Access Bulletin on Deaf Issues Part Two

Reaching Deaf People in Islington- Information, Publicity and Organisational Inclusion

Introduction

In this bulletin we focus on good practice in reaching Deaf (i.e. sign language using) communities and creating Deaf friendly publicity. People who have sign language as a first, or preferred, language are a 'hard to reach', marginalised group. They have particular access needs, separate Deaf identity and culture. Using communication support staff such as interpreters is key to good communication with Deaf people and has implications for the way you go about things. For more information on contracting and working with communication support workers you might like to check out Deaf Access Bulletin Number 3. DAII has a list of freelance qualified interpreters. Email James Kempster for more information.

Please note these articles can only provide an introduction to some of the basic issues. They have been written by a hearing (non Deaf) service provider and as such will have some limitations .Having read these bulletins you may decide you would like more guidance. We encourage you to organise Deaf Awareness or Disability Equality training for your staff - click here to read more about DAII's training services. You also might wish to set up a local Deaf consultation meeting to discover how Deaf people themselves experience trying to access your services, recruitment and employment practices. You might even be inspired to try your hand at learning sign language!

This bulletin is also designed to give you the tools to enable you to operate effectively according to the social model of disability.

Background Information

Most information is inaccessible to the majority of Deaf people in our society and this creates a real barrier in participating fully in our society. Why is this?

Have a think about the way you get to learn about new information; whether it's a job vacancy, new restaurant opening, training course or service of some kind. You might watch something on TV, see something on the web or hear about it from a friend. Chances are, either written or spoken English is used in some way to communicate the information to you. At the moment not much information exists in BSL. For example, BBC television translate just 4% of their total programme out put. Which is not a lot! This creates an information vacuum in which Deaf people are often extremely disadvantaged and can become easily confused. Accessible information in is one of the most important issues for Deaf people.

While people who have become deaf through ageing, illness or accident will most often have a spoken language (e.g. English) as a first language this is not the case with Deaf sign language users. Unlike all other languages, sign language is visual language, rather than verbal or written language. Also, it has a totally different grammar structure than English. 'What's your name?' becomes 'Name you what?' in BSL.

In addition, because most Deaf adults today experienced an education that focused on speech therapy and compensating for their hearing loss, their knowledge of the wider world, history, government and other social systems may be patchy. TV news and other programmes may not be interpreted, newspapers and books are of course in a written language which many people find inaccessible. See Deaf Bulletin Number 1 for more information on education.

Literacy levels in the Deaf communities are relatively low. Research has shown the average 'reading age' is 8 years old. This is partly due to English being the person's second (or third or fourth) language and partly because Deaf children tend to receive a lower standard of education than hearing children. So, if you want to make your service accessible to Deaf people it is really important that all your written information, publicity and documents are as simple as possible and use extremely concise language. Try to avoid complex words of more than two syllables and/or aim to choose words that are simple, direct and commonplace. The text and all the sentences within it should be as short as possible. Ask yourself 'What is the absolutely essential information people need to know?'. The struggle to understand lengthy English text is enough to put many Deaf people off. Most of us tend to include far too much. You may need to repeatedly re-write your rough draft and get other people's opinions on it before going to print in order to reduce both the amount of text and level of literacy expected. The 'good' news is that current average literacy level for hearing adults is 9 years old. So, if Deaf people can understand your written information you know that you are making it accessible to everyone!

Information and publicity in BSL

The most effective way of communicating with someone is in their first language. For most Deaf people in the UK this will be BSL. Think about how you could get BSL versions of your information on videos and/or DVDs. Click here for more information on DAII's transcription service.

Information and Publicity in Written English

How can I make it 'Deaf friendly'?

Make your language as simple and direct as possible. Translate any text into the plainest possible English. For example; 'Due to our usual venue undergoing refurbishment works, our next training session will be forced to change of location.' Becomes 'Important! Next training session at Disability Action in Islington Office. Address: 90-92 Upper Street N1, NOT Resource Centre!'
Make your written text as short as possible
Make your sentences very concise and very clear. Deaf people have an average reading age of 8
Use an image to help what it is you are publicising
Avoid information overload- English is not Deaf people's first language and you may put people off if they dont understand the written text
Clearly state 'BSL interpreters available'. This tells Deaf people you aim to be accessible and want to include them
State 'You must book!' so you know how many Deaf people are coming to your event and what their access needs are. This is important because their responses may influence how many interpreters you need and whether you need also to contract a palantypist, lipspeaker or Deaf relay interpreter (see Deaf Bulletin Number 3)
Ensure you list all your contact details: your fax, Minicom, mobile phone numbers and email address

Reaching Deaf Communities

Our organisation- how can we make ourselves more accessible to Deaf people? The basics

Do use communication support such as interpreters. DAII has a contact list of freelance communication support workers. Email James Kempster for further details. For more information about working with communication support worker (see Deaf Access Bulletin Number 3)
Do anticipate communication support workers costs in your budgeting
Do respect sign language as a Deaf person's first language
Don't give up. It is all of our responsibility to address the social isolation and exclusion that is experienced profoundly by Deaf people
Do start learning basic sign language. Most adult education colleges offer courses
Don't think you can avoid getting training- negative staff attitudes are persistently sited by Deaf people as one of the main barriers to accessing services

