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Chapter six: Alternatives for Deaf people in communication when BSL was not available

6.1 The starting point for questions on this area was the personal adjustments which Deaf people might make in the situation where BSL was not available and they had to cope directly with hearing people. In the first set of scenarios, Deaf people try to use English in some form face to face. In the second scenarios, Deaf people have to deal with automated services, where language interaction is supposedly reduced in prominence. In the third, Deaf people use distance forms of communication.

Writing Down

6.2 Three themes emerged here: the first was that Deaf people did not feel comfortable writing things down; the second was that hearing people did not like writing down and the third was that there were problems in obtaining pen and paper to write things down in order to communicate.

"I have poor English; I can't write when I am in a shop. I feel nervous." D174

"I'm lucky, I don't have problems writing things down, unlike other Deaf people." C160

"I went to the hospital once and the doctor wrote things down for me but I couldn't understand it as the words were hard …" B131

6.3 Commonly, Deaf people have lower levels of literacy in English. This is often made prominent in childhood and as a result, the Deaf person carries this into adult life as a personal fault. There is an expectation of not being able to read and an avoidance of situations which might expose this.

6.4 On the other hand, when faced with a written communication, the danger is that Deaf people might not publicly admit to not being able to understand a sentence written down for them - or indeed, might believe that they have understood, but do not. Hearing people in the interaction believe the message has got through - it is written down, after all. Because of the way in which literacy was taught and the in-built competitiveness in the process, some Deaf people will claim to be more literate and by comparison more literate than others. The second quote above, illustrates this point. Although Deaf people may be able to read in some circumstances, they may not perform well in others. Some Deaf people describe this as the 'words being hard'. The net result is that writing down while relatively convenient cannot be relied upon to convey the message to all Deaf people.

6.5 In Shetland, one Deaf person reported on writing the letters (on his hand or in the air) - something which occurs in Developing countries or among older Deaf people (when paper and pen is not available). Often this is not understandable by hearing people as it breaks the rules of orthographic layout - the letters are written on the hand, one on top of the other, and no clues to spatial layout of the letters in the word are available - making it very hard to read.

6.6 An interesting issue was that hearing people were not used to writing either.

"Sometimes hearing people can't read or misread. Last Wednesday, at the café, I wrote 'fresh water please' and I got Latte instead." E178

"When I write things down and the person is Asian or Chinese, I find they may not understand my message, because it was in BSL order. So I try to think hard to change it to more English structure." A103

"Sometimes when I write notes, the hearing do not know what to say and have to ask another person for help. In the end, I have 2 hearing people coming up. I feel pressured by that 2 against one." C164

6.7 There are many hearing people with problems in writing down - some because they are not literate and others because they may be too literate and their writing is too complex. In either case, very few hearing people are used to writing down in order to communicate with another person, face to face. Writing is a medium for distance communication which is not meant for real time interaction. While Deaf people have been used to this for some time and it is a feature of textphone communication, hearing people are not familiar with this. Using text in a person to person interaction could be unfamiliar and stressful for the hearing person - hence the negative reaction.

6.8 Another stressor was asking for the paper in order to write.

"When I asked for a pen and paper …. They become rather annoyed and you can see their body language clearly. They can't find paper and have to press the receipt machine to push out some paper, then they rip it out and they search for the pen. I feel it is not professional." A109

6.9 This resurrects the theme of 'bad attitude' in the hearing people. One person reported an unusual problem where the notes, which had been written down, were not allowed to be removed by the Deaf person.

"Another Deaf person went to the doctor and could not understand the doctor's writing. He asked if he could take the notes home but the doctor refused to allow that …. I think the doctor didn't want to be sued later. The Deaf person just wanted to take the note home so that someone could explain it." A127

6.10 This raises an interesting question. If a Deaf person were to negotiate a purchase of an item or service, and the written notes carried a description which was incorrect or instructions which were inaccurate, would the notes become legally binding on the service provider? Equally having written down and agreed, it could still be the case that a Deaf person had not read and understood the instructions and as a result had not entered into the agreement. Such complications make the use of writing down somewhat complex.

