Holiday Communicating

Family and the Holidays: Some of the Challenges
Being Deaf or Hard of Hearing during the holidays can present some tough issues: especially if the family you are going home to is all hearing and doesn’t sign. For those who use hearing aids, all of the background noise of family gatherings can make them more hassle than they’re worth! With so much conversation, lip-reading becomes difficult. If you have Deaf family members coming home, consider learning even basic signs or fingerspelling to ease the stress of communication in large crowds! Whether you can sign or not, remember to be patient and speak naturally. Screaming won’t help, and if you look away while talking to a Deaf person they may lose quite a bit of the dialogue. If asked to repeat what you said, do so! Take the time to have your chat, it can put both of you at ease: and it helps reassure your friend that the conversation is worthwhile. Happy holidays!