Hard of Hearing Lipreading & Communication Support.

Speech Awareness.

Communication Awareness.

What is Communication Awareness?

Communication between people is the basis of societyWithout communication, people would not form relationships with other people, and would not be able to learn or work.Communication relies on the use of:
Sight.
Smell.
 Touch.
Taste.
And, whatever hearing you may have.There are many different ways in which we communicate; and everyone communicates daily, one way or the other. But, very often, people do not consider how they actually do communicate with other people.The method we choose depends as much on the enviornment around us, as much as the people we are with.

Can we Communicate in different ways?

YES.

Comunication is separated into verbel and non verbal forms.

In verbal communication, we mainly use speech. But, there are also many other ways of communicating.
Many times we acknowledge someone with a nod of the head or grunt or both. This is quite often used to respond to something that has been said. Depending on the person's facial expression, should tell you if they heard you or not.

Non-verbal communication is a way we can express ourselves without making a sound.

If distance stops a message from being heard; or where noise or the enviornment is too loud to hear speech; or when we do not want other people in the immediate vicinity to know what is being said, we often use different techniques.

These techniques may involve:

Gesture.
Touch.
Facial expression.
Body language.
Relaxation.
Whether we know someone or not.
Sign Language.
These methods are often used when we greet someone.

What if there are no clues?

If you are not too sure if someone is hard of hearing, there are various things that you can look out for, i.e.

Hearing aid - is it visible?
Is the hearing aid whistling?
Does the person seem unusually quiet?
Does the person look embarrassed, do they seem to be keeping themselves to themselves?
Does the person wear a badge, informing others of their hearing loss?
Does the person have a pen and paper to hand, ready for you to write things down when they do not understand?
Does the person have a hearing dog?
Does the person have a walking stick with a red band? ( This indicates the person is deaf-blind.)

How can you tell if someone has a hearing loss?

Mannerisms you can watch out for include:

Leaning in too close, to catch what is being said.
Concentrating or straining too hard as they watch your speech.
Their speech may be too loud or too quiet.
Their speech my be flat.
A person may withdraw and let someone else do the talking.
They may keep asking for repeats.
They may give the wrong answers to a questions.
They may have a pen and paper handy.

What can we do to help?

Keep them company, don't leave them to struggle.
Speak to them face to face.
Make sure there is good lighting.
If there are windows face them, so the deaf person can see your whole face.
Speak slightly slower and clearer.
Keep as still as possible whilst talking.
Try to find a quieter place to talk.
Make sure they know what the topic of conversation is.
Don't shout.
Don't mumble.
Try to encourage them into conversation.
Use gestures.
Use facial expressions.
The more you can relax, the more you will help them to relax.
Take time to listen.
If needed write things down for them.

As you see, communication does not depend on hearing alone. The purpose of this class is to help you understand the problems associated with a hearing loss, and how we can help you to deal and overcome them.

SO

Don't be lonely,
Don't be sad,
When you meet us, you'll be glad.
To know there are people who are just like you,
          They thought the same when they were new.       That's what I did.
A hard of hearing support group we did join,
and so can you.
Then you'll be surprised at what you can do.
Come to the group and I'll see you through
thoses dreaded days that made you so blue.

Join a Hard of Hearing Lipreading & Communication Support Group whatever your age.

It's never too late to start to learn, to see and recognise some of the speech you can no longer hear.