6.11 However, the biggest problem in Deaf people's view was that hearing people were unwilling to write down. One can imagine this situation in many services where people are trained only to carry out certain tasks and as a result are unprepared for even simple requests, like 'can I write it down?'

Trying to speak

6.12 Often Deaf people try to speak. Virtually all the Deaf people in our sample will have passed through an education system which devoted a great deal of time to teaching speech. In the focus groups, the Deaf people discussed whether this could be an option in interaction with hearing people.

"I tried to say Coca Cola but the hearing person did not understand. I repeated it again and again. Then I gave up and gestured with C handshape and said Coca Cola." E175

"I always switch off my voice when I am out, especially at work. I won't use my voice. Hearing people say 'what?', 'what?' and signal to speak in their ear. I need to look at their face." C167

"I went to my local butcher shop, I asked the assistant 'one pound of sausage please'. She said 'what?!' So I repeated. She did not understand me. She asked her colleague, 'what does she say?' I got really frustrated. I repeated again and then I walked out." B148

6.13 Although these examples come from contacts with commercial services, the scenarios are repeated in relation to public services. The primary difference is that usually the Deaf person has chosen to obtain something (ie is the voluntary consumer), rather than being called for interview, for example. The pressure on maintaining the interaction is on Deaf side and they may try to speak the language of the hearing assistant. Deaf speech is usually recognisable as different and often is associated with lack of intelligence. Most reports were of the stress which this situation created. Hearing people typically do not understand the speech sounds which teachers and parents, spent most of their education time in trying to instil. The more hearing the Deaf person has had as a child, the more intelligible will be the speech. For those who were born with a serious hearing loss, using speech to communicate with hearing staff was reported to be very difficult indeed.

Trying to lip-read

6.14 On the other hand, in the focus groups the participants often talked about lip-reading but in very negative terms. Usually Deaf people have no choice but to try to lip-read. However, most speech sounds are invisible on the lips. All they can do to cope with what is an almost impossible task is to prepare their own requests beforehand and guess. Most Deaf people recounted episodes where the speech of hearing people was simply unintelligible for a lip-reader. Most had experienced difficulties, anger and frustration.

"I showed my travel pass to the bus driver. He spoke very quickly and I did not understand him. I said 'I am Deaf'. He looked very angry. One passenger who knows me well came to me and explained that my pass was only to be used after 9.30am." B149

"I went to the doctor and he told me to take two tablets a day, but I read him as two tablets twice a day. I realised when I became dizzy and had to check the bottle that I had picked it up wrong." A129

6.15 Many people just make it clear from the start.

"No I can't lip read. I ask them to write it down." C162

"I can't lip-read. I asked a person to write down - they refused and walked away from me in a temper. I was thunderstruck." S4

6.16 As in the case of speech, the more hearing the person has had in early childhood, the more likely they are to be able to deal with interaction using lip-reading. However, the fact that lip-reading is affected by lighting, the physical surroundings, the positioning of the person (eg if the doctor is reading notes at the same time as speaking) and by the mood or attitude of the person, creates another layer of complexity in the task. Although a few people said they could lip-read, the majority were not able to do this successfully.

6.17 These difficulties in face to face interaction lead to a possible solution - to create the interaction without language. As technology advances, there are many possibilities for human-machine interaction in regard to services.

Automated interfaces: tickets and door entry

6.18 Since Deaf people report problems in interaction with staff, it might seem like a good idea for hearing service providers to remove the staff interaction and to replace it with a machine interface. The vast majority of Deaf respondents were opposed to the use of automated machines. Some avoided them completely by using travel cards but still ran into problems with ticket inspectors speaking or shouting at them. A few said they used machines successfully. But many recounted problems with the machines and consequent difficulties when things went wrong.

