Communication support

Deafened people can usually manage communication face to face but group situations are much more difficult. Even three is a crowd.

Communication support will often be required if deafened people are to participate in and contribute to many employment situations, meetings and public events. The notes below give general guidance but the communication support needed will depend on the type and extent of hearing loss as well as the size and type of meeting group involved. It is important to remember that the type of communication support to be provided will normally need to be agreed and arranged in advance.

Induction Loops

Premises used for public meetings sometimes have induction loops in the meeting rooms and this goes some way to meeting the obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) - (see also Factsheet 6.) However, the quality of sound received from a loop is very variable, depending on how well it has been installed and maintained, the positioning of microphones collecting sound and feeding it to the loop, and the acoustics and furnishing of the room. A loop will only be of use to someone using a hearing aid or cochlear implant with a T-switch.

Radio Microphones

At lectures or similar events the sound quality can be much improved by the use of a radio microphone system. The person speaking wears a radio transmitter, usually a tie-clip microphone, and the user wears a receiver which feeds a neck loop to drive the inductive pick-up facility on a hearing aid or cochlear implant. With some systems, connectors allow the signal to be fed into the accessory shoe on the hearing aid or cochlear implant. Educational institutions should be equipped to provide this type of system on request as a “reasonable adjustment” under the DDA.

Speech-to-Text Reporters

An STTR will type a phonetic representation of what is being said onto a special electronic keyboard (either Palantype or Stenograph), which is linked to a laptop. Special software will then convert the phonetic chords back into English, which is then displayed for the deaf person to read. The text is displayed either on a laptop screen for one or two deaf users, or projected onto a large screen for more users. The STTR produces a word-for-word account of what is said at speeds in excess of 200 words per minute (wpm) and will also give extra information, such as {laughter} or {applause}, to keep the deaf person informed of the mood of the meeting. For many deafened people speech-to-text will be their preferred form of support, but currently there are only about 25 STTRs registered with NRCPD. This means that in several areas of the country, speech-to-text can only be obtained by the STTR travelling some distance, which increases the already substantial cost payable for this service.

Lipspeakers

Lipspeakers work with deaf people who prefer to communicate through lipreading and speech. The lipspeaker listens to what is being said and silently repeats it to the lipreader, using exceptionally clear speech movements, reproducing the rhythm and phrasing of the words used by the speaker, and supporting the meaning with gesture and facial expression. The lipspeaker can fingerspell the initial letters of any difficult words and acronyms.

Electronic Notetakers

Electronic notetakers type a summary of what is said onto a computer keyboard with the text output on screen for the deaf person to read. Electronic notetakers work with deaf people who are comfortable reading English, as all notes are typed in English. The summarised notes are the property of the deaf person at the end of the meeting.

Electronic notetakers work primarily in the educational environment, and aim to provide a précis of what is being said, rather than a word for word verbatim record. For situations requiring full verbatim access an STTR should be booked, but because STTRs are in such short supply in many parts of the country, situations may arise where an electronic notetaker can be obtained but an STTR cannot. How to proceed in such cases is a matter of personal preference and judgement: electronic notetakers are not qualified to meet the 200 words per minute standard used for STTRs, but some of the better electronic notetakers can work at over 100 wpm.

Personal Meetings

Make sure in advance that the person you are meeting knows of your hearing loss and any communication needs. Request one-to-one in a quiet room if possible, where you may be able to manage but if you feel that will be insufficient, clear speaking and written support, or a loop system is not an unreasonable request. If your meeting is about important matters that you need to fully understand, such as with a GP or solicitor, it is not unreasonable that suitable communication support should be made available to allow you to adequately follow all that is said.

Public Meeting, Conferences, Training or Other Events

A position near the speaker or a loop system should be considered first. If that support cannot be made available, or gives the deafened person no useful benefit, a lipspeaker, electronic notetaker or STTR may be needed.

Employment and Service Providers

Under the original 1995 Disability Discrimination Act all employers and service providers have a duty to make “reasonable adjustments” to allow customers with disabilities to access their services on an equal footing. This might mean a solicitor or doctor arranging to provide communication support for hearing impaired customers during one-to-one discussions, or an employer arranging suitable support for a deaf member of staff attending a training course. These provisions have been further strengthened by the 2005 DDA, which includes a specific duty on Public Bodies requiring them to actively seek to engage people with disabilities in public life. This could include providing support to allow a hearing impaired person to serve as a local councillor, or to attend a public consultation meeting being run by the public body.

Booking Communication Support

Once it has been agreed that communication support supplied by a Communication Professional (Speech-to-Text Reporters, Electronic Notetakers or Lipspeakers) should be provided, a suitable provider needs to be found. It should be noted that the level of supply of these services in the UK at present is shamefully low (especially for STTRs) so you will need to give as much notice as possible of your requirements.

NADP strongly recommends the use of Communication Professionals who are on the National Registers of Communication Professionals for Deaf People (NRCPD):

NRCPD details are online only at: http://www.nrcpd.org.uk.

Inclusion on the NRCPD registers confirms the quality standards defined by Signature (formerly CACDP) and confirms that they are committed to an appropriate professional Code of Practice.

Alternatively you can approach any of the individual organisations listed in
Factsheet 1, Section 1b, Contacts for Communication Support.

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