Chapter 1 - General Information

Hearing Loss and Deafness

• Section 1 - Some information which may help you to understand your own deafness 

• Section 2 - Will anything help me to hear better? Will anything help me to manage better?

• Section 3 - What should I do if I have a hearing loss? Go to your doctor (your GP)

• Section 4 - I don’t think that I am deaf. It’s other people who think that I am deaf.

 Hearing Aids

Section 5 - Is it worth getting a hearing aid?

Section 6 - One hearing aid or two hearing aids?

Section 7 - Hopes and expectations about hearing aids

Section 8 - On your first or follow up visits to the hospital

Section 9 -  Hearing aids and hearing aid moulds

Section 10 - Digital and analogue hearing aids

Section 11 - General tips on using hearing aids and listening

 Methods of Communicating

Section 12 - Lipreading

Section 13- Writing 

Section 14 - Fingerspelling

Section 15 - Sign Language

Section 16 - Alternative methods of communication

 Strategies for communicating

Section 17 - Getting good environmental conditions for listening and lipreading

Section 18 - Leading the conversation in a tactful way

Section 19 - To avoid interrupting a speaker

Section 20 - "Checking" (making sure that you know exactly what has been said)

Section 21 - Using badges and communication cards to let people know you have a hearing loss

Section 22 - Some ideas on easing some of the difficulties with other people

Section 23 - Own Voice

Section 24 - The Ear Symbol 

Section 25 - Deaf Centres

 Conditions related to deafness

Section 26 - Meniere's Disease

Section 27 - Tinnitus

Section 28 - Loudness Recruitment and Hyperacusis

Section 29 - Relaxation

 How the speaker can help

Section 30 - Helpful tips for anybody who speaks to deaf people 

Go to top of page

Chapter 2 - Family and Visitors

Section A - The Family

Section B - Visitors to the house

Chapter 3 - Travel

Section 1 - Travelling in general
1.a. Planning journeys and finding information about public transport

Section 2 - Travelling by train
2.a. The disabled person’s railcard
2.b. Trains and train stations
2.b.i    Getting information about the train journey from train stations or travel agents
2.b.ii   Buying the train ticket
2.b.iii  Finding the right platform and the right train
2.b.iv  Getting off the train at the right station
2.b.v.  General strategies on trains and stations
2.b.vi  Underground trains

Section 3 - Travelling on local buses
3.a.  Getting information about the bus journey from bus stations or travel agents
3.b.  Buying bus passes and tickets
3.c.  Finding the right bus stop at a bus station (or in the street) and the right bus
3.d.  Getting off the bus at the right bus stop
3.e.  General strategies on local buses

Section 4 - Travelling by coaches
4.a. On the coach and managing "stop offs"

Section 5 - Planes and airports
5.a. Getting information and buying plane tickets
5.b. Finding the right plane
5.c. On the plane
5.d. General strategies in planes and airports
5.e. On arrival by plane

Section 6 - Travelling by car
6.a. As a driver
6.b. Communicating with a passenger if you are a deaf driver
6.c. As a passenger
6.d. Breakdowns
            6.d.i   Breakdowns in general
            6.d.ii  Breakdowns on a motorway
            6.d.iii Breakdowns off a motorway

Section 7 - Holidays in general

Go to top of page

Chapter 4 - Crowded rooms

Section A page 1 - Crowded rooms

A.a. Making the most of the environment (Crowded rooms)
A.b. Choice of party/meeting etc (Crowded rooms)
A.c. Choice of person to talk to (Crowded rooms)
A.d. Hearing aids and hearing strategies (Crowded rooms)
A.e. Lipreading (Crowded rooms)
A.f. Explanations and getting help (Crowded rooms)

Section A page 2 - Crowded rooms continued

A.g. Bluffing (Crowded rooms)
A.h. Ways of getting back into a conversation (Some will be relevant if you are trying to join a conversation) (Crowded rooms)
A.i. Looking after yourself and feeling OK (Crowded Rooms)
A.j. Taking a break from conversation (Crowded rooms)
A.k. Talking (Crowded rooms)
A.l. Before the party (Crowded rooms)
A.m. Give your own party (Crowded rooms)
A.n. General (Crowded rooms)

Section B - Dinner parties (or restaurants and pubs, etc)

B.a. Environment (Dinner parties, restaurants and pubs, etc)
B.b. Choice of people to talk to (Dinner parties, restaurants and pubs, etc)
B.c. Hearing aids and hearing strategies (Dinner party, restaurants and pubs, etc)
B.d. Lipreading (Dinner parties, restaurants and pubs, etc)
B.e. Explanations and getting help (Dinner parties, restaurants and pubs, etc)
B.f. General (Dinner parties, restaurants and pubs, etc)

Section C - Meetings and lectures, etc

C.a. Environment (Meetings and lectures)
C.b. Where to sit (Meetings and lectures)
C.c. Professional help and equipment which hearing impaired people may need at meetings and lectures
C.d. It is useful to tell the Chair/speaker/official before the meeting how s/he can help (Meetings and lectures)
C.e. How people besides the chair can help you (Meetings and lectures)
C.f. Explanations (Meetings and lectures)
C.g. Contributing to the meeting (Meetings and lectures)
C.h. Being the chairperson (Meetings and lectures)
C.i. General (Meetings and lectures)

Go to top of page

Chapter 5 - Out of doors

Introduction

Section A - Asking and being asked directions (out of doors)

Section B - Where to stand/walk when chatting (out of doors)

Section C - Explanations (out of doors)

Section D - Hearing Aids (out of doors)

Section E -  Getting used to hearing aids outdoors

Section F - Rain

Section G - To avoid being knocked down in the street

Section H - In the dark (out of doors)

Section I - Football matches

Section J - In the park

Section K - Activities (out of doors)

Section L - General (out of doors)

Go to top of page

Chapter 6 - Environmental Aids and Strategies for: the door, TV and radio, loop systems, telephone, the baby and alarm clocks. 