"…never use machines. I don't understand the information. It is not clear information. I need someone to show me and give an example …It needs a visual picture. You need to remove the speaking part - many machines include speaking is not access for Deaf people - stupid." B41

"...when I returned back to my car and was ready to leave car park, I put my ticket in at the barrier machine, but it wouldn't work and I panicked as I couldn't communicate with anyone there. So I gave up and went to the shop and tried to find someone who works there then I found a shop assistant. But I wasn't confident with my English and I had to write down what I was saying but she didn't understand me. In the end I had to persuade her to come with me to the car park barrier machine and showed her that the ticket wouldn't work, eventually she understood, and sorted it out for me. I felt very uncomfortable and don't want to do this again." A19

6.19 This theme was repeated frequently. Even though it is more difficult to communicate with a hearing person at a desk, Deaf people tend to prepare beforehand, write down and then carry out the transaction. Such a situation is clearly stressful, since there is no control over how the hearing person responds. However, discussion of automated car parks evoked the nightmare of being stuck and having a queue of cars behind. The "digital toilets" also caused problems.

"Used new public toilet, felt a little bit worried as door opens after a time limit. I can hear a voice in the toilet but don't know what is says." E76

"…have used public toilet, don't know how it works, played with all the buttons until the door shut. Throughout was rather nervous as I was not sure if the door had shut properly." E81

6.20 Deaf people are upset about the use of intercoms to communicate with the operator. The simplicity of use which hearing people seem to like, is problematic for Deaf people. Even the problems of communicating at a desk with a hearing person who does not understand, are often preferred.

Security - access to buildings with voice activated alerts

6.21 One of the major concerns in society is personal security. Nowadays, many public buildings and many council apartment blocks, use door entry systems - mostly activated by pressing a buzzer and speaking into an intercom. When asked about this, Deaf people's answers here were predictably that they did not like these systems. In order to deal with them, Deaf people alerted the person on the inside in advance by sending text messages, or faxes saying when they would arrive - but the person inside had then to be vigilant around the expected time. Otherwise the Deaf person outside had still to face a series of buttons and an intercom. There were also problems for them in knowing when the electric door had been released or how to alert the Deaf person inside if he/she did not have a flashing light alarm (a common situation).

"Other option - press other door numbers and inform the person, "I'm Deaf" and so they let me in." A2

"I held the door and felt it vibrate and then pushed it open" C61

6.22 The consensus was that there should be a two-way visual door entry systems which would be of benefit to hearing as well as to Deaf people. There were reports of problems in other situations.

"I almost missed my car theory test because I was stuck at the main door as I could not talk through the intercom. I had to wait until someone came to open it. There should be a video or keyboard." E76

6.23 There is a need to think through the provision of access systems in general as Deaf people will come into contact with them in their work and elsewhere. Respondents were unhappy about always having to rely on hearing people to open doors for them.

Information kiosks

6.24 An increasing trend has been to place information kiosks in public places to allow the public to browse for information. This is usually a computer encased in a large box with very simple interaction tools - eg touch screen. The most commonly reported example was the Boots Advantage card machine which is located in most stores - but there are many councils who have installed systems in libraries and even in the street. Responses to the Boots kiosk tended to be positive.

"Like to use the Boots Advantage card - easy to use machine. No need BSL, easy to read and understand" B39

"Boots Advantage OK not complicated. Yes use it as there are a lot of pictures and symbols. Easy to use. It would be nice if there was a signing machine." A27

6.25 Not all respondents agreed and one thought she might lose her points if she used the Boots machine in the wrong way. However, there were problems when asking hearing people for help to use the kiosks.