One to one meetings- how can I make them accessible to Deaf clients?
The basics

Do make them feel welcome with your facial expression, eye contact and body language. This is even more important than it might be with a hearing person
Don't think you know best- ask their advice on how to make your meeting more Deaf friendly. Check the room layout and lighting is OK- sign language is a visual language so they need to be able to see as clearly as possible
Do Find out your client's preferred communication method before the meeting and book a properly qualified interpreter
Don't Rely on paper and pen unless it's an emergency - English is their second (or third or fourth) language
Do Look directly to the Deaf person, talking to them - not the interpreter
Don't Respond to the phone, door bell or other interruptions without first explaining what is going on to the Deaf person

Events, meetings and training courses- how can I make them more accessible to Deaf people? The basics

Create 'Deaf friendly' publicity and advertise where Deaf people look
Book 2 fully qualified BSL interpreters.(NB There is a national shortage of interpreters so book them as early as possible-at least 2 months in advance). Find out about their cancellation fees in case of emergencies.
Try to make delegate booking essential and find out people's additional access/communication needs. Offer lipspeakers, a palantypist, Deaf interpreters. See Deaf Bulletin Number 3 for more information.
Reserve seating so Deaf delegates have a clear view of the interpreters, palantypist screen and each other.
Create a space at the front of the room in order for Deaf participation in discussions and Q and A's. They will want to stand up to be seen in this area and may queue up to have their say.
Greet people properly. Use a smile, eye contact and a wave. Learn a bit of sign language if you can.
Use name badges.
Flash the lights on and off if you need to get attention and in case of emergencies- make sure people know this is what you will do.

Deaf people have never used our services- why should we have to think about all of this?

Ask yourself the following key questions;

Are you accessible to Deaf people? Do you use interpreters? Have you asked Deaf people why they don't use your services?
Is your written material Deaf friendly? Can they understand it? Chances are they dont know about you or what you offer
Do you advertise in places Deaf people look? See below for ideas
Can Deaf people contact you? On your letter headers, publicity and information do you always include all of the following: fax number, Minicom number (if you have one check it is switched on and you know how to use it), email address and mobile phone number (for text messages)?
Do any of your staff know any BSL? Has anyone had any Deaf awareness training?
State 'BSL interpreter available' wherever possible

Marketing
Send your 'Deaf friendly' publicity to these contacts below.

Teletext TV
'Deafview' is available on Channel 4. Send info to Deafview Editor tim.russell@rnid.org.uk tel 0207 296 8000.
'Read Hear' is available on BBC2. Send info to Read Hear Editor readhear@csv.org.uk
Deaf Organisations -
RNID www.rnid.org.uk
NDCS www.ndcs.org.uk
BDA www.bda.org.uk
RAD www.royaldeaf.org.uk
Disability Action in Islington will disseminate your publicity to over 40 Deaf people in Islington via email wendy@daii.org
DISC will pass on information to their Islington Deaf users of their Deaf advice service and display posters. Contact advice@discnwl.org.uk
E group
deaf-uk-events@yahoogroups.com - events noticeboard
deaf-uk-jobs@yahoogroups.com - jobs noticeboard
IVAC news instant contact with hundreds of voluntary sector organisations. Join by contacting ivac-news@yahoogroups.com
LBI Sensory Team at 166 Upper Street has a notice board. Contact the information officer on 020 7527 3394.

Recruitment- how do I make the process fair for Deaf candidates?

Application Forms

Do Keep the application, job description, monitoring and other forms as simple as possible. Check your language is accessible and sentences are short
Do state 'Do you have any access needs? BSL? Assistive technology?'
Don't over complicate things
Do think about how you might allow for the English language inequalities with hearing candidates in the selection for interview process
Don't be rigid about how things need to be done
Do provisionally book an interpreter at least a month in advance

Interviews

Do provisionally book a qualified interpreter before you shortlist
Don't forget to supply the interpreter with a copy of the interview questions in advance, so they can prepare an appropriate interpretation. It may also help for the interpreter to look at the Deaf candidate's application form in advance of the interview, to aid the interpreter's preparation. See Deaf access Bulletin Number 3 for more information about working with interpreters
Do make the candidate feel welcome with your facial expression, eye contact and body language. Encourage other panel members and any reception staff to do the same
Don't rush. Allow for the extra time needed in using an interpreter by booking a double appointment
Do keep you questions short and clear. Several 'one part' questions are preferable to a smaller number of questions that include more than one clause
Don't assume a Deaf candidate will have had the same number of previous job opportunities as hearing candidate. Encourage them to give other examples of their skills and experience
Do look at the candidate- not the interpreter. This is very important

Appointing a Deaf candidate

Do make your offer letter short and clear
Don't assume any knowledge about your work practice or culture
Do get in contact with Access to Work before the new member of staff starts in order to get advice about how they can help with appointing and paying interpreters for etc.
Don't approach communication and cultural challenges with a closed mind or impatience
Do get training for your staff. Set up Deaf awareness training and Disability Equality Training as soon as you can
Do Consider learning BSL!