People who are deaf or hard of hearing

• Do not make assumptions about how a deaf person will communicate. For example, a person may communicate by British Sign Language (BSL), may lip read, or may use a hearing aid. Always ask what the person's preferred method is.
• If you need to attract the person's attention, do so by lightly touching their arm or shoulder, or with a wave of your hand.
• If a sign language interpreter is present remember to speak to the deaf person rather than the interpreter. This may seem awkward to you because the deaf person will be looking at the interpreter and may not make eye contact with you during the conversation.
• If you are speaking through an interpreter, remember that the interpreter may lag a few words behind - especially if there are names or technical terms to be finger spelled - so pause occasionally to allow them to interpret completely and accurately.
• Unless you are specifically requested to do so, do not raise your voice when you are speaking directly to a person who is deaf. Sometimes it may help to use written notes, but again ask the person.
• Do not assume that everyone who is deaf can lip read. Always ask the person when you first meet them.
• If they do lip read remember the skill is never wholly reliable. It requires intense concentration and is very tiring.

There are some guidelines to follow when meeting a person who is lip reading:-

• look directly at the person and speak clearly but at regular pace.
• do not shout or over-emphasise speech as this will make lip-reading more difficult.
• use facial expressions, gestures and body movements to emphasise the words used (only 3 out of 10 words are visible on the lips).
• face the light and keep hands, cigarettes and food away from your face when speaking.