 Allen Smith
Allen has been deaf since birth but grew up learning in a hearing school environment. He managed by reading lips and with abundant help from family members.
Allen has been teaching Sign Language to the Calgary community with Chinook Learning Services since 1992. He tries to show people what it is like for deaf people and how they adapt to communicating in a hearing world. He also has a great sense of humor when he teaches.
We all may be connected to a family member, friend or colleague to whom hearing loss is a real and relevant issue. Some tips for communicating with hard of hearing people:
- Always get the person’s attention before you speak. It is difficult for someone that has difficulty hearing to catch up to what you previously said.
- Speak clearly and at a normal pace. There is no need to shout or over-emphasize words as this distorts your speech and makes it difficult to speech read.
- Be aware of the surroundings. Background noise can hinder communication for people who are hearing impaired.
- Writing down key phrases and words can assist when conversation topics change.
- Be patient and flexible when interacting with people with a hearing loss.
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