Good practice to assist individuals with hearing loss

Some people with hearing loss may use a speech to text app on their phone to help with communicating. These have limitations they:

• work best if people speak slightly slower than normal
• may not pick up speech if someone has a strong accent and is also wearing a face covering

In meetings

This guidance is to help create an inclusive meeting where individuals may have a range of hearing loss. Some may use assistive technology such as hearing aids and loops, others may lip-read and some may use signing or a combination of these. 

If possible, establish with the hearing impaired individual the strategies that are most useful to them.

General guidance

Chair to:

• ensure only one person speaks at a time
• give regular summary of discussion and clarity re progression of meeting eg to indicate when moving on to the next agenda item
• remind participants of the good practice points in 2 below if necessary

All participants to:

• indicate they are about to speak by raising their hand
• speak clearly - avoid shouting, speaking too fast or unnecessarily slow
• look up when speaking
• ensure their faces are not obscured by their hands/papers
• try not to block the view of others
• indicate to the Chair by raising their hand when they have missed any parts of the discussion or require a brief summary

Committee Secretaries and meeting administrators to:

• circulate the agenda and papers in advance of the meeting and keep tabled papers to a minimum.  If papers are tabled, allow time in the meeting for reading these. 
• schedule a short break (10 minutes) if the meeting is longer than an hour.

If papers are tabled a reasonable period of reading time should be given to ensure those who lip-read do not miss out on any discussion.

It will be helpful to the individual with hearing loss to sit where they can see all participants if possible and where the lighting is best for them to help with lip-reading. This may include sitting opposite the Chair with any windows behind them, having the room layout changed to reduce the distance between themselves and other attendees and request additional lighting if the room is too dark.

Additional guidance for in-person meetings

Committee Secretaries and meeting administrators to:

• book a room that has a hearing loop. If unsure contact the AV Team for advice. 
• carefully plan the seating in the room. There should be an unobstructed line of vision to all meeting participants as far as possible. This will also aid anyone who is lip-reading.

To reduce background interference and noise, mobile phones should be turned off if possible, projectors and/or PCs only activated for presentations, paper-rustling/rustling food wrappers and pen-clicking, finger tapping etc. to be kept to a minimum

Additional guidance for online meetings

When any of these are held online via Zoom or Google Meet there are some further things to consider:

• See the Virtual meetings - captioning guidance.

The Chair to:

• Notify attendees about how to activate the live captioning. 
• Indicate and name each person who is going to speak
• Ask attendees to mute themselves when not speaking as microphones pick up background noise that can be distracting and confusing for those with hearing loss. 
• If you know there is an attendee with hearing loss in the meeting explain to the other attendees that they need to keep their cameras on as this person might be lip-reading. 
• For attendees who are lip-reading, if closed captions are not always necessary and if you get a poor camera signal (freezing) the dissociation of voice/captions to lips really makes things very difficult. For closed captions, again accents are a challenge, but slowing speech a little does help. Alternatively, if the person is struggling, quickly pop into the chat function the topic or main point will be helpful. Patience with someone with hearing loss is really appreciated.
• Record the meeting and share with attendees with hearing loss so they can review it to check if they have missed anything. It is important to remember that reading closed captions/lip-read in a meeting is very tiring. If possible, don't keep meetings concise. See Guidance - recording online meetings as a reasonable adjustment for disabled staff.

Training sessions

General guidance

• It is good practice to circulate all materials relevant to the session in advance at least, one or two days but preferably earlier. 
• If a PowerPoint presentation is being used, the trainer should allow a reasonable amount of time for participants to read the content. 
• The trainer should repeat question(s) that are asked by other people in the session, as those with hearing loss or lip readers may miss some of the content of the question(s).  

Additional guidance for in person training sessions:

It is good practice to make the trainer aware that there is someone lip-reading in the room. The permission of the attendee who is lip-reading should be sought in advance. 

The trainer should use a microphone, preferably a lapel microphone that enables them to move around. 

A handheld microphone should be used for audience questions.

The organiser should book a room with a hearing loop.

It will be helpful to the individual with hearing loss to sit where they can see the trainer and where the lighting is best for them to help with lip-reading. This may be sitting at the front of the room.

Additional guidance for online training sessions

When any of these are held online via Zoom or Google Meet there are some further things to consider:

The trainer should:

• Notify attendees about how to activate the live captioning.
• Indicate and name each person who is going to speak
• Ask attendees to mute themselves when they are not speaking as microphones pick up background noise that can be distracting and confusing for those with hearing loss.
• For attendees who are lip-reading, if closed captions are not always necessary and if you get a poor camera signal (freezing) the dissociation of voice/captions to lips really makes things very difficult. For closed captions, again accents are a challenge, but slowing speech a little does help. Alternatively, if the person is struggling, quickly pop into the chat function the topic or main point will be helpful. Patience with someone with hearing loss is really appreciated.
• Record the meeting and share with attendees with hearing loss so they can review it to check if they have missed anything. It is important to remember that reading closed captions/lip-read in a meeting is very tiring. If possible, don't keep meetings concise. See the guidance on Guidance - recording online meetings as a reasonable adjustment for disabled staff

Open Lectures

All presenters should use a microphone, preferable a lapel microphone that enables them to move around.

A handheld microphone should be used for audience questions.

Presenters should repeat questions from the audience, as those with hearing loss or lip readers may miss some of the content of the question(s).

Conferences

Make sure the speaker’s face is well lit.

Speakers should face the audience, not the screen.

All speakers should use a microphone.

Ask the person with hearing loss where it is best for them to sit, don’t assume the front row is best.  Usually this can mean that the computer hides the speaker’s face.

Speakers to repeat questions from the audience as those with hearing loss or lip readers may miss some of the content of the question(s).

Designate a ‘quiet’ area where the posters are for the person with hearing loss to communicate as the noise in these poster presentations is often distracting.

Communications and face coverings

Some people are still wearing face coverings for health related reasons and these can be a barrier to people with hearing loss. If you are communicating with someone with hearing loss while wearing one of these, please see the following guidance:

• Clear plastic or have a clear plastic panel. These can mist up as when a person speaks/breathes which will block the visualisation of the mouth.
• Face-shields. Some people find these suitable but one thing to bear in mind is that overhead lighting can cause glare and have the same effect as trying to look at a person when you have the sun shining in your eyes.
• Fabric face covering. It is suggested that you keep your distance, hold the front of your mask and drop the mask to reveal your mouth. Once you have finished speaking, the mask can be put back in place. It is recommended that you only touch the front of the mask (not your skin, hair etc) and pull it down, talk, then replace. You should sanitise your hands before and after touching your mask.