International Deaf Awareness Month!

Good afternoon guys! Did you know that September is International Deaf Awareness month? Although, here in the UK, we have nationwide deaf awareness week which usually takes place at the beginning of May each year.

Deaf awareness month originally began as the International Day of the Deaf on 23rd September 1958, which later was extended to the last full week of September, however, now it stretches across the full month. The purpose of deaf awareness month (or week/day depending on where you live) is to raise public awareness of deaf issues, people and culture.

In the UK alone there are roughly 12 million people affected – 1 in 6 people! Every single person affected faces different communication challenges that can lead to frustration and loneliness.

In my last deaf awareness post, found here, I briefly explained how this pandemic and the wearing of masks was affecting me. This week I was out running errands, while picking up some hot chocolate I asked the cashier to lower their mask so I could lip read. I didn’t have my hearing aids in as I don’t tend to wear them if I’m just poping in somewhere. They challenged me and refused to lower their mask, saying “well I can’t see hearing aids so you’re clearly not that deaf”. I tried to explain that I needed to see their lips to be able to lipread but they didn’t seem bothered by what I had said. I put my hot chocolate back and went to a different store. 

For a lot of D/deaf people, facial expressions are so important as it helps us to read what you say. During this pandemic, it has been increasingly more difficult for people like me to be able to communicate. Below are a few tips that are particularly important when you are speaking to someone on the telephone or are wearing a mask or face covering:

• Make sure you are facing the person you are talking to and speak clearly – avoid shouting, speaking too fast or unnecessarily slowly.
• If someone doesn’t understand you, repeat what you said or phrase it differently, use plain language.
• If you are in a noisy place, move to a quieter area if possible.
• Use simple gestures such as pointing or waving to get someone’s attention.
• Write things down – use a pen on paper, text on device screens, or whiteboards.
• IF THEY ASK YOU TO, speak to a relative or friend. It is super important that you wait for them to ask you as, even though you think you’re helping by using someone else to assist, you may be making that deaf person feel extremely uncomfortable and excluded.
• Talk to the person, not the interpreter.

Some useful tools to consider when in loud environments can include these below. I rely on text to speech apps when out and about: it saves having to ask someone to lower their mask if they feel uncomfortable. 

• There are live speech-to-text apps available, though with varying levels of accuracy depending on background noise and speed of conversation. The app I use is called Speak4Me Pro. There is a free version of this app, but the Pro version cost me 99p. I originally downloaded this app while I was in hospital two years ago and wasn’t able to speak well due to paralysed vocal cords.
• Use Video Relay Services, such as InterpreterNow, for communicating with people whose first or preferred language is British Sign Language.
• Look out for people using the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard who may need your support to communicate. The use of these lanyards or other Hidden Disabilities Sunflower badges or wristbands are widely recognised across the country and shows that not all disabilities are visible. These include learning difficulties, mental health as well as mobility, speech, visual or hearing impairments. Wearing the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower discreetly indicates to people around you including staff, colleagues and health professionals that you may need additional support, help or a little more time.

British Sign Language (BSL) is the most common form of sign language in the UK and has been recognised as its own language. Although there are a few other forms of sign language in the UK – including Sign Supported English (SSE) and Makaton, BSL is the most common language used within the deaf community. In Northern Ireland, Irish Sign Language (ISL) is uses as well as BSL.

BSL uses a combination of hand shapes and movements, lip patterns, facial expressions and shoulder movements. It has its own structure and grammar and does not follow the structure of spoken English. When signing in BSL, you start with the main subject topic then refer to something about the topic after. For example: 

• English: What is your name?
• BSL: Name – what?

Learning a new language can take time, but there are ways of learning parts of BSL to help you communicate with the deaf community. Fingerspelling is the BSL alphabet, and although fingerspelling alone isn’t sign language, it can be a really useful way to help communicate with someone who is Deaf. BSL is a 3D language, it uses a lot of body and facial movements which makes it difficult to learn through books or videos alone; however, these are useful resources to use if you are wanting to learn some basic signs. BSL courses are held in colleges, universities, Deaf clubs and community centres across the country. The courses are usually part-time and follow school term timetables running from September through to June. 

There is no right or wrong way to be deaf, and deafness has a wide spectrum whether using sign language, communicating orally or being children of deaf adults (CODA). By raising awareness, I hope that one day we will no longer be dismissed during conversations or to be told: “Never mind, it doesn’t matter”.

As a deaf child of speaking parents, I have grown up mainly in the hearing world. I looked to the media to find people that were like me but never really found anyone that was the sort of role model I was looking for at the time. I always felt like my deafness was up for debate. I was being told things such as: “You can’t be that deaf as you can speak to me and have good English” or “If you can’t sign you aren’t really deaf”. These things damaged my self-confidence, but slowly I grew to like my deafness, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without it.

As always, happy baking

Jenny x