A CONCERNED learner admits she has been left ‘devastated’ at the prospect of losing the sign language course which has helped her face being made redundant last year.
Claire Hart took up British Sign Language classes through West Dunbartonshire Council’s Working4U (W4U) service after being made redundant from her job of four years in Helensburgh.
Last week, the Clydebank Post reported on Oksana Klymchuk, a Ukrainian mum who was anxious at the thought of losing her psychology and creative writing classes due to funding cuts by the council to the W4U body.
Now Claire, 42, added her voice to the growing number of learners calling on local authority bosses to rethink plans to slash the W4U budget by at least 25 per cent, resulting in job losses and a reduction in community support.
She told the Post: “I am currently taking part in a British Sign Language course which will not only help improve my skill set as I search for new employment but will also benefit members of my local community who are deaf, allowing me to be able to engage with them more inclusively.
“I am also passing on that knowledge to the children's group I volunteer with, giving them some basic knowledge, but also fostering in them an interest to learn more.”
Before adding: “I feel this decision is incredibly short-sighted and ill-informed, given the high levels of unemployment, deprivation and poverty as well as low levels of attainment here in West Dunbartonshire.
“I have not only benefited from help from the team since being made redundant. They have also helped me in looking for a new job, completing applications and mock interviews and kept checking in on my progress and mental health.”
Claire’s worries echo that of another learner, who has used the W4U classes to rebuild her life after leaving an abusive marriage.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, revealed the horticultural learning she took up ‘empowered’ her and helped her with her mental health.
She said: “For me, it encouraged me to get out of the house, empowering me to look after myself and helped me be a better role model to my grandchildren.
“I have been able to rebuild myself from an abusive marriage, redundancy and the death of my firstborn.
“I wasn’t getting answers to my brokenness, but joining the adult education classes, making friends and becoming part of a community, has empowered and improved my health in so many ways.
“These courses are so important, especially when isolation and mental health are knocking on the door of so many.
“If I had gone to the doctors, they would have given me medication to dull myself to society.
“Speaking to other adult learners with laughter and a cuppa is priceless.
“WDC councillors, I ask that you please look at the bigger picture of what these cuts will mean to the future of our community, to our families and children.”
A spokesperson for the council said: "The Working4U service will continue to provide a wide range of support to residents including money advice, debt management, welfare rights, employment and community learning and development.
"Changes are being made in response to the unprecedented financial situation facing the council, and we will work to minimise any impact on residents or employees."
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