How to Communicate With a Deaf Person
Get the person’s attention., Position yourself carefully., Find out how the person prefers to communicate.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Get the person’s attention.
You can do this by moving into the person’s field of vision and waving from a polite distance, or by tapping the person gently on the shoulder.
If it’s a real emergency, you can also flick the lights off and on quickly. , Make sure that the light in the room is shining directly onto your face, and that you’re not standing with your back to a light.
Stand directly in front of the person (as opposed to standing off to one side or behind the person), at a normal distance.
Make sure the person is looking at you.
Wait until the person finishes what they’re doing before you try to talk to them.
If you’re showing a deaf person how to use something, for example, you can’t talk at the same time as they’re looking at the object.
Try not to fidget or move around a lot as you speak.
This is distracting and makes it harder for the deaf person to watch what you’re saying. , Some deaf people are better lip readers than other.
Some deaf people may prefer to write back and forth or to use an interpreter.
Many interactions between the deaf and the hearing require a combination of these methods.
The best way to know which methods are most effective is to ask.
If you know ahead of time that you’re going to be communicating with a deaf person, try to learn some basic sign language.
Greetings and simple phrases like “please,” “thank you,” and “how are you?” are useful and will make the person feel comfortable.
It’s also really helpful to learn the sign language alphabet.
If the deaf person uses an interpreter, always make sure to look at the deaf person while you talk, not the interpreter.
If you are looking at the interpreter, the deaf person will feel like they’re not really part of the conversation. -
Step 2: Position yourself carefully.
-
Step 3: Find out how the person prefers to communicate.
Detailed Guide
You can do this by moving into the person’s field of vision and waving from a polite distance, or by tapping the person gently on the shoulder.
If it’s a real emergency, you can also flick the lights off and on quickly. , Make sure that the light in the room is shining directly onto your face, and that you’re not standing with your back to a light.
Stand directly in front of the person (as opposed to standing off to one side or behind the person), at a normal distance.
Make sure the person is looking at you.
Wait until the person finishes what they’re doing before you try to talk to them.
If you’re showing a deaf person how to use something, for example, you can’t talk at the same time as they’re looking at the object.
Try not to fidget or move around a lot as you speak.
This is distracting and makes it harder for the deaf person to watch what you’re saying. , Some deaf people are better lip readers than other.
Some deaf people may prefer to write back and forth or to use an interpreter.
Many interactions between the deaf and the hearing require a combination of these methods.
The best way to know which methods are most effective is to ask.
If you know ahead of time that you’re going to be communicating with a deaf person, try to learn some basic sign language.
Greetings and simple phrases like “please,” “thank you,” and “how are you?” are useful and will make the person feel comfortable.
It’s also really helpful to learn the sign language alphabet.
If the deaf person uses an interpreter, always make sure to look at the deaf person while you talk, not the interpreter.
If you are looking at the interpreter, the deaf person will feel like they’re not really part of the conversation.
About the Author
Frank Wells
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow cooking tutorials.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: