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Since Deaf people live everyday in a visual world, they are expert at detecting human emotion by understanding people´s expressions and body language. They will be able very quickly to tell if someone is tired, or upset, or anxious or angry. If you are impatient or annoyed by the fact that the Deaf person does not understand everything straight away, they will know it immediately. Be aware of your facial expression and your body language.
Also, don´t panic ... just because there is a Deaf person there. Follow the guidance below and this will smooth your interaction. (Back to top)
Alternative forms of communication
Like other users of a minority language Deaf people do not expect everyone to be able to sign fluently. Usually, Deaf people will try to communicate in English. They may say "I´m Deaf" or gesture and they may even speak. However, be prepared to write down - it is often the simplest and most effective means of communication. Make sure you have a notepad and pen handy as this may help more people than just Deaf people. (Back to top)
As with body language, your manner of dealing with people will be visible to the Deaf person. Often when Deaf people speak, hearing people are taken aback as the voice quality is different from what they might expect and it may be hard to understand. However, don´t judge the person by the sound of their voice. If you react strangely or if your manner suggests that you think the person is stupid in some way, this will be picked up by Deaf people. In our recent survey of the Deaf community, Deaf people talked about this a great deal. They said when it happened to them, they would never go back to that shop or service again. (Back to top)
Deaf and hearing people share the same visual world. You can use the same visual elements in the surroundings. In meeting with a Deaf person, use these visual clues. If you want to say the weather is nice, look up at the sky; if you want to complement the person on his tie or her dress, point to your tie or dress and speak with eye contact. At a reception desk, if you ask the person to wait, be visual - point to the waiting area and make a gesture to sit-down or to wait.... and smile. (Back to top)
Deaf customers vary in their knowledge, their competence and their ability to communicate. Few Deaf people actually like to come to customer services areas or to meet with receptionists. As a result when they do come, it is often because of a more urgent or more complex issue. Be patient - it may take longer. (Back to top)
Most people, Deaf and hearing, hate the multi-tasking receptionist, check-out assistant, or customer service staff. Of course, it is rude to talk to someone else at the same time as dealing with a customer. However, the impact on a Deaf person is much greater. When the Deaf person cannot hear the other interruption (when someone calls your name, or the phone rings, or there is some noise behind them). If you react immediately to the other sounds, you will cut off the Deaf person from what should be a personal interaction. Most people feel annoyed but Deaf people feel that you have not respected their interaction at all. Be aware this is a major and frequent problem.
The telephone poses specific problems. If a telephone rings on your desk while you are interacting with a Deaf person (speaking, gesturing or even writing down) DO NOT GRAB THE HANDSET and begin a conversation. It is vital that you first of all, obtain eye contact and then indicate that the phone is ringing, point and use the telephone gesture. And then pick it up ... if you have to. (Back to top)
If Deaf people are dealing with staff who do not sign, they will often have to rely on lip-reading (which as we know is very difficult). Do not make this harder by having poor lighting or shadows on the face. Make sure the light is on your face not behind your head. (Back to top)
If you meet with Deaf people regularly, avoid patterned clothes, earrings etc. Although there is nothing wrong with bright clothing, striking hairstyles or makeup (and Deaf people may themselves wear bright clothing etc) when a person is under stress or is having to concentrate very hard in order to communicate, each little distraction becomes a major problem. Try to wear neutral colours and sit against plain backgrounds.
If you want to get an understanding of this, try watching the news on television with the volume turned down. Even though there are captions on screen, see how the different backgrounds and moving elements affect your attempts to understand. Test yourself - how much did you actually understand? (Back to top)
Deaf people will often talk about information which is not "Deaf friendly". They are usually referring to communications, letters, leaflet, booklets, adverts, produced by companies or public service bodies which are not intelligible to them. Although hearing people also have trouble in understanding jargon or technical terminology in a leaflet, this is not really what Deaf people mean in this circumstance. It is not the use of technical language which is the problem but the construction of the English. Simple direct sentences with a subject, a verb and a simple object are much easier to follow.
However, typically, people who prepare leaflets etc, in an attempt to be informal, use more complex English idioms and structures. Major culprits are the use of the passive voice in the verb and the use of conditional clauses. Here are some examples:
"If your car is not easy to get to, or we have to use specialist equipment, you may have to pay extra costs."
FAR TOO COMPLEX CLAUSE STRUCTURE, EVEN THOUGH THE VOCABULARY IS SIMPLE, THE VERB "IS NOT EASY TO GET TO" - IS UNECCESSARILY COMPLEX.
"There are factors which need to be thought through when making your decision."
AGAIN "NEED TO BE THOUGHT THROUGH" IS TOO COMPLEX ...AND SO ON
Make sure materials which you need for your customers are available in simple text format. Illustrations will also help. (Back to top)
In many circumstances, it is not acceptable just to try to soldier on. Beyond simple attempts to make appointments, return goods, ask for information, it is not enough to write down or to try to lip-read. Be aware of the limitations. Arrange for an interpreter. This may be more difficult if there is no one on the staff but with the availability of video technology, the dial-up interpreter is not so far in the future. Unless you have an interpreter, you will not get your message across nor will you be able to provide appropriate service to the Deaf customer.
Look at the video scenarios on how to deal with Deaf customers and learn the signs. (Back to top)