Deaf Awareness Draft 2

Welcome to
Deaf Awareness
Training
Learning objectives
Understanding terminology in relation to Deafness and hard of hearing
Understand appropriate ways to get a Deaf person’s attention
Communication techniques
Basic understanding of technological support available to deaf people
Deaf people in a professional environment – meetings/English and working with interpreters etc
Ability use basic greeting signs in British Sign Language

Let’s begin!
What is
Deafness?
Which of these terms are appropriate?
Deaf & ‘The Deaf

Deafened Deaf
Dumb Deaf’ Mute
Deaf as a Hard of Hearing

Deafblind
post hearing impaired
Which of these terms are appropriate?
Deaf & ‘The Deaf

Deafened Deaf
Dumb Deaf’ Mute
Deaf as a Hard of Hearing

Deafblind
post hearing impaired
Types of Deafness
Born with no hearing and therefore can’t hear
Deaf anything
Born with little hearing, wears a hearing aid or

Hard of Hearing cochlear implant to help improve hearing
Born with hearing but later loses hearing due to

Deafness illness/age, wears hearing aids to help
A person who can’t hear or see very well and need

Deafblind lots of support such as a communicator guide
How can you tell if a person is Deaf?
They don’t Different They study

respond voice/speech your mouth
Hearing aids
Hearing dog Use BSL
/ Cochlear
How can you get
the attention of a
person who is
Deaf?
• Approach and stand in

front
• Wave
• Tapping
• Point
• Flash lights
• Stamp/bang
• Instant messenger
For effective
communication
• Use plain English (avoid jargon)
• Avoid bright backgrounds
• Don’t talk with your hand over your mouth
• Don’t obstruct your mouth
• Speak slowly and clearly
• Be patient
• Never say ‘Don’t worry’ or ‘I will tell you
later’
• Use a paper and pen if needed
• Keep your head still and avoid talking to more
than one person at a time (limit movement)
Test your knowledge!
True or False?
Sign Language is
international and is
understood all over the
world
FALSE!
Different signed languages in
every country
Example:
USA = ASL
Ireland = ISL
France = LSF
Different
countries
have different sign
languages! There are many,
just as there are
spoken languages.
True or False?
It helps if you shout

and/or raise your
voice at a Deaf person
FALSE!
• Talk at a normal, steady
pace
• Talk at a normal volume
• Hearing aids, when

used, will amplify
sound
• Shouting may be
perceived as rude and
can be frustrating
• Shouting can also

damage hearing
True or False?
Deaf people can hear

everything with their
hearing aids or cochlear
implants on.
FALSE!
• Electronically created sound is
not the same as natural sound
• The effectiveness of cochlear

implants varies greatly from
person to person
• For some people hearing

technologies may allow the user
to hear loud sounds, such as
alarms, but not speech.
True or False?
Deaf people can drive.

TRUE!
•Deaf people are just as capable
as hearing people to drive.
•Drivers who are Deaf often

develop other methods of observation
such as better awareness of their
peripheral vision or increased
sensitivity to vibration.
•Overall, there is no significant

difference in the ability of Deaf people to
drive over non-Deaf people, as long as
the challenges are taken into
consideration.
True or False?
When working with a British Sign

Language Interpreter, you should
always look at the Interpreter
when talking.
FALSE!
When you have a meeting with Deaf
person involved:
Please look at the Deaf person and
not the BSL interpreter.
The BSL interpreter should be

looking at the Deaf person, voicing
over what they are saying from BSL
to Spoken English.
The BSL interpreter will listen to you

and translate your words from
Spoken English to BSL so that the
Deaf person can understand what
you are saying.
How can you make
meetings and
training accessible
for Deaf staff?
How can you make meetings/training
accessible for Deaf staff?
See interpreter Automatic Get the seating Speak one at a

clearly captioning right time
Repeat Make sure

questions from Keep it visual videos are
participants subtitled
Technology for d/Deaf
people
Technology that helps..
Hearing Aids Cochlear Hearing Loop Flashing

Implant systems Doorbell
Amplified Vibrating Alarm Subtitles for Fire Alarm

Telephone Clock Televisions pager
How to
communicate with
Deaf people during
the pandemic?
Lipreading
• Another way that many Deaf
people learn how to communicate is to
learn how to read people’s lips.
• Lip-reading allows you to “listen” to

a speaker by watching the speaker’s face.
In order to figure out what they are

saying, they will focus on their lip-
pattern, gestures and facial expressions.
In addition, lip-reading is far from 100%
accurate.
Introduction to British Sign
Language (BSL)
What is BSL?
• BSL, like foreign languages, is
totally different than English. English,
French, German, Spanish etc are all
spoken language.
• As BSL is a visual language,

it cannot be written down easily
and will look like badly
structured English.
• Remember BSL is a rich

visual language with lots of body
language and facial expressions.
A few basic signs
Repeat after me
Greetings
• Hello
• Please
• Goodbye • Thank you
• Welcome
Good morning
Good afternoon
Greetings
How are you? I’m good / Fine

English – How can I help you?
BSL – Help How?
English – What is the problem?

BSL – Problem What?
Remember in BSL, questions go at the end....

English – Where is the toilet?
BSL – Toilet where?
English – Would you like tea

or coffee?
BSL – Tea/coffee which?

What we have learnt today
Understanding terminology in relation to Deafness and hard of hearing
Understand appropriate ways to get a Deaf person’s attention
Communication techniques
Basic understanding of technological support available to deaf people
Deaf people in a professional environment – meetings/English and working with interpreters etc
Ability use basic greeting signs in British Sign Language

End of training session!
Hope you enjoyed your training!

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Welcome to

Understand appropriate ways to get a Deaf person’s attention

Basic understanding of technological support available to deaf people

Ability use basic greeting signs in British Sign Language

Deaf & ‘The Deaf

Deaf as a Hard of Hearing

Deaf & ‘The Deaf

Deaf as a Hard of Hearing

Born with little hearing, wears a hearing aid or

Born with hearing but later loses hearing due to

A person who can’t hear or see very well and need

They don’t Different They study

• Approach and stand in

It helps if you shout

• Talk at a normal volume

• Hearing aids, when

• Shouting can also

Deaf people can hear

• The effectiveness of cochlear

• For some people hearing

Deaf people can drive.

•Drivers who are Deaf often

•Overall, there is no significant

When working with a British Sign

The BSL interpreter should be

The BSL interpreter will listen to you

See interpreter Automatic Get the seating Speak one at a

Repeat Make sure

Hearing Aids Cochlear Hearing Loop Flashing

Amplified Vibrating Alarm Subtitles for Fire Alarm

• Lip-reading allows you to “listen” to

In order to figure out what they are

• As BSL is a visual language,

• Remember BSL is a rich

How are you? I’m good / Fine

English – What is the problem?

Remember in BSL, questions go at the end....

BSL – Toilet where?

English – Would you like tea

BSL – Tea/coffee which?

Understand appropriate ways to get a Deaf person’s attention

Basic understanding of technological support available to deaf people

Ability use basic greeting signs in British Sign Language

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