Deaf Awareness in the workplace-9

Tip 9 - Hearing interruption 

One of the most annoying things for a Deaf person at work is when a hearing person responds immediately to sounds (like the telephone or someone calling) while the Deaf person is in conversation with that hearing person. Because a Deaf person may not be able to hear this sound, he/she will feel suddenly cut off if the hearing person looks away or grabs the phone. If you have to, indicate visually or gesturally that the phone is ringing or someone is calling. In signing it is usual to establish the topic first, then to explain about it. It is important for you to make sure the person knows what you are going to talk about before you start explaining. Be visual (use gestures to point to the object or write down the heading) if you wish to change topic or to do something else.
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