What are the different ways that people who are deaf communicate?
• Some people with a mild hearing loss might use a hearing aid or find lipreading helpful. • People with a moderate hearing loss will have difficulty hearing what is said without a hearing aid, particularly somewhere noisy. • People who are severely deaf may have difficulty following what is being said even with hearing aids. Many lipread and some use sign language or need other communication support. • Some, but not all, people who are profoundly deaf may find that hearing aids are of little benefit to them. British Sign Language (BSL) may be their first or preferred language. • For more information, see our leaflet Communication support services.