HUNDREDS of deaf people in Swindon are getting a raw deal from the Swindon Council.

This is the claim being made by two deaf businessmen who have spoken out for a section of the community whose voice is seldom heard.

They say that social services provision for the deaf in the town is inadequate and that foreign lang-uage speakers are given better access to council services than the deaf whose first language is British Sign Language.

Earlier this year Swindon Social Services was given a zero-star rating in a Government review, the lowest score possible.

Adam Evans, 30, is managing director of Ace Courier Services in Westmead Industrial Estate, West Swindon.

Two years ago he completed a degree in deaf studies at Bristol University.

For his dissertation he compared services for the deaf in Gloucester, Bristol and Swindon.

He said: "Swindon was the worst of all of them by quite a long way. I've never experienced a worse social services organisation than here in Swindon."

Simon Huggins, 31, runs his own computer repair business, also at the Access Business Centre.

He said: "We both pay our income and council tax and that should cover the cost for the services we get but the service is very poor."

Together they spoke to the Evening Advertiser with the help of sign-language interpreter, paid for at their own expense.

Mr Evans said the key problem is the fact that Swindon has no dedicated social worker trained in dealing with the deaf.

He said: "Before I went to university I lived in Swindon and thought the social services here were normal.

"But when I started my deaf studies course and came back to Swindon I realised services were becoming worse and worse. I'm really shocked and concerned for the deaf community here.

"They've got really poor access to information."

He said that other areas have teams of qualified social workers to help the deaf.

"They have counselling services and development officers working in the community to raising awareness about deaf issues," he said. "Swindon has got nothing."

At the housing benefit office, he said you are likely to have better access to information if you are a native Welsh speaker than if you are deaf.

He said: "It's discrimination. The council have a Welsh phone in the housing benefit department and they can provide help for people speaking different languages.

"But there is absolutely nothing for deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language."

"What concerns me is there has been no qualified social worker for the deaf for the last couple of years.

"That's a really serious problem.

"For instance if a deaf person goes into hospital there is no qualified social worker to provide an assessment for them."

He believes that the council may even be breaking the law when the Disability Discrimination Act comes into force in 2004.

Council social services officer John Hughes, said: "We haven't replaced the social worker for the deaf and we haven't had one for the last couple of years."

But he said it is unfair to suggest the council does nothing for the deaf.

He said there is a hearing and vision team, based at Craven House, which concentrates on providing equipment and household modifications to help deaf people to live at home.

He said: "Resources for deaf people is something we are looking at.

"We have commissioned a piece of work to compare Swindon to other councils but that has been delayed.

"Someone whose first language is British Sign Language has exactly the same needs as someone who only speaks Italian or Gujarati."