Answer: Waving a hand to get his/her attention (Please do not wave too close to his/her face) Another suggestion is to tap gently on his/her shoulder.
> Question: What is ADA?
Answer: Americans with Disablities Act (ADA) is a law enacted by Congress in early 1990's to improve people with disablities (Deaf included) opportunities in work force, places where they live in and receive services they may need.
People who are confined to wheelchairs may request to have a ramp built at an apartment complexes where they reside. Most places such as doctors' offices, office buildings, and restaurants has ramps installed and swinging doors (where the button is pressed to activate the doors).
As for Deaf people, they may request to have TTY machines (a device which they use to communicate on phone) at work forces, etc. Fire alarms with strobe lights (Almost like a camera with flashing lights) are the best for safety since Deaf people can't hear the fire alarm whichas hearing people can. It can be requested for office buildings, doctors' office (where Deaf people may frequent), apartment buildings, and restaurants.
Deaf people can request interpreters for doctor visits, hospital visits, meetings at work, appointments at places such as social security offices or job interviews. This process can help speed up the communication between two parties rather than having to write back and forth or misunderstanding by using speech and lip reading.
> Question: My child is deaf and I don't know what to do! Where can I find help for him/her?
Answer: The suggestion would be to find a place that serves deaf people such as Community Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It is mostly found in larger towns. You can check in "Blue Pages" of phone book for telephone numbers. There may be more resources to help parents understand more about Deafness and their cultures.
> Question: Is ASL (American Sign Language) a better mode of communication for Deaf people?
Answer: Definitely! (In my opinion) It is much easier for Deaf people to use while communicating. If they were to use speech and lip-reading, it may provide difficult. (See True/False section for more details)
ASL is a "visual" language whereas Deaf people can see what is being said unlike hearing people who speaks and depends on hearing to hear everything.
> Question: Is Deaf people sensitive to anything?
Answer: Very much so! They are sensitive to lights especially while they are sleeping. Most of time, they may have some difficulty in sleeping with lights on. A dark room is generally preferred so they can sleep easier. The purpose of sleeping in a dark room is because of fire alarm (flashing lights), phone, or baby crying (there is a special device which lights flash whenever a baby is crying).
It may prove to be difficult to sleep with lights on because if a light flashes (phone, doorbell, or baby crying) then it'd be hard to wake up at times.
Most of time, some Deaf people doesn't like a flashlight shining into their eyes.
> Question: Is there special devices for Deaf people?
Answer: Yes, there are many devices for Deaf people. There's TTY (Tele-Typewriter) machine which they can use with phone to make calls. Remember both parties will need to have TTY machines to connect with each other.
A pager with two-way messaging helps out big time for many Deaf people since it's a lot faster and easier to keep in touch. It'd be an excellent tool for workforce to make communication more effective.
More devices for Deaf people which are very helpful to them in everyday living such as flashing lights for doorbell, fire alarm, alarm clock (either flashing light or vibrator), and baby crying.
> Question: I don't have a TTY machine, is there any way I could communicate with a Deaf person on phone?
Answer: Yes! There is a relay service for hearing people to contact deaf people. A relay service acts almost like an interpreter in the middle. The relay operator will interprete what you are saying while he/she types into TTY.
To use Relay Service, you can dial 7-1-1, give the operator the phone number you want to reach (a Deaf person). Or, you can check in phone book under "Telecommunication Relay Services."
