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Hello there! My name is Daniel Jillings, and I am a current first-year History student at Exeter. I am profoundly Deaf, and I was born without a cochlea in both ears, meaning I cannot use hearing aids or cochlear implants. British Sign Language (BSL) is my first and native language, making written English my second language. I am also the President of Exeter BSL Society, which was recently activated. I decided to write this blog to celebrate Deaf Awareness Week (May 5 -11), as this is a great opportunity to share some useful tips when communicating with Deaf people like me.
An important thing to keep in mind is that deafness is a spectrum. It would be a mistake to assume that all Deaf people have the same experiences or communication preferences. According to the RNID, there are over18 million adults in the UK who are Deaf or have other forms of deafness, such as tinnitus. I am profoundly Deaf, but many people are mildly, moderately or severely Deaf, and they might also use various types of technology like hearing aids, cochlear implants or bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs). Some deaf people choose to use speech only, but at the other end of the spectrum, there are those who use BSL solely. However, there are a great number of people who use both speech and BSL to communicate with others. When communicating with a Deaf person, it is crucial to understand that not all Deaf people are the same. The aim of Deaf Awareness Week is to highlight these differences that make up the Deaf community, which is rich in culture and heritage.
The following tips might seem obvious, but it is always good to remind ourselves how simple things can make communication easier for all of us. I struggle with lipreading, contrary to the misconception that all Deaf people can lipread.
Did you know that only 30% of the English language can be understood through lipreading? Due to having no hearing, I find it almost impossible to lip-read people. Yet, you can make lipreading less of a struggle by talking normally and not exaggerating your mouth patterns (it really doesn’t help!) and speaking at a steady pace, instead of speaking slowly or quickly. In conversation with people wearing hearing aids or cochlear implants, it is important to ensure that there is minimal background noise. For example, a busy café is not the ideal setting for a meeting, but a quiet room is perfect. Deaf people, including myself, often struggle with group conversations (both formally and informally), so make sure to speak one at a time and don’t talk over each other.
Furthermore, most importantly, when a Deaf person asks you to repeat what you said, please do not reply with “I will tell you later” or “it’s not important”. I have experienced this so many times, and it is extremely isolating. Instead, please be patient and repeat what you said with clarity, or you could write it on paper or your phone. The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) has a lot of helpful tips you could use.
Finally, I think the best way to become more Deaf-aware is to learn some basic BSL. It is not difficult to sign “good morning” or “how are you”! A lot of people might be nervous when learning BSL but seeing someone trying to sign something always makes me feel included and welcome. There are tons of resources that you could use to learn some BSL, but Signature (the leading awarding body for BSL) has an online beginners BSL course that you could join for just £10. If you want to know more about Deaf awareness, BSL, or anything to do with the Deaf community, please don’t hesitate to contact the Exeter BSL Society.
Thank you for reading this blog!