do anything other children can do, given the right support. A visit from the roadshow can make a real difference for a deaf child struggling with confidence, independence or communication and the more we can do to spread deaf awareness and information, the better.

"Deaf children can do anything other children can do, given the right support. A visit from the roadshow can make a real difference for a deaf child struggling with confidence, independence or communication and the more we can do to spread deaf awareness and information, the better."