3 tips for deaf people during the pandemic

This Covid-19 pandemic has hit everyone hard, but there are subgroups within society that have been hit even harder.

The deaf community is one of these groups, and with a second wave now in full force and winter on the way, the next 6 months look to be even bleaker than the previous.

If you’re hard of hearing and are struggling with the pandemic, then these 3 tips may help a little.

Loneliness and isolation

It can be lonely enough for deaf people in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of the modern world, but the Covid-19 pandemic has made isolation in the deaf community so much worse.

The lack of social contact and difficulty in accessing support has had a devastating impact on people, especially those without families or who live alone.

Video calling has exploded in popularity since the outbreak, the most popular of which, Zoom, has accessibility features for the hard of hearing, like closed captions and automatic transcripts.

While face-to-face video calls aren’t perfect, they are infinitely better than a regular telephone conversation, so call people when you can, even if it is difficult at times.

Working from home

Deaf or not, working from home for the first time can be a challenge.

The biggest issue for people is separating work and life, and for many, it turns into a case of not working from home, but rather living in your work.

Lying in bed with your laptop sounds like heaven for people who have to go to an office every day, but it’s not long before your bed becomes your office. Then where do you go to relax?

Try your best to create separate work/living environments in your home, stick to a routine, and give yourself the usual breaks you would in an office environment.

Use the time well

Again, this tip isn’t just for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to improve our skillsets. With lockdown blessing us with so much free time, there’s no excuse now to learn something new.

EdX.org offers thousands of free online education courses on everything from Shakespeare to quantum computing.

Of course, for deaf people, the pandemic offers an opportunity to learn sign language.

There are 12 million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, but only 87,000 know and use British Sign Language.

The total number of BSL users is 151,000, but still, that number is way too low.

In years to come, when people ask, “What did you do during lockdown?”, you can answer with “I learned a new language!”

These are trying times for everyone, but especially for the deaf community. If you feel like you are having a hard time coping, or you are suffering from anxiety or depression, then please don’t despair.

There are people who want to help, organisations like Sign Health and Deaf4Deaf are fantastic services that offer mental health support and tips for deaf people.

If you need accessible COVID-19 updates, BSL Zone are providing BSL coverage as well as a helpful series named Life in Lockdown that follows deaf people’s experiences during the pandemic.

Stay safe, stay strong, this will be over one day.