What does ‘deaf’ mean?

If you were to shout as loudly as you could, the noise would measure about 80 Decibels. Only people who can't hear us shouting like that are actually considered deaf. People with less hearing loss than this are referred to as ‘hard of hearing’. There are about 50,000 deaf people in the UK.

How do deaf people communicate?

The way in which deaf people communicate often depends on the time in their lives when they lost their hearing.

Those who were born deaf, or lost their hearing before learning to speak will generally be sign language users.

People who have lost their hearing in later life, after they have learnt to speak, will generally communicate by lip-reading and speech.

Do not assume that because a deaf person is wearing hearing aids, he can hear what you are saying. He may only be able to hear particular sounds or background noise.

How would I recognise the person I am dealing with is deaf?

Deafness is often referred to as the ‘invisible disability’ as there may be no visual clues that the person has a severe hearing loss. Profoundly deaf people may not wear hearing aids.

Some deaf people carry Hearing Concern’s Sympathetic Hearing card. If you are presented with one of these cards, you should assume that the bearer has a hearing loss and may have difficulty communicating with you.

A deaf person’s speech might sound a little strange. The volume of their voice may be inappropriate or they may pronounce some words in a strange way. Remember that deaf people cannot hear their own voices and some deaf people have learnt to speak having never heard a single word.

Another clue that a person may be deaf is if you are handed a written note requesting something. Sign language users who are deaf-without-speech are often prepared with pen and paper.

How would I communicate with a deaf person?

Firstly, establish how the deaf person communicates. If they are asking you a question using their voice, it is safe to assume that they will be expecting to lip-read your reply.

• Face the person directly, if you look away the deaf person cannot see your lips.
• Speak clearly at a normal pace
• Do not shout
• Make sure there are no bright lights behind you that could make it difficult to see your face.
• Use whole sentences rather than one word replies - lip-reading is 70% guess work and many words look the same. Using sentences gives contextual clues.
• Be patient, if you are asked to repeat something try changing the sentence slightly, it may make it easier to understand.
• Do not give up, if you cannot make yourself understood then try writing it down.

If the person is a sign language user, they will probably still expect to have to try and lip-read your reply. Sadly, very few hearing people can sign and deaf people are used to trying to communicate with hearing people. Follow the points above, and in addition:

• Fingerspell any names or unusual words (see chart at the end of this fact sheet).
• Use gestures to help explain what you are saying. For example showing size and shape with your hands or backing up directions by pointing can be very helpful.
  Use facial expressions to help convey meaning.

British Sign Language Courses

For more information about learning British Sign Language go to www.signature.org.uk

Interpreting Services

There may be some occasions when you need the assistance of an interpreter. RAD Interpreting can provide a variety of services to aid communication between hearing and deaf people.

Covering London, the South East and East Anglia, the agency can supply the following:

Sign Language Interpreters
Deaf/Blind Manual
Hands on signing
Lipspeakers
Note Takers
Communicators

For more information see Interpreting