Airports can be a labyrinth of chaos and stress, especially for those rushing to catch a flight. For the Deaf and hard of hearing traveler, this often includes navigating an additional maze of barriers that range from lack of visual information to communication struggles and impatience from airport staff and passengers. Let's [...]
In a world as diverse as ours, cultural differences shape the way we perceive and engage with the world around us. One striking example of this diversity lies in the contrasting social interactions between hearing and deaf culture. While both cultures offer rich and meaningful experiences, their distinct communication modalities, non-verbal cues, [...]
The month of May is Better Hearing and Speech Month. Join me in taking a moment to promote awareness and education about communication challenges and the diverse ways in which people communicate. Hearing and speaking are two of the most common ways that humans communicate and interact with eachother. However, for some [...]
American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual language used by many members of the Deaf community in the United States and Canada. While ASL is a language in its own right, it is not a universal language. American Sign Language is also specific to the Deaf community. As the National Association of [...]
As someone who is deaf, I’ve heard (pun) my fair share of ridiculous statements about deaf people. One of them that keeps coming up, deaf people cannot enjoy music. As a music lover myself, I am here to set the record straight: deaf people CAN enjoy music. Music is not just an [...]
With the holidays around the corner, customer service sometimes changes for the worst. How does that bode for deaf and hard of hearing customers who are trying to survive the most credit-disrupting, nerve-wracking, and elbow-jostling season of the year? This holiday, are you prepared to provide deaf-friendly customer service? We already discussed [...]
Think “museum,” and the first things that come to mind are iconic T-Rex displays of your childhood, or heist and adventure movies (think: The Mummy Returns, Thomas Crown Affair, and National Treasure). But unlike the relics inside, museums are evolving - just like the humans who create and visit them. Gone are [...]
Make no mistake about it: Despite the pandemic's huge impact on the dining industry, deaf and hard of hearing Americans still crave good customer service - as much as they crave a good meal itself. According to the National Restaurant Association, 6 in 10 adults have changed their restaurant usage behaviors as [...]
Good customer service is the defining factor of any good business – especially important is the first point of contact. As Deaf consumers, we frequent a variety of businesses daily such as retail establishments, grocery stores, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and many more. If we experience bad customer service, chances are, all [...]