Communications strategies for people with hearing loss
A person with hearing loss may undertake any of several strategies to improve her ability to communicate in a variety of situations. Each strategy will be effective in specific situations, and a variety of strategies may be adopted to accommodate a diversity of situations. Strategies include speech reading, cued speech, and sign language.
Speech reading is a more accurate term to describe what was formerly called “lip reading.” It involves the use of visual cues, primarily involving the speaker’s face, to extract information about the content of the speaker’s speech.
Cued speech refers to the use of the hands held near the mouth and manipulated to provide phonetic information to the listener. The primary benefit is to assist the listener to distinguish between sounds that are generally undistinguishable through speech reading.
Sign language refers to a variety of systems that involve the use of hand manipulation to convey language. The sign language spectrum runs from American Sign Language (ASL) to various forms of signed English.
More on this and related topics
October 2007 – Communication Strategies: It Takes Two to Tango!
May 2011 – Tools for enabling communication partners
Tools for enabling communication partners
Individuals with hearing loss communicate on a regular basis in a variety of communication environments for a variety of purposes with a number people, including spouses, children, medical personnel, caregivers, co-workers, clergy, members of the community, and more. As Ida Institute faculty member Joe Montano, EdD, says, “For every event in an individual’s life, there is a communication partner in a communication environment.” Full Story