DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING
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 (totally) deaf people may not wear hearing aids. However, there are some clues you can look out for:
o Cannot carry on a conversation in a noisy environment
o Wearing a hearing aid
o Asking to have information repeated
o Leaning forward, best ear forward or hand behind ear
o You fail to gain attention when you call from behind
o Cannot hear normal voice
o Constant misunderstandings
o Volume of TV or radio turned up to a high level
o Cannot hear on telephone, or does not respond to doorbell
o Withdrawn or lacking in confidence
Remember
Communicating with a deaf or hard of hearing person:
o 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
o Face the person directly; if you look away the deaf person cannot see your lips
o Speak clearly at a normal pace
o Do not shout
o Make sure there are no bright lights behind you that could make it difficult to see your face
o 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
o Be patient, if you are asked to repeat something try changing the sentence slightly, it may make it easier to understand
o Do not give up, if you cannot make yourself understood then try writing it down
Communicating with a sign language user:
If the person is a sign language user, they will probably still expect to have to try and lip-read your reply. 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:
o Fingerspell any names or unusual words
o 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
o Use facial expressions to help convey meaning
o Learn to fingerspell - Irish Sign Language has a one - handed finger-spelling alphabet which you can use to sign your name to introduce yourself, and spell out words to help you communicate
Further information may be obtained at:
www.irishdeafsociety.ie