Communication style or preference may be determined by one’s age at onset of hearing loss or deafness, educational environment, languages used in the family home, use of hearing technology or the area of Canada the individual was raised.
At Deaf Access, every consideration will be made to accommodate an individual’s communication preference.
COMMUNICATION CHOICES may include:
- Sign language (e.g. ASL, use of American Sign Language-English Interpreter)
- Speech reading (face-to-face communication with focus on speaker’s mouth/lip movements)
- Written language (handwritten or typed communication or documents)
- Gestures/home signs (e.g. unofficial mutually agreed upon hand signals used inside the home or community)
- Pictures/photographs (used as visual supports)
- Equipment such as a teletypewriter (TTY), FM system or video conferencing as appropriate