Accessible to deaf people? Of course we are. Aren’t we?
Push Button Door Opener
It’s quite natural for people working for public services to consider that what they do, they do in the right way and that their services are accessible. Of course, sometimes there are challenges when foreign visitors, travellers or migrants begin accessing the services and we generally rise to that with the help of telephone interpreting services. But our indigenous population have access to our services, don’t they? Well that may be true until it comes to our services being accessible to deaf people.
Deaf, deafblind, deafened, hard of hearing. What does it all mean? Generally people will use the term ‘deaf’ as a coverall – although there are still those referring to deaf people as ‘deaf and dumb’. Those are the same people who don’t understand why deaf people object to being called dumb. If you look it up in the dictionary, you might just get an idea: lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted.
And how about the synonyms: incoherent; inarticulate; and my most despised – uncommunicative. Uncommunicative? Deaf sign language users are some of the most communicative, expressive people I know.
the word ‘deaf’ doesn’t actually tell them enough about an individual’s communication requirements
Unfortunately many organisations don’t recognise that the word ‘deaf’ doesn’t actually tell them enough about an individual’s communication requirements and, of course, it forces them to make assumptions and prejudgements based on little or no facts.
One of the biggest problems when it comes to accessible service is, in my mind, the idea that there is just one strand of diversity, just one of the nine protected characteristics for disability. What on earth were they thinking?
What that says is that access for blind people means the same as access for wheelchair users and that access for wheelchair users means the same as access for deaf people. No!
When will they realise that one size does not fit all?
How can it? All these people in charge really need to think about is what happens if we ask our independent advisory group a question. You see, these people, often volunteers who sit on the IAGs, are there to provide their feedback and information from their perspective. What that means is that a black man can say how a black man feels about a particular policy and a trans person can talk about their thoughts or experience regarding a specific procedure. Of course they are meant to be representative of people from similar backgrounds.
Independent Advisory Group meeting
And that’s where it all falls down. That group of people identified as ‘disabled’ are so diverse that it is a physical impossibility for a disabled person to represent disabled people in a truly meaningful manner.
I don’t care … it doesn’t bother me
Let me give you an example. The council are redesigning a pavement in the middle of town and they are keen to seek feedback on their plans and, on this occasion, they ask a wheelchair user, a blind woman and a deaf man.
The wheelchair user says that he would prefer it if they did away with the kerb stones as it would make it much easier to get across the road at any point along the route. The blind woman who uses a cane, says that she would really like it if they could install tactile paving at the dropped kerb zones but otherwise maintain the kerb line as it is a reference point and helps her to tap / feel her way along the pathway. The deaf man says, “I don’t care … it doesn’t bother me”; and why should it?
The point is that if that were one disabled person on an advisory group, he/she can’t give a disabled viewpoint because it’s simply too dependent.
Drill down further and you realise that if a deaf person is asked a question about access requirements, the diversity within that coverall term means that the individual’s response will not make a service fit for all.
1 in 7 of the population
You see, as I said at the beginning, it’s a broad group … Deaf, deafblind, deafened, hard of hearing. These are some of the terms out there. It’s not about labelling people but it does start to give an idea; a pointer towards communication preference.
1 in 7 of the population has some degree of deafness from profound to slight and depending where someone is on the spectrum will influence their communication needs and it would be useful, I’m sure, if I explain what I mean by those terms.
Deaf with a capital D
The term Deaf with a capital D is used to indicate that the person has severe to profound deafness, uses British Sign Language as their first or preferred means of communication and identifies as part of the Deaf Community. There is no official number of ‘big D’ Deaf people in the UK and estimates vary with some figures putting it around 156,000.
As the name suggests, British Sign Language is specific to the British Isles and sign language is not international. The French have their LSF or Langue de Signes Française, the Germans have their DGS or Deutsche Gebärdensprache. In Australia there is Auslan, which has similarities to British Sign Language, and despite Americans speaking English, their ASL or American Sign Language is actually closer to French Sign Language.
Deafblind
The term deafblind refers to someone who has a dual sensory impairment and this can have an impact on both communication and mobility. It does not always mean that the person is profoundly deaf and completely blind. On the one hand, it may mean that the person is profoundly deaf with a visual impairment and, on the other hand that the person is blind and hard of hearing and anywhere between. There are an estimated 23,000 deafblind people with a serious dual sensory impairment whilst the number of those with some degree of both sight and hearing impairment is estimated at 250,000.
Because of the significant differences across the range of deafblind people, communication varies too. Some deafblind people will rely on amplified sound or large print; some on sign language with close visual framing; some on ‘hands-on’ sign language; others with Deafblind Manual or Deafblind block. Some deafblind people, who were blind and then became deaf, may rely on Braille or other tactile communication such as Moon. There is even a form of tactile lipreading called Tadoma.
Deafblind woman using Tadoma
Deafened
The term deafened refers to those people who become deaf later in life after acquiring written and oral English and they are likely to rely on written notes and may achieve lip-reading skills. There are around 120,000 deafened people and this may have resulted from accident, injury or illness.
only about 30-40% of what we say is visible on the lips
Hard of Hearing
The term hard of hearing is used to describe people who have some difficulty hearing. The majority of this group do not use sign language but may lipread and be assisted by aids to communication such as hearing aids, lipspeakers, speech to text reporters, notetakers and so on. Lipreading is not something that everyone can do with only about 30-40% of what we say being visible on the lips.
So, with that brief explanation, it is clear that referring to someone as ‘deaf’ doesn’t really help at all when it comes to designing accessible services.
A tick-box process
The next problem comes from where disability access sits within any organisation. Generally it will be with the building and property services department … the department responsible for considering the buidling regulations and for ensuring doorways are wide enough, counters are low enough, ramps are in place and wall / floor colours contrast appropriately. They may install a hearing loop although they are often not maintained.
Disability access requirements tend to be a tick box process; a fix and forget procedure.
Access means much more than how you get in the building or up the stairs; it includes access to information and access to service.
Access means much more than how you get in the building or up the stairs; it includes access to information and access to service.
So where does deaf access really sit? The truth is that so often it sits nowhere and, at the same time, it should sit everywhere. Access means much more than how you get in the building or up the stairs; it includes access to information and access to service.
If you want a service that is accessible to deaf people, first you need to have an understanding of what that actually means; not an assumption but a true understanding. Secondly, you need to try to map your community and be prepared to be challenged. And thirdly, you need to appreciate that the duty under the Equality Act 2010 is an ‘anticipatory duty’ and that means that you need to make your services accessible now and not wait to see if someone asks for them to be accessible. Organisations need to see the communication barrier and, most importantly, don’t stop at it but get over it!
The communication barrier
You think your services are accessible to deaf people?
Think again.
