Communicating With The Hearing Impaired
As people get older, things start to weaken like sight and even hearing and whether you’re trying to talk to a client about credit card debt settlement or touch base with loved ones, it pays to know how to communicate when it comes to a person who has suffered from hearing loss.
For starters, one of the important things to remember is that you don’t necessarily need to know how to sign in order to have a fruitful and understanding dialogue with someone suffering from hearing loss. Often times, many of these people know how to read lips and it’s simply a matter of facing them and speaking calmly and clearly – pretty much like you should speak to anyone else. You could also use gestures to further drive home your point but you want to make sure you avoid being condescending when you do this. Writing implements can also help in matters like these.
And remember, if you decide to communicate through an interpreter, always address the person you are speaking to, not the interpreter. The interpreter is there to translate your words, but he or she is not the person you are having the conversation with. And above all else, be polite when speaking to the hearing impaired.
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