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For everyone, a new job brings a series of anxieties about the unknown. New workmates, new workplace, new rules and expectations. Almost everyone has some uncertainty. For most people, this shows up as not being able to remember anyone´s names - and it takes quite a while to adjust to that. However, for a Deaf person, the first day with new hearing workmates is a much bigger trip into the unknown. Not that Deaf people are not used to dealing with hearing people - they have to do it every day in their lives. But it is just that these hearing people will be there everyday from now on.
It helps if people have name badges; it helps if locations and jobs are well labelled. It helps if things that have to be done are visually labelled.
This includes the need to have some attention to facial expression. A Deaf person probably cannot lip-read you well and so will rely on your facial expression to try to figure out if that was a welcome, an unimportant comment, an instruction or an explanation. Be aware of what your face says - frowns, unhappiness, sulks are very easily read by Deaf people. Make sure your face says what your words are also saying. (Back to top)
One of the biggest complaint we have from Deaf people is of "being left out" of things. This can be anything from an office sweepstake, to a collection for someone´s wedding, or to meetings of staff. Deaf workers want to be involved just like everyone else. Sometimes it can be difficult if there are no interpreters and no one is able to sign well enough. Deaf people know about this. But what they don´t understand is why hearing people just avoid asking them to take part. Usually someone can give some written notes beforehand, someone can write down during the meeting, or even better, someone can explain before the meeting. Deaf people can be part of the group like everyone else but they need to be invited and they will be more receptive if they know what is going on. (Back to top)
One of the most serious problems that Deaf people face at work is when workmates use unconventional means to get their attention. This ranges from paper aeroplanes thrown across a room to people approaching from behind and touching them on the back. These are only likely to annoy and frustrate Deaf workmates. It is important that you use simpler means like waving in the line of sight, tapping on the shoulder or forearm and tapping the table. In all cases, this will bring a Deaf person into eye contact. From that point on, YOU need to maintain that eye contact, because unlike conversations with hearing people, you need to continue to look directly at the Deaf person. Any glance away stops the conversation and sends a signal to the Deaf person that you do not value the conversation. (Back to top)
Deaf people and breaking into a conversation
Strangely, it is often difficult for a Deaf person to break into a conversation. If two people are talking, a hearing person will be able to decide when to speak because he or she can hear the intonation and can judge when a part of the conversation is about to end - or when is the right moment to add something related to the topic. A deaf person however, cannot hear these cues and so will often be uncertain as to when they can break in. When this happens, it may appear that they seem to be eavesdropping on what you say without contributing. In this circumstance, you need to be proactive and turn to the Deaf person and make eye contact, as a signal to join the conversation or to give a message or to ask a question. (Back to top)
Communicating directly - pen & paper, fingerspelling and signing
It is usually the case, that Deaf people work in offices or factories or workshops where there are no other people who are fluent in sign. In these cases, it is important to use all other methods to maintain relations and to give information. Most obvious is to use pen and paper. Some hearing people seem uncomfortable about this for some reason, but it should be relatively straightforward to ensure that there is always a notepad where a Deaf person works and that hearing people can use it without fumbling for the paper or a pen.
Fingerspelling - this is what people learn in childhood in the boy scouts or girl guides; it is an invaluable tool since it allows you to spell out individual words. Most Deaf people will appreciate having key words spelled and will even lip-read better if they know the topic from your fingerspelling.
Signing is a more complex and it takes time and most people have to take courses, before they are comfortable in uing this second language. It will be a great step forward in relationships if you can sign even a little. (Back to top)
Coffee breaks and lunch breaks
For most Deaf workers, coffee breaks and lunch breaks can be stressful times. In these situations, people talk about a range of topics, often unrelated to work. They talk about what was on television, about sports events, about their families and so on. They tell jokes and make funny comments. When conversation is unstructured like this, it is very hard to follow if you do not hear. People talk quickly, take turns, introduce new topics - sometimes they are looking away, it is hard to know who just added that comment and so on. Be aware that for a Deaf worker following a group conversation is hard and often they opt out altogether by reading a newspaper or doing some other activity. Try to be inclusive and to explain what is going on. Give visual clues. Point to the person who is speaking. Use gestures. All of these will help the Deaf person to feel part of the team and to reduce stress. (Back to top)
Often people discover that Deaf people can hear better at certain times. If there is a noisy factory floor or a noisy canteen, people with a hearing loss may just have a general impression of sound which wipes out any possibility to make sense of what someone is saying. In contrast, in a one to one situation in a quiet office Deaf people often seem to understand more. , Hearing is worse on some days than others - if the person is unwell or has had a difficult time outside of work. Hearing loss really does vary like this. It is not that "they can hear when they want to". (Back to top)
In the same way, the possibility to lip-read varies a great deal. In a one to one situation with a plain background, when the topic is agreed in advance, it will be possible to lip-read a good deal more. In a group of people where the topic keeps changing and different people are contributing, it is almost impossible to lip-read. On a factory floor, where there is a great deal of movement in the background or where people are wearing loud, patterned clothes, or where people have beards or earrings, it is much harder to lip-read. When someone reads out from a paper, looks down to the desk or has their hands in front of their mouth, it is almost impossible to lip-read.
Wherever possible give an indication of the topic - write some key words, point to the object or person, make a gesture. Any clue is helpful. Most of lip-reading is guesswork. You can help communication if you give some visual clues. (Back to top)
Often people meet up after work or they meet on training days or even in the breaks at training sessions. These are often important times when you find out more about your workmates and have a good laugh. On training days, when there is an interpreter, it is usually the case that the break times are also break times for the interpreter. There is a high probability that the Deaf person will be isolated. It is not usually that Deaf people are ignored deliberately but access to what is going on is hard. When we talk to Deaf people, they tell us often that they used to go to after work events but stopped after a while - because they could not follow what was going on and significantly, they felt that the hearing people were embarrassed. For all the reasons mentioned above, it will be difficult for a Deaf person in a casual group. Make the effort to be visual and you may be surprised at how much a Deaf person can contribute. (Back to top)
Most factories and offices now have installed fire-alarms, bells or buzzers for the ends of shifts and often public address systems to give out information or messages. Typically under the Disability Discrimination Act, these emergency systems also have to be visual or a Deaf person has to be issued with a pager which indicates that there is a fire or some other serious event. However, even so, in many circumstances Deaf people do not hear or see the alarm and it is in these cases, that hearing workers must be vigilant on their behalf. Ideally there should be one person on any shift or in any office who has a responsibility to check that all personnel receive an emergency signal. This is especially important when there is a Deaf person on the workforce. Where there is an announcement made to all employees, then it is important that one workmate takes responsibility to write down the message for the Deaf person. It is courtesy, common sense and it could prevent accidents. (Back to top)