Communication support
People employ a variety of methods to support everyday communication. These may involve gestures, body language, facial expression, lip-reading or hand movements.
Lip-reading can be useful to those with acquired hearing loss (as the hearing worsens) and can substantially improve the comprehension of speech. However, lipreading requires a person to be able to understand spoken English. As BSL is a distinct language in its own right, a BSL user may therefore have no, or a very limited, ability to lipread. In order to lip-read effectively people need to be facing each other, with the mouth clear of distractions (e.g. hands, moustache/beard), in good light and ideally without background noise or other distractions. The way people speak also affects how well someone can lipread them. Some people do not speak clearly, or may speak too fast, and lipreading someone with an unfamiliar accent can be very difficult. Lipreading requires a lot of skill and concentration and can be tiring. The level of lipreading skill depends upon individual ability, age and other factors that may affect the person’s ability to concentrate. Lipreading in groups is extremely difficult as people often speak in quick succession or overlap, such that the person is unable to look at the person as they start speaking. Lipreading behind a glass screen is very difficult because the glass reflects light thus making it difficult to see the speaker’s lip movements. Lipreading is a difficult skill to learn and takes many months to acquire. Similarity between mouth and lip movements in the pronunciation of words mean that even experienced lip-readers are unable to understand everything that is said relying on lip-reading alone. The presence of certain types of visual impairment may also make the task even more difficult to perform.
Consideration must be given to whether communication would be significantly more effective or efficient with the use of communication support.
Manual communication. This can be finger spelling, signing or cued speech.
- Finger spelling. Hand shapes and positions correspond to the letters of the written alphabet.
- Sign language is language based on systematic hand movements and facial expressions, with its own grammatical rules. Most countries have their own sign language. British Sign Language (BSL) is the predominant sign language used in the United Kingdom. On 18 March 2003 the UK Government recognised BSL as a language in its own right.
- Cued speechs a system in which 8 hand movements indicate the pronunciation of every syllable being spoken. It supplements lip reading.
Communication support
Communication support includes BSL interpreters, deafblind interpreters, lipspeakers, notetakers and speech-to-text reporters (palantypists).
Communication support may be provided in a variety of situations by 'service providers' and employers, such as at a job interview, on a training course or at work; when visiting a doctor, optician or hospital; when attending court or at a public meeting.
Communication support, whether professional or informal, may be required in social settings and when undertaking recreational, cultural and religious activities.
Deaf people have the right to have a qualified interpreter for medical appointments. Children and family members should not be used as interpreters or communicators generally. However, sometimes it may be appropriate for an adult, for example a spouse or partner, to act as an interpreter.
At a jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus office an interpreter may be able to support the person write application forms and CVs. An interpreter can translate information in BSL to English, and vice versa, between the person and the Disability Employment Adviser.
The 'Access to Work' scheme can provide support to disabled people and employers. People who provide communication support under this scheme are called 'support workers'.
They submit invoices to the employer for payment of the services carried out and the employer and the employee sign a claim form to get back their fees from the scheme. In certain circumstances, the person’s employer may be expected to contribute towards the costs of communication support.
Colleges can receive additional funding to meet the additional learning needs of deaf or hearing impaired students which may include providing interpreters or notetakers.
Disabled Students' Allowances can help pay the extra costs a student may incur to study a course of higher education, as a direct result of a disability. The allowances can help pay the cost of a non-medical personal helper such as an interpreter or notetaker.
