Effective Communication for Individuals with Hearing Loss

Event Planning

People who have hearing disabilities use different ways to communicate; for example, they may give and receive information through writing or sign language rather than through speech. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that organizations communicate “effectively” with students and visitors with disabilities. The goal is to ensure that communication with students and visitors with disabilities is equally effective as communication with people without disabilities. 

There are many ways to provide effective communication, including but not limited to: 

  • Writing communications via pen and paper or devices such as: 
    • an iPad, 
    • a phone (texting), 
    • the UbiDuo - a dual keyboard device that complies with security requirements for confidential communication (available for loan through UDR); 
  • Real-time ASL Interpreting; 
  • Video Remote Interpreting (VRI); 
  • Captioning or CART; 
  • Speech-to-text apps; 
  • Remote meeting/event technology such as Zoom, Teams, etc. for virtual “face-to-face" meetings.  Features include video that enables lipreading, audio control, chat box, and ability to utilize VRI and CART (note that enabling the automatic captioning feature, if available in your web conferencing platform, may be helpful but does not provide the level of accuracy necessary for an effective communication accommodation). 

Best practice is to consult with the individual with hearing loss to determine what is effective for them.   

In addition, there are several applications and services that Deaf and Hard-of Hearing individuals can install on their own personal devices which may provide communications functionality. These technologies may be used when communication with an individual who is wearing a mask may inhibit lipreading or other communication techniques.  While UDR does not endorse any particular vendor, below is a list of known applications. 

 The following Speech to Text apps are provided by the National Association for the Deaf: 

The following Typing Back and Forth Apps are provided by the National Association for the Deaf: 

The following apps are frequently used for captioning, sign language and/or relay: 

  • Clear Captions – real time captioning for making calls 
  • Hamilton Captel – real time captioning for making calls 
  • Sorenson nTouch – mobile Video Relay Service 
  • Purple VRI – mobile Video Relay Service 
  • P3 Mobile – part of Purple VRI, different platform offers multiple communication options

Masks

There are times when individuals or groups may decide to use masks. Traditional masks block visual access to the mouth, and may interfere with communication for community members who use lip-reading for communication.  

UDR has identified the following adapted mask as a possible alternative to traditional face masks: