Deaf Awareness Week 2nd to 8th May 2022
The theme for Deaf awareness week 2022 is Deaf Inclusion – with almost 12 million adults and 50,000 children in the UK with hearing loss, this campaign explores the entire theme of inclusion within our community.
1. Make sure you have their attention
Before you begin talking, have their full attention.
2. Make sure the room is well lit
Improving visibility of your face helps a deaf person to understand what you are saying.
3. Learn some basic sign language
Having even a basic knowledge of BSL is a great way to communicate with a deaf person. Fingerspelling is a good place to start. Find out more at Signature.
4. Face the person and give eye contact
Make sure that you face the person you are talking to and maintain eye contact. Making your mouth visible also increases understanding.
5. Check they understand you
Ask questions to make sure that the person is following what you are saying and adjust your method of communication if not. You could try an online speech to text programme, such as Speech Texter.
6. Don’t shout
Maintain a normal volume when talking. Shouting can be uncomfortable for a hearing aid user and can distort your lip patterns making it harder to lip-read.
7. Use plain language
Use plain language that is easy to understand. Complicated words are often harder to lip read.
8. Speak one at a time
Make sure you wait your turn to speak. This helps the listener to focus on you to better understand.
Find out more about Deaf Awareness Week and how you can get involved at the UK Council of Deafness.
We can provide Deaf Awareness Training to help individuals or organisations learn how to be more inclusive, contact us to find out more.