Maintaining eye contact is a sign of respect. Use the beginning and ending of a conversation as an opportunity to make physical and visual contact with the Deaf person, especially if they have been using an interpreter during your conversation. Smile, shake hands, touch their arm (if appropriate) and make eye contact.
If an interpreter is being used, speak directly to the person who is deaf rather than to the interpreter. If the person is lip-reading, look directly at the person, speak slowly and clearly, but do not exaggerate your lip movements and especially do not shout.
Promoting greater understanding and respect for Deaf people and their culture has contributed to building a more diverse and inclusive society. It has challenged traditional norms and stereotypes about Deafness and emphasised the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity.
2- Eye Contact in the Deaf Community If talking to a Deaf person, it is considered rude not to make eye contact. Deaf people do not hear with their ears, they hear with their eyes. Everything on your face is important to people in the Deaf community, including facial expressions.
The best way to gain a deaf person's attention is by giving them a simple tap on their shoulder, or a wave in their line of vision. Any other visual signal, such as flickering of the light, can work wonders too.
Having a conversation in a place with good lighting will greatly help someone who is Deaf or hard of hearing to understand what you're saying. Trying to have a conversation in a dimly lit pub isn't going to work very well. Lip reading and facial expressions can play an important role in communication for a deaf person.
Deaf culture can vary depending on the community's country of origin or intersection with other cultures. However, some aspects tend to stay the same everywhere. These can become great examples of deaf culture, such as collectivism, use of Sign Language and a direct and blunt way to communicate.
Similarly, body language such as posture and facial expression can completely change the meaning of a conversation for a deaf person but may only subtly change meaning for hearing people. Similarly, it is considered incredibly rude to grab a deaf person's hands while they are signing.
All cultures, including Deaf culture have four components: language, behavioral norms, values and traditions. For Deaf culture, vision plays a significant role in each of the four components. People who are Deaf rely strongly on their vision to communicate and gather information.
Strategies that promote positive attitudes toward deaf individuals include educating the public about the capabilities of deaf people, providing accessible resources to deaf individuals, and actively engaging deaf people in conversations and activities.
Learn to read their cues, offering understanding when they are frustrated and tired, and laughing along with them when misunderstandings happen. Empathy goes a very long way. In cases where a loved one is deaf, learning ASL and other forms of non-verbal communication is a kind thing to do that will benefit you in life.
The phrase 'fall on deaf ears', for example, both perpetuates stereotypes and simultaneously obscures the reality of the situation it describes. Being deaf is an involuntary state, whereas hearing people who let pleas 'fall on deaf ears' are making a conscious choice to ignore those requests.
Waving: to get the Deaf person's attention, wave your hand in his or her peripheral vision field. Wave casually; a frantic wave means something is wrong. Tapping: if you are close enough in distance to the person; a tap on the arm is a sure and preferred way to get a response.
Don't Shout
This is a big one. Shouting at anyone is rude and shouting at someone with hearing loss is no different. Not only can it come across as aggressive, but it can also cause some hearing aid users discomfort. While you might not intend to shout, your voice might start getting louder without you realising.
Don't stare at Deaf people signing. It's rude to stare, period. And if you know ASL it's doubly rude, because you're eavesdropping.
Deaf culture meets all five sociological criteria (language, values, traditions, norms and identity) for defining a culture (Padden, 1980).
Don't stare! Don't throw things to get their attention that is rude! Don't poke,hit, slam things, or sneak up suddenly. Speak directly to the deaf person, try not to rely on another person if you don't have to.