5 tips on making Christmas deaf friendly this year

It’s been a tough year for everyone, so this Christmas, while not perfect, will be more appreciated than usual.

And although Christmas with family can be a wonderful time, it also brings extra stress and challenges for those with a hearing loss.

Whether it’s an immediate family member who struggles or an elderly relative who’s only visiting for the day, taking the time to appreciate that life is different for some can make all the difference in their lives.

We’ve put together these 5 tips for you to think about this year to make your Christmas deaf friendly if you have a loved one in your home who has trouble hearing.

Subtitles

Christmas TV is the best TV, and whether everyone’s crowding around to watch the Queen’s Speech or the Bond movie, it’s important that everyone feels included.

Make sure the subtitles are on the TV, even if the sound is turned up, and have them on all the time, not just when you sit down for a movie. It’s not nice being an afterthought or worse still, being forgotten about completely.

Lip reading

Many deaf and hard of hearing people have a basic grasp of lip reading, so that’s something to bear in mind this Christmas.

If possible, have a round table so everyone can see one another in a well-lit room. And of course, it’s hard to read someone’s lips if they’re wearing a false Santa beard, so take it off!

We all like a wee drink at Christmas, but too much makes us slur our words, making it tough for someone to read our lips, and the same goes for talking with a mouthful of food!

Encourage BSL

Small things make a big difference, and if you have a friend or relative who knows sign language, then it would be an amazing gesture to learn a few words or phrases.

It doesn’t take much to learn some basic Christmas signs like Merry Christmas or here’s a present for you, and even these small gestures can really make an impression.

Keep the noise down!

Not all deaf people are 100% deaf, many have difficulty hearing, and this is a real issue around the holidays.

Christmas day can be a wild time, especially with a lot of children in the house, so minimise background noise where you can.

Is there a real need for the TV to be turned up if no one is watching? Is background music necessary? Have a think about where you can keep things quiet and help others.

Video call relatives

Christmas  is a great time to catch up with friends and family over the phone, but with modern technology, there’s no longer a reason to not make it a video call!

Include everyone this year by using Skype, FaceTime, or Zoom to wish friends and family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas from 121 Captions

Remember, deaf awareness is not just for Christmas, it’s for life!

We hope this short blog post will help you make Christmas deaf friendly this year, but these tips and hints can carry on all throughout the year, so please always consider those in your life (and those you don’t know) who might be deaf or hard of hearing.

Just a little bit of consideration can go a long way, so keep it up and Merry Christmas!