"Seen one at the Job Centre, asked staff to show me how to use it. They said "best see my disability advisor". But the disability advisor already has the information on his computer. So I said I want to know how to use it. - same as hearing people, But I never got the chance." E78

"It asked for "member" so the shop assistant helped me fill in the application form - but there was a communication barrier and the shop assistant said "forget it" and threw the application form away. I felt really put off and did not want to ask anyone else." A19

"Pressed kiosk at supermarket. Asked the assistant for help but there was a communication breakdown. I prefer a separate kiosk for Deaf and hearing." B40

6.26 There seems to be little advantage to providing information services which people can access, if they are not aware of how to use them. When people ask for help, it seems reasonable that they would receive a patient explanation - this does not appear to be the case. While a simple machine interface might be effective in certain circumstances, if Deaf people are unaware of how to use such a machine and experience the same communication problem as in interacting with service personnel, then they will continue to be non-users.

6.27 The vast majority of interviewees said they were aware of the existence of 'the kiosk' but had never tried it and did not understand how to use it. Most who had tried suggested that there should be BSL on it. There is still a long way to go before the communication problems that hearing people experience in meeting Deaf people, can be solved by using a machine interface.

Simplifying the English

6.28 Communication can also be supported by leaflets, booklets and even correspondence. However, this is another version of the English literacy problem for Deaf people.

6.29 Deaf people will often ask for simpler versions of a text. This may imply more illustrations as well as simpler words. However, this can be a negative admission on inability to read and was not seen as a positive strategy.

"I have a bible for the Deaf. It is translated into simple English. It is much easier to understand whereas the other version, King James, is much more complex English." C16

"When I read text, I often do not understand. But when there are photos or pictures, I understand better." C160

6.30 In the past, this issue has been raised in regard to television sub-titling. Many Deaf people complain that the text is too hard. Given what is known about literacy levels, then there is support for a view that fixed texts - bills, Council agreements, service documents - should be available in simpler English. Deaf people agreed with this but acknowledged that there had been virtually no progress in this respect in public services.

6.31 There are a range of distance formats apart from written correspondence which might make interaction easier. The study explored a number of these.

Use of Fax

6.32 There were a number of different perspectives expressed ranging from people who prefer to use fax, to those who are unsure of their English in a fax and will then only fax to family or other Deaf people and through to those who prefer to use the textphone directly to people and organisations.

"I only use fax to Social Worker for booking interpreter. I am not always confident in writing for the fax. Often I have to write it a few times before I send it off. Sometimes it takes ages to get a reply." A20

"I use fax a lot. I faxed my GP but when I received his reply I could not read his handwriting. So I had to go to the GP and arrange an appointment." C61

6.33 The issue of delay in response to fax comes up again and again. Although Deaf people are prepared to use it, this delay causes some frustration. Interestingly, Deaf people are more comfortable about writing a fax to another Deaf person.

"If the fax is to a hearing person, it is hard to write for Deaf people." D71

6.34 Fax is still in use and can be a vital means of communication between Deaf people who know each other. However, it is not always effective for hearing to Deaf communication.

Use of text messaging ( SMS)

6.35 Interviewees were wholeheartedly positive about the use of text messages, saying that it made them feel more safe.

"Definitely, because it is accessible to all hearing people even my hearing family. Yes all services should have SMS systems. It would be a lot easier. Not a lot of people have minicoms but everyone has SMS. I would like to see Deaf News on a mobile. It is cool and it would be great to have sign language on a mobile." A6

"Can't live without SMS. I can't wait for future signing mobile. I know about videophones but we need small mobile version." A9

6.36 The recurring theme was safety and security as well as the instant messaging/ information aspect. This is a medium which is currently used extensively by Deaf people even though it is a form of written English. Some people wanted to see video available in a mobile format, which should be possible within the next five years. There were also requests to use it for emergency calls. However, at least one caller pointed out a significant issue which is that SMS is not a guaranteed delivery service.

"Mobiles have improved Deaf people's lives. It may not be possible to set up the SMS system for emergency services because it may be risky - what if the SMS does not arrive in time. We would still need to ask hearing people for help. It is much quicker." D68

6.37 Most other interviewees were very happy with the mobility and flexibility aspects of SMS use. They could foresee it as a medium whereby they could receive critical messages from service providers. Issues raised apart from reading problems related to the use of abbreviations and BSL order in the text. Most people were very positive about SMS and expected to see it continue and expand. It remains to be seen whether hearing agencies are able to use text messaging to Deaf people to provide information or to give alerts to new information or service.

