Miss-Delectable
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/opinion/story.jsp?story=698630
Two large notices were displayed on the platform during the meeting at Wilton House last week about government recognition of sign language.
In bold lettering the one on the right declared we had 5,000 sign language users in Northern Ireland. In equally large letters, the placard on the left proclaimed that research by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) showed that more than 200,000 of the province's population suffered hearing loss of some kind.
The organisers were trying to demonstrate that the word 'deaf' has many different meanings and includes everything from total hearing loss through the various problems suffered by the hard of hearing and those deafened by accident or illness, to the slight but frustrating and annoying loss of sharpness that comes with age. A large number of those affected are too embarrassed to seek help.
Eye contact is the one thing that unites us. We can't relax and listen, so we have to concentrate and watch. I was reading this week the story of a man who organised a surprise dinner party for his deaf girlfriend with candles on the table to help create the romantic atmosphere he desired. Things took a turn for the worse when she told him she couldn't lip-read by candlelight!
Lip-reading is the means by which the vast majority of us communicate with the hearing world. Not everyone has the inclination or patience to learn sign language and quite often it's lip-reading or nothing. Some people are impossible while others are so clear and easy to understand that we can almost forget we are deaf. Quite often the secret is learning to read the facial expressions and small gestures such people make to try and help understanding.
Some years ago, Queen's University, Belfast, organised research into lip-reading as part of their studies into the benefits it brings to deafened folk and I was one of the guinea pigs. Without any information as to the content, and with the researcher keeping an expressionless face, we were examined on our understanding of the story being read to us. I always thought of myself as being quite a good lip-reader, but this was just impossible and I failed miserably. Lip-reading is not simply about reading lips.
Even the best of us function much better when the person speaking to us talks naturally and clearly without exaggerated mouthing, is not afraid to show animation or other emotion at the right moment, and has the patience to wait till we understand the subject under discussion.
This is called 'attitude' and many of my deaf friends tell me there are many occasions when a good attitude is just as helpful - and sometimes even better - than proficiency in sign language.
It's wise to take advantage, of course, of all the modern aids to communication on the market and the RNID will be glad to help with information on the new digital aids and cochlear implants.
But no matter what degree of hearing loss you suffer from, eye contact and facial clues from the lips and eyes remain paramount.
Whether we appreciate it or not, lip-reading is a vital adjunct to all other means of communication with the deaf.
Lip-reading classes have been in the news with the announcement that due to recent changes in funding for adult and community learning, classes are no longer subsidised and the fee has shot up from £10 to £100. As far as I know, similar increases have taken place in sign language classes, so communication with deaf people is no longer a cheap option.
Two large notices were displayed on the platform during the meeting at Wilton House last week about government recognition of sign language.
In bold lettering the one on the right declared we had 5,000 sign language users in Northern Ireland. In equally large letters, the placard on the left proclaimed that research by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) showed that more than 200,000 of the province's population suffered hearing loss of some kind.
The organisers were trying to demonstrate that the word 'deaf' has many different meanings and includes everything from total hearing loss through the various problems suffered by the hard of hearing and those deafened by accident or illness, to the slight but frustrating and annoying loss of sharpness that comes with age. A large number of those affected are too embarrassed to seek help.
Eye contact is the one thing that unites us. We can't relax and listen, so we have to concentrate and watch. I was reading this week the story of a man who organised a surprise dinner party for his deaf girlfriend with candles on the table to help create the romantic atmosphere he desired. Things took a turn for the worse when she told him she couldn't lip-read by candlelight!
Lip-reading is the means by which the vast majority of us communicate with the hearing world. Not everyone has the inclination or patience to learn sign language and quite often it's lip-reading or nothing. Some people are impossible while others are so clear and easy to understand that we can almost forget we are deaf. Quite often the secret is learning to read the facial expressions and small gestures such people make to try and help understanding.
Some years ago, Queen's University, Belfast, organised research into lip-reading as part of their studies into the benefits it brings to deafened folk and I was one of the guinea pigs. Without any information as to the content, and with the researcher keeping an expressionless face, we were examined on our understanding of the story being read to us. I always thought of myself as being quite a good lip-reader, but this was just impossible and I failed miserably. Lip-reading is not simply about reading lips.
Even the best of us function much better when the person speaking to us talks naturally and clearly without exaggerated mouthing, is not afraid to show animation or other emotion at the right moment, and has the patience to wait till we understand the subject under discussion.
This is called 'attitude' and many of my deaf friends tell me there are many occasions when a good attitude is just as helpful - and sometimes even better - than proficiency in sign language.
It's wise to take advantage, of course, of all the modern aids to communication on the market and the RNID will be glad to help with information on the new digital aids and cochlear implants.
But no matter what degree of hearing loss you suffer from, eye contact and facial clues from the lips and eyes remain paramount.
Whether we appreciate it or not, lip-reading is a vital adjunct to all other means of communication with the deaf.
Lip-reading classes have been in the news with the announcement that due to recent changes in funding for adult and community learning, classes are no longer subsidised and the fee has shot up from £10 to £100. As far as I know, similar increases have taken place in sign language classes, so communication with deaf people is no longer a cheap option.