H – Hand Waving, Light Flashing, Foot Stomping – These are all appropriate ways to get a Deaf person's attention. Hugging – Deaf people tend to hug each other on arrival and leaving, even if it is the first time they have met!
Additionally, deaf people rely on visual and physical cues for attention. To make your presence known, a simple tap on the shoulder or another visual signal like a wave is appropriate. Waving is usually a good initial option because if you don't know the person, they may not like being touched.
Broadly defined, communication for deaf individuals occurs through visual, auditory or tactile modes (for individuals who are deafblind). Common visual communication modes include American Sign Language (ASL), Cued Speech, speech reading (lip reading), and gestures.
Robert Weitbrecht, a deaf scientist, developed the teletypewriter (TTY) in the 1960s. With the invention of the acoustic coupler (which holds the telephone handset receiver) and the distribution of recycled teletype machines, deaf and hard of hearing people were able to call each other directly using these devices.
The following terms are offensive and should not be used at all: deaf mute deaf and dumb deaf without speech They are offensive because they assume the Deaf person cannot communicate – well. BSL is a language and many people find it a beautiful and exciting language to learn. Don't say “the deaf” – use “Deaf people”.
However, some terms such as hearing impaired, deaf-mute, deaf and dumb, hearing deficient, and disabled are considered offensive and should NOT be used.
As previously discussed, 90% of deaf children have hearing parents. The remaining 10% are deaf children that were born to deaf parents, and most are deaf due to a genetic abnormality. This being the case, there is a fair chance that they will pass their deafness on to their own children.
Some deaf people don't really have vocal capability but will try their best to speak. Others have some residual hearing left. They may be hard of hearing, and may be able to speak. Then there are those with even more residual hearing who may speak well and use speech reading to follow along in conversation.
Although there is no universal sign language, deaf people from different countries still manage to communicate with each other.
How to say “thank you” in Sign Language. To perform the sign “thank you” or “thanks” in American Sign Language (ASL), you take your dominant hand (depending on whether you are left- or right-handed) to your chin and move it slightly down and towards the person you are talking to.
Don't poke, jab, touch their head, or throw objects at a Deaf person. You wouldn't do these things to your hearing friends, or you shouldn't anyway. If you need a Deaf person's attention lightly tap on their shoulder, or wave at them once you know they can see you.
Don't Shout
This is a big one. Shouting at anyone is rude and shouting at someone with hearing loss is no different. Not only can it come across as aggressive, but it can also cause some hearing aid users discomfort. While you might not intend to shout, your voice might start getting louder without you realising.
Simply walk through without drawing any attention to yourself! This is not considered rude in Deaf Culture. When you stop and wait, or say excuse me, you are drawing attention to yourself. By doing this, you may be inadvertently interrupting the ASL conversation!
Body Language: Body language is crucially important in deaf culture. Much like how it would be rude to walk out of the room when someone is talking to you, in deaf culture, it is considered rude to look away when someone is signing to you.
When Deaf people are leaving a gathering of friends (and Deaf people who belong to the Deaf community tend to have many friends) they take much longer than most hearing people do to say goodbye. The custom is to seek out one's friends and in the process of saying goodbye, discuss when they next expect to meet.
Goodbye is the same as the traditional gesture for the word. Open your palm, folding down your fingers, then open your palm again. An ASL alternative for goodbye or bye-bye is to wave your open hand sideways, like a leaf swaying in the wind.
Primarily though, most completely deaf people think in sign language. Similar to how an “inner voice” of a hearing person is experienced in one's own voice, a completely deaf person sees or, more aptly, feels themselves signing in their head as they “talk” in their heads.
Mute: A mute is a person who does not speak, either from an inability to speak or an unwillingness to speak. The term "mute" is specifically applied to a person who, due to profound congenital (or early) deafness, is unable to use articulate language and so is deaf-mute.