Step Into My World – Hearing Impaired/Deaf Simulation
Activities to do when performing simulation
- Listen to the radio
- Make a Relay phone call over the internet (http://www.sprintrelayonline.com/ or
http://www.ip-relay.com/index.htm) Give them they phone number you want to call.
State “GA” (go ahead) when you are done with what you are saying and “SK” (stop
keying) meaning you are ready to end the conversation.
Example: You: How are you? GA (you type this and relay operator reads this to person
you are calling to)
Person calling to: I’m good. What is new with you? GA (person calling to said
this to relay operator and relay operator typed it for you)
You: Not much. GA
- have a conversation
- try & go to the MU and order a sandwich at Subway
- watch a video tape, TV, or web video without the captioning and try and get what is
being said
- ask for directions from someone and see if you understand what they are saying
- Check for flashing fire alarms in your building. If there are none, make sure you tell
coworkers that they need to make sure that you get out of the building if the fire alarm
goes off
- Try to carry a conversation in an area that has a lot of background noise (MU cafeteria
at lunch time)
- Ask a person to repeat what they said to make sure that you understood what they said
(double check)
Questions to ask throughout the simulation
Q: How does a hearing impaired/deaf person hear the alarm clock in the morning?
A: Vibrating alarm clock that goes under the pillow
Q: Do hearing impaired/deaf people go through the drive thru at fast food restaurants or
go to the drive thru bank teller?
A: No, since most of the time they won’t be able to understand the speaker, so they’ll
park and go in to order
Q: What are some services that hearing impaired/deaf students use in the classroom?
A: Interpreter, note taking, FM system, Captioning, front row seating, captioned videos
Q: Can a hearing impaired/deaf person pick up any phone and make a phone call?
A: Not in most cases, mostly make calls through amplified phone, voice carry over phone
or a TTY.
Questions to ask after the simulation
- What was the most frustrating task?
- Were you trying to find other ways to communicate?
-
Did you find yourself trying to control the situation? (i.e. position yourself so that
you can see the person’s face)
Were you slightly embarrassed when you couldn’t figure out what was going on
or if you misunderstood something?
10 Tips for Communicating with Hearing-Impaired People
1. Get the person’s attention first – make sure that the person is looking at you
before you start to talk
2. Face the person – have the light on the speaker’s face, not in the listener’s eyes.
3. Don’t hide your mouth when talking
4. Talk in a quite place if possible
5. Speak clearly and more slowly
6. Don’t shout – shouting only distorts the speech signal
7. Use facial expressions, lip movements, and hand gestures to add to your message
8. Say your message in a different way if it is not understood at first
9. Write your message if necessary
10. Be sure that the person is not bluffing or pretending he or she heard you – have
the person repeat what you said to check for accuracy