Communication is an important part of life, and there are many ways to communicate with someone. There’s spoken communication, written communication, speech reading, visual communication, tactile communication, cued speech, and sign language.
Everyone communicates differently, and you may slip up while communicating with somebody who is deaf or hard of hearing. You may accidentally say: "Did you hear about that?" and wonder if you've offended the person. Do not be embarrassed — just apologize if you feel like you should, and ask where the person you are communicating with stands on those types of phrases.
To clarify, here's how various types of communication are being defined in this context:
To properly communicate with somebody who is deaf or hard of hearing, consider these tips:
People First Language is a way of structuring how you speak, so that you are not saying someone is their disability, but someone has a disability. This is important so that it isn't stated or implied that someone's disability is the only thing that they are. People First Language is meant to be a way to further include people who have disabilities.
Absolutely, there are individuals who prefer other ways of being identified, and there is no one-size-fits-all label. Individual preferences should always be respected, but if you don't yet know where a person stands on this, Person First Language is generally agreeable.
An individual who is deaf or hard of hearing may use a companion or an aid. This is because every person with this type of disability has learned to adapt differently to the world, depending on many factors. One of the ways that people with disabilities adapt to the world is to find ways to do the things that they cannot, such as easily communicate with people who can hear in different settings.
Some settings are harder for people with any kind of hearing impairment to communicate in. Other aids simply make someone who has a hearing impairment feel safer going about their day.
By remaining respectful and following basic communication tips, you may be better prepared and more effective at communicating with an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing, even if you are not and even if they make use of companions or aids.