Plus: Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

Introduction

What are environmental aids?
Obtaining environmental aids

Section A - Answering the door
A.a. Strategies with callers at the door
A.b. Environmental aids to help with the doorbell

Section B - The television and radio
B.a. Strategies to help with understanding the television and radio
B.b. Strategies to listen to conversation when visiting other people and when the TV is on
B.c. Environmental aids to help with understanding the television or radio
B.d. Subtitles on TV

Section C - Loop systems
C.a. For loop systems in the home: see TV and radio section and the doorbell
C.b. Loop systems in other public places and other people's homes etc
C.c. Loop systems in the car

Section D - Telephones
D.a. Solutions provided by telephone equipment
D.b. Environmental aids and strategies to help with knowing when the telephone rings
D.c. Environmental aids to make voices clearer on the telephone
D.d. How to find the best way, of using the telephone handset
D.e. Some explanations to give on the telephone
D.f. Some ways to deal with names and numbers on the telephone
D.g. General points about the telephone
D.h. How the speaker can be helpful to hearing impaired people on the telephone
D.i. Understanding what people say if you cannot hear on telephone (Text equipment and lipreading strategies)
D.j. Video phones
D.k. mobile phones

Section E - Finding whether the baby or an ill person is calling out

Section F - Alarm clocks

Section G - Hearing Dogs

Go to top of page

Chapter 7 - Chapter 7 - Miscellaneous

Section 1 - In your own kitchen

1.a. Reducing background noise in the Kitchen
1.b. Hearing aids (Kitchen)
1.c. Talking to people (Kitchen)
1.d. General (Kitchen)
1.e. General (Kitchen diners/ Dining Room)

Section 2 - Work

 

Section 3 - Shops

 

Section 4 - Hairdressers and barbers

 

Section 5 - Doctors, clinics and waiting areas, etc

5.a. The receptionist/nurse (Doctor's reception area)
5.b. Avoiding having to lipread too many questions (Doctor's reception area)
5.c. Explanations about deafness (Doctor's room)
5.d. Going with a helper (Doctor's room)
5.e. General (Doctor's room)

Section 6 - Visiting or staying in hospital

6.a. Explanations (hospital)
6.b. General (Hospital)

Section 7 - Accidents

 

Section 8 - Dentists

8.a. In the dentist's room
8.b. General (Dentists)
8.c. Taking a helper (Dentists)

Section 9 - Optician/eye hospital

 

Section 10 - Banks, building societies and post-offices

10.a. The International Ear Symbol in banks and building societies, etc
10.b. Explanations (Banks and building societies etc)
10.c. Glass screens (Banks and building societies etc)
10.d. General (Banks and building societies etc)

Section 11 - Solicitors and courts

 

Section 12 - Rent office

 

Section 13 - Department for Work and Pensions (formerly DSS)

 

Section 14 - Social workers with deaf people

 

Section 15 - Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs)

 

Section 16 - Hobbies

 

Section 17 - Dancing

 

Section 18 - Bridge

 

Section 19 - Sport

 

Section 20 - Public swimming pools

 

Section 21 - Theatre

21.a. Preparation
21.b. Loop Systems and Infrared Systems
21.c. Stagetext and captioned performances

Section 22 - cinema

 

Section 23 - Museums and art galleries

 

Section 24 - Auctioneers

 

Section 25 - Hotels

 

Section 26 - Church

 

Section 27 - Music

 

Section 28 - Deaf children

 

Section 29 - Language Service Professionals (LSPs)

 

Section 30 - Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance

Go to top of page

Chapter 8 - Useful organisations and websites & sources of helpful advice

Section 1 - Useful organisations and websites:

(The) Association of Lipspeakers (ALS)
ATLA (The Association of Teachers of Lipreading to Adults)
BAHA Users Support  (BAHA = Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid)
British Cochlear Implant Group
(The) British Tinnitus Association
Connevans
Cued Speech Association UK
Deaf Broadcasting Council (DBC)
Deafblind UK
deafPLUS
Deafness Research UK
Enabling for Music
Forest Books
Gordon Morris
Hearing Concern Link
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
Hear It
Jewish Deaf Association
(The) LINK Centre for Deafened People (now merged with Hearing Concern to form Hearing Concern Link)
Ménière's Society
(The) Meningitis Trust
NADP (National Association of Deafened People)
National Cochlear Implant Users Association (NCIUA)
National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS)
North Wales Deaf Association (NWDA)
Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD)
Royal National Institute for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People (RNID)
Sarabec
Scottish Council on Deafness (SCoD)
Sense
Stagetext
TAG (formerly Telecommunications Action Group)
Text Relay (formerly Typetalk)
UK Council on Deafness (UKCoD)
Wales Council for Deaf People
Your local cinema .com (subtitled screenings)

Section 2 - Useful sources of helpful advice

Go to top of page