Working with an Interpreter | Request Interpreter | Communication Tips
Tips for COMMUNICATING With Someone who is Deaf and USES SIGN LANGUAGE
A general formula based on the National Center for Health Statistics is 8.6% out of the general population are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. In New York, we have 18.4 million residents. With the formula, we would have about 1.58 million Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. In reality, there are 89,000 Deaf and 1.41 million Hard of Hearing people in New York City.
It would help to get the person’s attention with a wave of hand, a light tap on the shoulder, or other visual signals.
Try facing the person and position yourself so you are in a well-lit area for the person to see you well.
When you speak to the person, please keep the hands and objects away from your mouth and face. Person needs to see your facial expressions.
It would help to inform the person when the topic under discussion is changed.
To aid the flow of communication, paper and pen would be helpful. Using a computer to type messages would be another useful communication tool for writing messages back and forth.
Like in any conversations, it would be good to make sure if the person understands you and ask for feedback to ensure he/she understands you. The uses of body language, gestures, and facial expressions would greatly help person to understand you well.
The use of a qualified or certified sign language interpreter(s) would ensure no communication gap to exist between the person and the speaker.