Textphones

6.38 Minicom was a great success story in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For the first time, Deaf people could contact each other directly. However, the text aspect was a problem for many people and the need for a fixed location with that specific hardware meant that it was less flexible and less available. Because of the equipment specific application, a text relay system developed - Typetalk - which takes typed messages and conveys them as speech and translates the speech back into text to send back to the Deaf person's terminal. It is slow and the technology is mainly from the 1970s. Deaf people as shown in the early part of the study are now much less likely to use textphones. However, the question of whether textphones had a part to play in giving Deaf people access, provoked the expression of different views that fax or text messaging was better and that videophone use was more desirable.

6.39 Nevertheless, there was some consensus to keep minicoms for direct calls and for older people. At the same time, many people reported problems which relate to the unfamiliarity of hearing people with this technology.

"I know some public offices that have a minicom. I tried to call a few times and got no reply. I wrote a complaint letter and heard nothing again. So I went round to the office. They said they did not know how to use it. I felt angry about this as they gave out the number in their letter." E175

"I minicomed the Council and held on for a long time but got no answer. I know they do have a minicom but no one touched it." C154

"I have tried some places by direct minicom but the phone just kept ringing. Instead I tried text direct (relay service) and the phone was answered straight away. I asked why they did not answer the minicom, they said 'oh, it was switched off', or 'the person who is skilled in using it is not here ' etc"

6.40 The textphone is an extremely simple device and requires minimal training. However, the volume of calls which an organisation receives are not enough to keep it prominent in people's minds. The net result is that it gradually slips from the desk to the cupboard. Most Deaf people were able to give instances of their textphone calls to hearing offices (where they knew there was a textphone) not being answered during the working day.

Use of the Internet

6.41 The responses split quite neatly into those who are users (who are almost all positive about the Internet) and the non-users (who may feel they are too old or simply do not see it as part of their lives). This is not greatly different from the hearing population. The English aspect of the web does not seem to be such a great concern in their replies although some people say they have not used the Internet to purchase things because of their concern about the small print and their lack of access to it. Many people asked for more BSL on the Internet.

"Use it for my teacher training and holiday information. The Internet is easy and better than going to a travel agent as you don't have to communicate. I bought some books from Amazon. It is easy to use and suitable for Deaf people if we could have sign language on the news." A11

"I have searched for information that I want to know about eg medical. I haven't bought anything yet but recently booked flight. I felt it was worth it. It is really useful for Deaf people - there is no need to go into the shop and struggle to communicate with them." A17

6.42 Part of the reason for the positive view of the Internet (which is mainly text) is that it allows Deaf people to retain control. There are many different sources of information and different locations to choose from. It is also not sentence or phrase critical - meaning that the Deaf person does not have to understand each sentence or each phrase which is to be read. This is different from a text conversation written on paper with a hearing person or the receipt of a fax or letter, where it may contain crucial information in specific sentences. The paradox that Deaf people have poor English literacy but still feel positive towards the Internet has some explanation in the above.

6.43 There were some statements about the Internet being good but too complicated in English, but overall the sentiment was very positive and it is clear that as a source of information it could be enormously important to Deaf people especially if the information can be provided in BSL.

Emergency Services and Call Centres

6.44 There is one established public interface which is of considerable importance - 999 - the emergency service. When asked about how they dealt with emergencies, Deaf people often responded that they had not had the need to use this service. However, of those who did have that experience, the vast majority had contacted a neighbour, or friend or relative who then came to deal with the emergency. Some people suggested the need to have a text message system to reach the emergency services. Most respondents who mentioned it, considered Typetalk inappropriate and too slow. One or two knew about Textdirect (a means to use a textphone to reach the emergency services directly). This is information which could be made available more widely.

