Communication Tips when working with Deaf people:

1. Maintain Eye contact.

2. Use paper and pencil.
3. Admit when you don’t understand.
4. Use appropriate ways to get attention: tap shoulder, wave, and stomp.
5. Learn to use TTY, Fax, Relay, Computer, Email, Text messaging etc.
6. Use terms Deaf and Hard-of Hearing.
7. Don’t cover your Face.
8. Don’t shout, talk into ear or mumble (a deaf person processes
information visibly not auditorily).
9. Don’t assume a deaf person is a good lipreader.
10.Don’t assume a person with a hearing aid can understand human
speech.
11.Don’t allow others to interrupt.
12.Don’t correct a deaf person’s English skills unless they ask for help.
13.Treat deaf people as individuals.

What can we do?

1. Learn ASL.
2. Respect and accept ASL.
3. Adapt the perspective that the Deaf are a linguistic minority.