Building a more deaf-aware and inclusive borough

As Disability Champion, I’m proud to mark International Week of Deaf People and reflect on how we can make our communities more inclusive and accessible.

As the International Week of Deaf People begins, it is an opportunity bring a deeper understanding and comprehension of our deaf community, their challenges and needs, but most importantly their contribution to the betterment of the wider community.

A person having to exist in a world that is not necessarily designed to accommodate a difference in ability, deserves equal respect and recognition as any member of the community receives.

We can all pay closer attention to how we can better adjust our actions and design, to fully integrate the needs of all of our community. We all become better when we recognise deaf people as not only members of the deaf community, but as valued members of the whole community.

Tips to make communications easier for all

Over 12 million adults in the UK are deaf or have hearing loss. We can all play our part in being more deaf-aware, both at work and in our daily lives. Together, we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in conversation.

There are actions we can take to support people in our community to participate in the conversation, no matter their hearing ability.

Follow these tips to make communication easier:

• Make sure you have the person’s attention before speaking and ask them what will make communication easier
• Remind the person to check that hearing aids, if used, are working and ensure that any available equipment is being used
• If using an interpreter, always talk directly to the person, not the interpreter
• Turn off background noise such as the TV or radio
• Face the person and keep your face visible, they may be lipreading
• Speak clearly and naturally, don’t shout as it distorts your voice and lip pattern
• Repeat or rephrase to ensure the person understands what is being conveyed
• Even though a person may be smiling and nodding, you may need to ask clarifying questions to confirm the person has
• understood
• Most importantly, take your time and do not hurry

Local support for the hard of hearing

If you or someone you know are aware that they "can’t hear as well as they used to", we recommend you get in touch with our Sensory Team for an assessment.

Our qualified workers partner with social workers in providing assessments to residents with deafness or who are having issues with their hearing. This also includes the provision of specialist equipment and providing guidance to service providers and Social Care teams.

For more information on services available:

• Call: 020 8891 7971
• Text: 07860 034792
• Email: sensoryservicesduty@richmond.gov.uk

If you are a British Sign Language user, you can use SignLive to contact an online professional BSL interpreter from your own device.

What’s more, national charity Royal Association for Deaf People provides a range of support to empower deaf individuals and improve accessibility across communities and organisations, including tailored support, advocacy and training in British Sign Language.

You can also find out more about NHS hearing loss support. 

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