Will Deaf Action or social work fund a new system?
It's not so much the funding which is an issue, I'm reasonably well paid (if pisstakingly less than I'm worth obviously) these days so can afford a few hundred quid for bits over X years. The last one has lasted 8 years so far. The limiting factor is Kim needs to sit down and redesign from scratch which she's been half doing for about 3 years and needs to not-half do. I blame all the cycling
As for social services I know I'm not a priority (and arguably shouldn't be), not least because when made to register with them to get local disabled bus passes etc that no services has EVER got back to me (Stockport, Newham, Birmingham and I think Sheffield). I even filled in an extra form by choice here in Brum to see if they'd work better partly as an experiment for my deaf students. No response.
Pretty poor really and also makes me cross cos I resented having to "tell them I exist" so they get me on their stats but do absolutely fuck all for me at the first step. If the first step is that bad, I'm privileged enough not to need them enough and I'll pay not to have to do any of the others. I have enough trouble keeping up with "extra disability paperwork" from HMRC, NHS, GP, audiology, etc
And the useful outcome of my experiment does mean I know better than to say to my students (or advise colleagues to tell their students) "Oh just register with social services for deaf alert stuff" for non uni accommodation because in my personal and professional opinion it's not worth it unless the student has unusual pestering powers and absolutely cannot afford stuff themselves. Does remind me I ought to find out if local fire service do fire alarms for deaf for free/cheap cos that would be the only issue really, safety. Most deaf students will do what I always did, rely on housemates and SMS when your friends arrive unless you happen to have all the gizmos already which I didn't till I moved in with Kim.