Advice for store employee's with deaf customers

R

RonJaxon

New Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
518
Reaction score
2
In this post from Mechanical he talks about how employees at stores sometimes are rude and don't know how to deal with a deaf customer. It's great that there are people out there like him that are willing to help.

I have some friends who are managers of stores in my area. One of them took a sign language class (Mainly because he's my friend and wanted to better communicate with me). But at the store he works at there's a sign that says that if anyone is deaf and needs assistance to ask for my friend.

This got me to thinking. Maybe I can put something together that has advice and techniques for ways they can better help deaf customers and have them present this to their employees. Something like a "How to better assist deaf customers" booklet or something like that.

I'm thinking that many stores have or can have employee meetings and they can share this information with them.

So, what advice would you give to an employee of a store? Something like, "If you help a customer that is deaf then here are some tips, techniques and methods you can use to better assist them.

I would of course start out with the basics like speak normally but clearly.

I'm sure many of you, myself included, have run into employees that made things harder then they needed to be. Some are downright rude.

So share any thoughts or advice you might have on this. Perhaps share any stories that might have happened to you and describe what they could have done to make the situation easier.

When it's finished I'll share it with you all and also test this out with the stores my friends work at.

PS - Thanks for the inspiration Mechanical.
 
Part of the problem is that people are used to dealing with learning disabilities and mental retardation, not deafness; and the incidental rate with deaf people is fairly low. Yes, I know 10% of any given population have a hearing loss, however compare that to people who have learning disabilities-- and we pale in comparison.

Traditionally, what Deaf people have done is the ol' "word by mouth" method. So if the service is superb at one place, then all the Deaf people in the area use that service. However this have an inherited problem: blacklisting.

For your purpose though:

Speaking "clearly" translate to "speak louder." I would suggest re-phrasing or repeating the sentence without modifying the tone of voice. Also, make the suggestion NOT to to be afraid of using the computer or pen and pad method. Also let the deaf person control the method of communications, not the employee.
 
I've noticed that my husband (who manages a resturant) gets a LOT of repeat buisness by Deaf customers. He signs with them and they love it so they come back, and then recommend it to their friends.
 
Awesome and thanks for the input.

Here's what I got so far. What do you think? Let me know if there's anything you think I should change, add or take away. I just figured we, deaf, would be the best people to know what would really be helpful. It would be great if every store had someone who could sign. I'll also make mention of this in the guide. But for now just getting them to understand and share some tips would be helpful.

Anyway, this is just what I have so far.

How to better assist a deaf customer

If your job requires you to deal with customers. Then from time to time you might have to communicate with a deaf person. Shopping and asking for help from an employee can be a very frustrating task to a deaf person if the employee doesn't know how to communicate with them. Many people have misconceptions on how to communicate with the deaf. So below are some tips, methods and advice that will help you to better assist a deaf customer.

Why is this important?
First of all it's always good for business to have satisfied customers. Because getting assistance can be so challenging for deaf customers. Deaf communities often share their experiences with places that are good at assisting deaf customers. If a deaf person visits an establishment that is “deaf friendly” they'll share their experience with other deaf people they know. This is one of the reasons some establishments have more deaf customers then others. As one woman put it:

“I've noticed that my husband (who manages a restaurant) gets a LOT of repeat business by Deaf customers. He signs with them and they love it so they come back, and then recommend it to their friends.”

Deaf. Not dumb!
First of all do not confuse “deafness” with a learning disabilities or any form of mental retardation. A deaf person can be just as smart as any hearing person can be. Simply put, there is only one thing a deaf person cannot do and that is they can't hear. So do not treat them like they have any sort of mental disability.

How to speak
The most common method a deaf person communicates with hearing people is known as Lip reading. It's important to understand that the term “Lip Reading” really isn't an accurate description of how they are observing what you are saying. They are not only watching your lips when you talk. They are in fact observing every form of visual communication. This included your eyes, facial expressions, body language and hand gestures. The deaf person will most likely focus on the middle of your face but they are taking your entire upper body and face into their observation.

  • Speak naturally but also speak clearly.

  • Do not focus your speech on your mouth. If you do this then you will not use the other forms of visual communication that we naturally make when we are talking such as facial expressions. Because you'll be focusing on your mouth.

  • Do not speak unnaturally loud. Some people seem to think that speaking louder will help a deaf person hear them better. But that doesn't make sense because to a deaf person volume doesn't mean anything. If you speak unnaturally loud then you won't be speaking naturally.

  • Do not speak unnaturally slow. Again, speaking unnaturally in any way will hinder their ability to understand you because you will not be using all of your forms of visual communication.


  • Be sure your face is not covered by anything. This means nothing is in or covering your mouth. Even having chewing gum in your mouth can effect their ability to read what you are saying. Sunglasses can also impair their ability to understand you because we also speak with our eyes.

  • Do not have a bright light behind you. If there is the brightness of the light will make it harder for them to see you.

  • Don't be afraid to use other forms of communication when needed such as writing things down on a piece of paper.

Sign Language
In an ideal world it would be beneficial to have an employee or two that knows sign language. If this is possible then you can put a sign in your establishment announcing that you're company is “Deaf Friendly” and that they can ask for an employee who knows sign language to assist them.

