What it’s like to be deaf in a Hearing World?
As people move through the activities of daily living at home, at work, and in social or business situations, basic auditory abilities take on functional significance. Audition makes it possible to detect and recognize meaningful environmental sounds, to identify the source and location of a sound, and, most importantly, to perceive and understand spoken language.
The ability of an individual to carry out auditory tasks in the real world is influenced not only by his or her hearing abilities, but also by a multitude of situational factors, such as background noise, competing signals, room acoustics, and familiarity with the situation. Such factors are important regardless of whether one has a hearing loss, but the effects are magnified when hearing is impaired.
For example, when an individual with normal hearing engages in conversation in a quiet, well-lit setting, visual information from the speaker's face, along with situational cues and linguistic context, can make communication quite effortless. In contrast, in a noisy environment, with poor lighting and limited visual cues, it may be much more difficult to carry on a conversation or to give and receive information. A person with hearing loss may be able to function very well in the former situation but may not be able to communicate at all in the latter.
Understanding the different types of Deafness
People with Mild Deafness
May experience some difficulty understanding speech, especially in noisy situations.
May benefit from a hearing aid and may lipread
May no longer hear sounds such as birdsongs or people whispering.
People with Severe Deafness
May find it difficult to understand speech, even with a hearing aid.
Will rely more on lipreading
Will find it difficult to use a voice telephone, even with powerful amplification.
May be born severely deaf in childhood or may have become deaf as an adult.
May use sign language
May need a textphone or a videophone.
People with Moderate Deafness
May experience difficulty understanding speech, without the use of a hearing aid, even in ordinary situations.
Most can use a voice telephone with an amplifier and/or inductive coupler if they wear a hearing aid.
May miss out on many speech sounds.
People with Profound Deafness
May find hearing aids will be of little or no benefit
Will rely heavily on lipreading
May use Sign Language
May be unable to use a voice telephone, even with amplification
May use a textphone or videophone
May not hear sounds such as pneumatic drill, aircraft etc.
Correct Terminology
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This is a reference to members of the Deaf community and Deaf culture.
They are proud to be Deaf and feel that Deafness is a vital part of their identity, cherished as much as ethnicity, gender, and religious background.
People in this cultural group most likely attended residential schools for the deaf, use Sign Language and view Deafness as a difference rather than a disability.
Deaf people often feel a cultural bond with one another based on sharing a common language and experience oppression.
Although they most likely recognise sign language as their primary/native language, they may or may not use speech to communicate.
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This is a general term which encompasses many groups of people, most of whom do not identify themselves as being part of the culturally Deaf community.
People who are "deaf" are usually oral deaf people who use speech and residual hearing to communicate instead of sign language.
This definition varies in different regions, but it usually is connected to people with severe or profound hearing loss who choose to associate mainly with hearing people
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This is usually a term for people with mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss.
Hard of hearing people often use speech as their primary mode of communication, but may be involved in the Deaf community.
This group of people usually can transition back and forth between the Deaf and hearing cultures
Hard of hearing people often form advocacy groups of their own, due to their special communication needs which are overlooked due to misconceptions about hearing loss
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This term is considered highly offensive. Just as "deaf-mute" and "deaf and dumb" are inappropriate labels, "hearing impaired" is an outdated way to collectively label people with any level of hearing loss. It does not account for cultural identity.
The use of "hearing impaired" may be considered less blunt by many hearing people, but within the Deaf community, it is an insulting term and can be a sign of ignorance.
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This is a label for people who have no hearing loss.
"Hearing culture" is the mainstream American culture which is primarily focused on auditory experiences rather than visual experiences.
How to make your services accessible for Deaf People
Provide queuing systems that do not rely on customers’ ability to hear.
To help people who lip-read, make sure there is no shadow on your face while you speak.
Provide induction loop systems—and test them regularly.
Make captions available for videos, and make transcriptions available for audio information.
Provide written versions of any audio notices and communications.
Allow customers to use text messages and e-mail to make appointments.
Provide ISL (Irish Sign Language) interpretation to customers who request it.
Make sure that only one person speaks at a time.
When working with an interpreter:
talk directly to the Deaf person, and not the interpreter
Do not ask the interpreter’s opinion
Make sure that the interpreter sits next to you and that the Deaf person can see both of you clearly.
The Irish Deaf Society have 10 Commandments For Communicating with Deaf Person for situations where a person cannot use ISL or where an interpreter is not present. They are:
Always ask the Deaf person how they want to communicate; never assume.
Make good eye contact. Look directly at the Deaf person. Don’t look away, cover your face, chew gum, or have a pen in your mouth while communicating with a Deaf person.
Ensure the Deaf person is looking at you before you attempt to communicate.
Don’t stand with a light or a window behind you. The light needs to be on your face — if not sure regarding the location, ask the Deaf person.
Be responsive: nod rather than saying “hmmm”. Use gestures, body language and facial expressions to communicate the emotion of a message where appropriate (hint: avoid being overdramatic).
If this Deaf person wants to communicate by speech, you speak clearly and at a slightly slower pace, but don’t shout or over-enunciate mouth movements as this will distort your lip patterns. Keep your head fairly still.
If this person wants to communicate by note-writing, relax and be patient. You are obliged to respect his/her wish [and] respond by writing.
Be prepared to repeat and rephrase information, if necessary (only for basic information); if information is more complicated, book an ISLinterpreter.
Refer to visual information (drawing, diagrams or photographs) during conversations; if the subject is getting complex, book an ISL interpreter.
Best of all: learn some ISL!
