When visiting or communicating with a resident who is D/deaf or hard of hearing, the following tips may be helpful to ensure you communicate effectively:

1. Make sure you have the person’s attention before you start speaking.
2. Places with good lighting (so that you can be lip-read) and little or no background noise are best for conversations.
3. Face the person so you can be lipread and speak clearly, using plain language, normal lip movements and facial expressions.
4. Check whether the person understands what you are saying and, if not, try saying it in a different way.
5. Keep your voice down as it’s uncomfortable for a hearing aid user if you shout and it looks aggressive

D/deaf or hard of hearing residents can also contact Camden Council using Sign Video, an online video-calling interpreting service. More information, including on how to make your first Sign Video call, can be found here.

Camden Council also have a number of videos in BSL on Adult Social Care-related topics such as support for carers, safeguarding, our What Matters approach. These can be found on our Camden Care Choices website. Further BSL videos can be found on the Sensory Needs website.

For any further support and information please contact Asif Iqbal, Rehabilitation Officer for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People ([email protected])