‘Coming Through It Together’: Promoting Inclusion and Accessibility For Deaf People
Did you know that 1 in 6 people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing? That’s almost 10 million people. This includes almost 50,000 children and young people.
That’s why Deaf Awareness Week (3–9 May) is so important. It’s organised by the UK Council on Deafness to ‘promote the positive aspects of deafness, promote social inclusion and raise awareness of the huge range of local organisations that support deaf people and their family and friends’.
Deafness ranges from mild to profound. If you’re mildly deaf, you might be able to hear someone speaking to you in a quiet room, but not if you’re somewhere noisy. If you’re profoundly deaf, you may only be able to hear very loud sounds, like a bus passing or a plane flying low overhead.
Where to Find Help and Advice
Do you have a child who is deaf or hearing-impaired? If so, you’re not alone. There’s plenty of help available. Your first port of call could be the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS). Its website contains a wealth of advice, information, support and chat forums. It also has a helpline where you can ask any questions about being deaf.
Other great sources of information are the British Deaf Association and the Royal Association for Deaf People.
How to Be More Inclusive
People with hearing loss communicate by sign language, lipreading, or a mix of the two.
We may feel awkward or embarrassed when talking to a deaf person. You might worry: ‘What happens if they can’t understand me?’ The most important thing to remember is to be patient and kind. Many adults and children with hearing loss report that they dislike people giving up and saying, ‘Never mind, it doesn’t matter’ or ‘I’ll tell you later’. So, if one method doesn’t work, why not try another?
Here are some top tips to help us communicate better and help deaf people feel included (tips have been adapted from a UK Council on Deafness awareness poster):
- Try to find somewhere quiet to talk, where there’s no distracting background noise.
- Face the person you’re speaking to, so they can see your lips.
- Take turns to speak.
- Repeat yourself if necessary. Don’t be embarrassed!
- If the person doesn’t understand you, don’t give up! Could you write down what you wanted to say, or draw a picture? Could you point to what you’re talking about? Use gestures, such as miming eating?
- Smile and relax. Speak at a normal speed, not too quickly or too slowly.
Did You Know…
- Deafness is the third most common disability in the UK.
- Over 40% of people in the UK aged over 50 have some hearing loss, and over 70% of people aged over 70.
- The British Deaf Association website says: ‘Most Deaf people don’t view their Deafness as a disability or as a problem that should be fixed. For many of them, it’s a natural part of a cultural experience that they share with friends, both Deaf and hearing.’
- Evidence suggests that only about 40% of people in the UK who need hearing aids actually have them.
- Wearing face masks to protect against Covid-19 makes it harder for people with hearing loss to communicate. Many deaf people rely on picking up on facial expressions to intuit what someone is saying to them, so please be aware of this.
Sign Language
There are records of people using sign language to communicate way back in the 1600s, and today sign language is used by around 150,000 people in the UK. It’s a way of communicating using gestures, facial expression and body language. The British Sign Language website has all the info you might need on using sign language, and offers various courses. You can also learn fingerspelling, to communicate words for which there is no official sign.
Twinkl has some wonderful sign language resources for teachers and parents to share with children.
Activities and Events – What’s On?
The NDCS offers a range of fun events and activities for deaf children and young people, including workshops, webinars and online socials. They’re a great way to have fun, make new friends and try new things.
Being Deaf is No Barrier to Acting…
You’ve probably heard of children’s book and TV series Horrible Histories, but did you know that in 2019 they put on a production using deaf actors? It was called Horrible Histories: Dreadful Deaf.
In 2018 Hollyoaks actress Rachel Shenton won an Oscar for the short film, The Silent Child, which she wrote and directed. Shenton even signed her acceptance speech, helping to give sign language a global platform and raising awareness of the issues faced by deaf people.
Another production starring deaf actors is Mathilda and the Orange Balloon. Deaf actor Hermon Berhane says she wanted to get involved because: ‘Deaf children need to have people to look up to. They need to think that anything is possible.’
And that’s a sentiment I’m sure we all agree with and want to work towards.
If you like, follow #DAW2021 on Twitter to keep up with all the news on Deaf Awareness Week.