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Day Two - Speech Reading


Did you know? 

Speech reading, sometimes referred to as lip reading, is only a piece in the communication puzzle for people that are deaf or hard of hearing.  It is important to remember, an experienced speech reader can only ascertain a maximum of about 30% to 35% of spoken English in real time conversations.  Speech reading is not an end all solution for communicating with someone with hearing loss.  It is important for individuals to have access to other visual cues, like lip and facial movements, gestures, posture and body language.  When communicating with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, remember to look them directly in the face, avoid covering your mouth when speaking, and don't hesitate to ask them if they are following along your conversation. 

Check out this video as an example of how speech reading is part of the communication puzzle, but definitely not the solution. 

Discussion: Think of ways that this girl and her peers may have had a more effective conversation.


In The News

Hearing Loss in Hollywood

There are many well known stars in Hollywood that are hearing impaired.  Here are a couple of examples:

Did you know Stranger Things actor Millie Bobbie Brown deaf in one ear?  She was born with a partial loss of hearing and then gradually lost her hearing in that ear entirely.

Comedian Stephen Colbert is also deaf in one ear. A surgery when he was young left him without an ear drum in his right ear.


Today's Challenge

Print or write down these three words / phrases. With a partner, mouth the words without sound and have your partner guess which one you are saying. 

You have salad / you have talent

Peas / beets

Elephant shoes / I love you

 

Challenging right?  When talking with someone who is hearing impaired, speech reading is only part of the puzzle. These are only a few examples of how many words "look" the same and can lead to miscommunication. 

  • The Caroline Bass Fund
    The Caroline Bass Fund

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