Deafness is called the ‘invisible disability’, and teens can be very reluctant to disclose what they see as a social vulnerability. A librarian who has hearing issues herself, shares some communication tips – which can be used almost anywhere a pen, paper, the internet or a mobile phone is available. Read: Serving teens with hearing
All babies lip-read from about 6 months of age, to learn mouth-shapes for the sounds they hear, according to researchers at Florida Atlantic University. When a baby gazes intently at a speaker’s mouth, this indicates they are working to learn to form syllables for themselves, instead of just babbling. Read: Babies Learn Language By Reading
Everyone lipreads to an extent regardless of their hearing, to get a sense of what people are saying to us. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people can rely almost fully on lip-reading, as they may not have the sound input to know what others are saying to them, or to follow a conversation. Charlie Swinbourne, a deaf writer
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