Of course this isn't always going to be possible. It would still be a good idea if your employee's at least learn how to finger spell the alphabet. When a deaf person cannot pick up what's being said to them with lip reading. All that's usually needed to assist them is to finger spell a key word or two. Look at this example:

“Do you want the warranty?”

If after a couple of repeats the deaf person still can't make out what you said. Then finger spelling the word “Warranty” would usually be all that's needed for the deaf person to know what you're asking. In this case having a questioning look on your face (Raised eye browse) would let them know that you're asking them a question about a warranty.

Print the below image out and hand it out to your employees to study. They'll most likely have fun practicing on each other which will aid in learning the alphabet.

finger.jpg
Click to expand...


I'll find a better finger spelling image but I just grabbed that one for now.
 
Last edited:
faire_jour said:
I've noticed that my husband (who manages a resturant) gets a LOT of repeat buisness by Deaf customers. He signs with them and they love it so they come back, and then recommend it to their friends.
Click to expand...

I do the same. I tend to go back to the places where I got good service. But in a way we should go to those places with bad service so we can teach them how to serve a Deaf person.
 
I remember about 15 years ago, I was on vacation and I went into a 7-11. The cashier had a little pin on that said "I Speak Sign" and I thought that was so neat. I wanted one for myself even though I was too young to have a job!
 
CJB said:
I do the same. I tend to go back to the places where I got good service. But in a way we should go to those places with bad service so we can teach them how to serve a Deaf person.
Click to expand...

I recently moved a 20 minute subway ride across the city. In my old neighborhood I knew all of the places to go that were Deaf friendly. There was a book store with a few employees that knew enough ASL to get through a "I am look for X" conversation and "your total comes to $X". There was a cafe where I went every morning for coffee where a few people could sign a bit and the others were fantastic gesturers. There are some restaurants that my friends and I frequent and others where we don't go back because they were bad about interacting with us.

Anyway - my point is that even though I have moved across the city I still go to that book store, I still go to that cafe, I still go to the those restaurants and I travel to do so...just for the access.
 
The number 1 suggestion: treat your employees well so that they are content at work and provide customer service. A stressed, unappreciated employee does not provide good customer service. I can tell which stores treat their employees badly. The workers are always grumpy or apathetic, and I don't go back there.
 
Good point Sallylou

Thanks for sharing your experiences and ideas so far. They've been helpful. Please keep them coming. I really hope this will help some people.

Ron
 
I suggest adding something about not making up signs as if you know sign language. I have encountered store employees who pretended they knew sign language and started making up signs that did NOT make sense to me at all and it just turned me off. It felt like they were mocking me or something.
 
shel90 said:
I suggest adding something about not making up signs as if you know sign language. I have encountered store employees who pretended they knew sign language and started making up signs that did NOT make sense to me at all and it just turned me off. It felt like they were mocking me or something.
Click to expand...

I've had that happen quite a few times too. It can be annoying but the last time it happened I turned it into a joke. When they acted like they where signing but where really just moving their hands and fingers around. I said very loudly, "Dude, You just asked me to marry you!!" :giggle:

Good point. I'll think about how to word that and add it in there.
 
I am very happy that you made the post about store employees with Deaf customers. You have made a good suggestions from ADers including yourself on this. Right on!!!! That will help employees learn and become aware of our deafness when serving us with their services. Ignorance against Deaf people is hard to swallow and we might not come back if this happen. I don't have any suggestion to give you, but ADers have good ideas like Shel and fair_jour. That is the way to do it. :D
 
I now go to only one convenience store because the clerk cared enough to learn one phrase. "hello, how are you?". I will now drive out of my way to go where some one gave a hoot.

Good posts!
 
sallylou said:
The number 1 suggestion: treat your employees well so that they are content at work and provide customer service. A stressed, unappreciated employee does not provide good customer service. I can tell which stores treat their employees badly. The workers are always grumpy or apathetic, and I don't go back there.
Click to expand...

:gpost:
 
RonJaxon said:
I've had that happen quite a few times too. It can be annoying but the last time it happened I turned it into a joke. When they acted like they where signing but where really just moving their hands and fingers around. I said very loudly, "Dude, You just asked me to marry you!!" :giggle:
Click to expand...

:rofl2: Such a great way to deal with it!
 
I will go back to a place where the employees take the time to figure out how to use my Brailtalk and use it with me. I will go back to a place where the people didn't yell at me or speak to me in a ridiculously drawn out manner. I will go back to a place where the employees just treat me like a human being.

I know yelling/speaking in a drawn out or overly articulated manner are the natural inclinations for many but I always say "I cannot hear you any better if you yell or draw out your words; please spell out your message on my Brailtalk" and more often then not, the types that start out by yelling or drawing out their words continue doing so even after I've explained to them it doesn't help me in the least. These are the kind of places I will not go back to.
 
Nan_Mathews said:
I now go to only one convenience store because the clerk cared enough to learn one phrase. "hello, how are you?". I will now drive out of my way to go where some one gave a hoot.

Good posts!
Click to expand...

I love when people take the time to ask me how I'm doing! Anyone who does that gets repeat business from me! :mrgreen:
 
Back
Top