"I would contact my daughter who lives in England and she will call the emergency services in my area. It is quicker. I send her a fax and then she calls." A14

"My wife and I could not hear the phone. I rang my son and kept saying help-help-help and waited for a few minutes. After a few minutes, my son came to our house and he rang the emergency services." D69

"My wife was really ill and fell over. I was in a big panic, so I rang my son on the minicom. He rang my doctor to come to see here. But it was very hard to type on the minicom." B31

6.45 Using a text device in a second language, when upset or in an emergency, is almost impossible - as these accounts imply. Apart from these attempts to use the minicom and the general feeling that they would have to ask for help from neighbours, there was only one suggestion that some sort of videolink would be effective. At the present time, the notion of videophone use has not really penetrated the Deaf community in Scotland

6.46 One of the fastest growing service sectors in Scotland is the 'call centre'. Not only commercial organisations use this but there are versions of it in health centres and council offices. The problem with it from a Deaf perspective is the use of speech-based automatic answering and routing (press 1 for repairs, 2 for bills etc) and also the likelihood of queuing. The majority of Deaf people did not have experience of this feature of telecommunications (or were not aware of it). Some did know about it through their use of Typetalk (text relay to voice) and were generally unhappy about it.

"Hate it. It's a nuisance. There is along wait. I often hang up." A27

"Rang automated services through Typetalk. I didn't understand it and didn't know how to use it." C64

"I wanted to access it but Typetalk operators couldn't cope with auto services." B41

6.47 Since these calls are all on textphones it is quite different from a voice queue where there are updates and voice messages repeatedly to let the caller know where he or she is in the queue. Since few people had direct experience in this area, they tended to make comments on what they knew and expressed a great deal of dissatisfaction with Typetalk and tended to reinforce the point that they would use family members to call directly for them. The automation of voice services and the use of call centres to deal with problems tends to create further problems for Deaf people in need.

Comments on alternative communication methods

6.48 None of the alternatives to BSL seem to satisfy Deaf people. It is as if, hearing people continue to use English and Deaf people have to adapt by using alternative systems - which are basically English in another form. Deaf people are expected to be able to lip-read, to speak (even if a little unintelligibly) and to read public service communications. Deaf people consider this unreasonable and this is the root of their discontent with hearing society. They view the access which is offered by hearing services to be an assimilation - not an accommodation.

6.49 Technologies which help a Deaf person to be like a hearing person are rejected. Technologies which might offer advantages to Deaf people and support interaction are supported. Deaf people in the 1980s embraced the textphone but the lack of adaptation by hearing people, limited its effectiveness. Typetalk, the relay service, simply confirmed this - Deaf people were adapting to text use, but hearing people simply carried on speaking. Textphone use is now in decline in this community.

6.50 Fax between Deaf people and text messaging on mobile phones have become more prominent. The first because it is a non-attendant technology - the person does not have to be there in order for the fax to be received. Its disadvantage is that it is not a responsive mode - since the reply may take several days and there is no guarantee that it reaches the correct person. Hand written faxes may also expose to hearing people, the Deaf person's poor command of English.

6.51 Text messaging in contrast is fast, very simple, ubiquitous, and almost interactive. It has taken off among the Deaf community very quickly. As a means to make appointments and to locate people it is ideal. It is not yet clear how it could become a tool for the service provider. There are simple possibilities such as visitors to the home using text messaging to alert the person to the time of the visit, for offices to confirm arrangements and appointments generally and to send alerts concerning any number of forthcoming events, information releases and so on. The limitations of 160 characters per message make it a limited tool for interaction. Although Deaf people may have purchased monthly plans with bundled text messages, hearing people may perceive it as costly (10p or 12 p per message).

6.52 Most of these methods have problems although use of text messaging came out as a highly valued means of interaction (albeit mostly for Deaf to Deaf communication). Interpreting is a key provision but the problems are simple - not enough availability and not enough highly trained interpreters.

6.53 The solution of removing the need to communicate by automatic services and machine interfaces was universally disliked.

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