Dinner Table Syndrome, eh?

Imagine walking into the middle of a conversation and trying to catch up without all the information – seems simple enough, right? Now imagine having to do this for every single conversation during a meal or friendly get-together. This is a small glimpse into Dinner Table Syndrome, a common situation for Deaf/hard of hearing individuals in social settings that mix Deaf and hearing participants, such as meals, where they face challenges in keeping up with conversations and social cues. 

According to a Nova Southeastern University publication, Deaf people do not rely on the same social cues as hearing people: “Hearing individuals’ turn-taking rules include use of auditory cues to get a turn and to cue others when a new speaker is beginning a turn. Given these mechanisms, hearing individuals frequently interrupt each other—even if they are signing. When deaf individuals attempt to obtain a turn, they are frequently lost in the ongoing dialogue. This experience, wherein deaf individuals are excluded from the flow of conversations at mealtime, is known as the dinner table syndrome.”

Even for those that lipread, if there’s 10 friends in a conversation, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with what’s being said. As a result, people who don’t hear well get perpetually lost in the dialogue by asking those around them what they’re talking about, what the joke is, if their friends could repeat, and so on. But sadly, they’re often brushed off or ignored. “It’s not important”, “I’ll tell you later”, and “It doesn’t matter” are all responses Deaf people receive if they get a response at all. This leaves us feeling frustrated, hurt, and isolated from the social commotion happening in front of us. Unfortunately, this situation doesn’t just happen at the dinner table; it could happen in any social gathering setting such as pub nights, hikes, car rides, and study sessions.