Inclusive Communication Tips: Speaking to Members of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community
Many people haven’t encountered someone who is deaf and hard of hearing in day-to-day life. When the moment finally comes, you may understandably worry about being fully considerate to your conversation partner. Inclusive communication isn’t always at the front of our minds, but we can try to prepare ourselves for future interactions.
Nearly 11 million Americans are deaf and hard of hearing — often relying on sign language for communication and needing ongoing accommodations for life. Unfortunately, the majority of the U.S. population does not know how to communicate with people in this community. As a resource for deaf awareness, the Paraquad team listed out a few ways to communicate with courtesy.
Understand the Etiquette
Communication in the deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) community differs from what you experience in the hearing world. It’s often described as direct, expressive and not shy at all. Shorter sentences, increased eye contact and expressive body language are all common.
We recommend that you keep more inclusive communication in mind throughout your interactions. It’s important to note that not all people in the DHH community communicate the same. While some people can read lips, others may prefer a different method, such as:
Writing messages with a pen and paper
Typing messages on a device
Wearing a hearing aid or cochlear implant
Using speech-to-text features on a phone
Using communication boards
Using an interpreter
Using a combination of methods
Ask for Their Preferences
Deaf awareness and respect starts with taking the extra steps to get to know someone personally. If you’re unsure of how someone communicates, take the extra time to ask them for yourself! When practicing inclusive communication, you should ask each person their preferences by typing a quick message on your phone or writing them a short note.
Maintain Visibility
If the person you are speaking to prefers to read lips, you should try your best to maintain the visibility of your face. This starts by being mindful of your surroundings. Standing in front of a light source, such as a bright window or desk lamp, makes it difficult to see your face. Meanwhile, chaotic environments can be distracting — choose a relaxed space for your conversation if possible.
Your actions also impact visibility. Many people have a habit of turning their heads away to look at a phone, acknowledge someone else in the group or point out something nearby. However, inclusive communication means remaining respectful of those around you.
If the person you’re speaking to relies on lip reading, changing directions randomly may cut off certain words in your conversation. With respect to deaf awareness, try to maintain someone’s line of sight while speaking to them.
Mind Your Speech
A common misconception is that you must raise your voice when speaking to someone who is deaf and hard of hearing. For many people, raising your voice will not help. Instead, it might cause unnecessary embarrassment, disrupt others around you and even give off the impression that you're angry.
When practicing inclusive communication, try speaking at your typical volume and pace — not too loud, too fast or too slow. Speaking this way helps keep your lip patterns consistent, which makes it easier to figure out what you are trying to say.
Instead of raising your voice, try using gestures, facial expressions and body language to assist in your communication. This can help you convey emotions, urgency and more without overexplaining yourself.
Stay Patient
Finally, one of the most important things to remember is to remain patient. Even if your conversation partner lip reads, most people can only figure out a few syllables at a time and have to use context clues to fill in the gaps. Give the conversation time and switch to another method when all else fails.
Speaking to someone who is deaf and hard of hearing may take a little getting used to at first — but once you get into the swing of inclusive communication, your conversation will feel as natural as any other.
Explore Inclusive Communication
Plenty of resources exist within the St. Louis area for those who are deaf and hard of hearing, as well as those around them. Paraquad often shares actionable advice for community members interacting with people who have different disabilities. For more on deaf awareness, visit Paraquad’s blog to learn our latest communication tips and tricks.
