{"id":4589,"date":"2020-10-29T21:09:24","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T21:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/?p=4589"},"modified":"2020-10-29T21:16:10","modified_gmt":"2020-10-29T21:16:10","slug":"the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers"},"content":{"rendered":"

D\u00e9sol\u00e9, cet article est seulement disponible en Anglais Am\u00e9ricain<\/a>. Pour le confort de l\u2019utilisateur, le contenu est affich\u00e9 ci-dessous dans une autre langue. Vous pouvez cliquer le lien pour changer de langue active.<\/p>by Keegan Noxell\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As we continue to navigate our daily lives with COVID-19 present, it is important as ever to continue advocating and raising awareness on the barriers faced by those of us with hearing loss.\u00a0 The primary barrier being access to communication<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Within our age cohort, we have a diverse range of individuals who are starting their academic or professional career paths and are now experiencing added communication difficulties because of masks and the plexiglass barriers placed in public places.<\/p>\n

With the emergence of face masks, simple communication and understanding has been compromised.\u00a0 It is critical that solutions be developed to remove those barriers, as it not only puts our members\u2019 employment at risk but can lead to higher stress\/anxiety levels and listening fatigue, impacting mental health.<\/p>\n

With respect to technology, some of the video conferencing platforms used have inadequate captioning options available, which transcribes what is being said verbally into written text.\u00a0 Without this, communication can be misinterpreted, and key information can go amiss.\u00a0 As for other platforms, captioning typically requires an additional cost to the user (or host of the meeting) and thus creating another barrier.<\/p>\n

Experiences<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am fortunate to not have had too many incidents thus far as I work within a family owned business close by and have limited my outings since the pandemic started, but simple tasks (i.e. ordering food) has proven tricky and often leaves me guessing (and hoping) I have understood the person.<\/p>\n

As shared by my peers, those that are out and about regularly have faced daily difficulties as a result of face masks and other barriers present.\u00a0 Here are a couple of accounts:<\/p>\n

Hart Plommer, President of CHHA-YAN, went to a walk-in clinic for a medical concern and left feeling vulnerable and concerned that a correct diagnoses had not been made even after identifying himself as someone with a hearing loss and needing some accommodation from the staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the everyday little things that we all used to take for granted that has been significantly impacted.\u201d \u2013 Hannah Wade<\/em><\/p>\n

Hannah Wade, a CHHA-YAN Director, has noticed the impact masks has everywhere she goes, including the realization that she probably appears to be rude when people greet her without getting her attention first at work, or in a grocery store.\u00a0 As a result, people may stare, waiting for an answer to a question that was never heard.\u00a0 COVID has pushed Hannah to be more open with those in public places about her hearing level.<\/p>\n

Solutions \u2013 simple but effective<\/strong><\/p>\n

A common solution is clear face masks to help with lip reading and regain access to visual cues, which help us understand what is being said.<\/p>\n

It is important to remember that advocating for our needs is okay, even when we feel vulnerable.\u00a0 However, when hard of hearing people speak up, it varies on whether advocating was successful, or not, depending on the situation.<\/p>\n

When everyone is wearing masks, it is crucial that your voice is clear and projected.\u00a0 If you are having difficulty hearing, ask the person to rephrase what was said to add further context to the conversation.<\/p>\n

Additionally, we suggest having alternatives (i.e. pen and paper to write down your request, using the note application on your smartphone or calm hand gestures to clarify something).<\/p>\n

What more can be done?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As communication is a two-way street, it\u2019s important to remind ourselves that we can collectively take steps towards removing barriers, whether it be as individuals, businesses or government \u2013 all of us play an equally important role.<\/p>\n

As businesses adapt to accommodate its customers, it\u2019s a good opportunity to train employees on the varied communication needs of its customers, so they are better equipped to help someone who is Deaf and\/or Hard of Hearing.<\/p>\n

As previously written by Hannah, please do not assume<\/em> that everyone can hear you and thus show patience and kindness towards us, as we are all in this together<\/strong>.\u00a0 Additionally, speak slowly and clearly, but refrain from yelling.\u00a0 If misunderstood, try rephrasing the statement differently (i.e. \u201cHow would you like to pay today?\u201d to \u201cAre you using credit or debit?\u201d).<\/p>\n

Check out this helpful guide<\/a> geared towards businesses for further tips that will make a positive impact.<\/p>\n

The government shall continue taking a proactive approach in working with organizations like the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) to better understand our needs and take into consideration ways to make Canada a more accessible place for all.\u00a0 Furthermore, they can also continue to support and recommend the use of transparent face masks by the hearing population \u2013 as it has mutual benefit and is just one of many steps towards removing barriers for those with hearing loss.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\nD\u00e9sol\u00e9, cet article est seulement disponible en Anglais Am\u00e9ricain. Pour le confort de l\u2019utilisateur, le contenu est affich\u00e9…\n<\/div>\n
Continue reading “The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers”<\/span>…<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"[:en]The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers[:] - Canadian Hard of Hearing Association\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"D\u00e9sol\u00e9, cet article est seulement disponible en Anglais Am\u00e9ricain. Pour le confort de l\u2019utilisateur, le contenu est affich\u00e9… Continue reading “The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers”…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Canadian Hard of Hearing Association\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Chha-offic-144214962320170\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-29T21:09:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-29T21:16:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Importance-of-Removing-Communication-Barriers1-719x719.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CHHA National\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@chha_amec\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@chha_amec\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u00c9crit par\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CHHA National\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"CHHA National\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/df3b8dece1094aaafea35868615bf625\"},\"headline\":\"The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-29T21:09:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-29T21:16:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/\"},\"wordCount\":794,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Young Adult\"],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/\",\"name\":\"[:en]The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers[:] - Canadian Hard of Hearing Association\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-29T21:09:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-29T21:16:10+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/\",\"name\":\"Canadian Hard of Hearing Association\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-CHHA-LOGO.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-CHHA-LOGO.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Chha-offic-144214962320170\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chha_amec\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/chhanational\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCNC_PTCmICqpscX_wpa5ooQ\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/df3b8dece1094aaafea35868615bf625\",\"name\":\"CHHA National\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8ebc9cacc63eb90a83bd6717872fa61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8ebc9cacc63eb90a83bd6717872fa61?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CHHA National\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/author\/chhaadmin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"[:en]The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers[:] - Canadian Hard of Hearing Association","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"[:en]The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers[:] - Canadian Hard of Hearing Association","og_description":"D\u00e9sol\u00e9, cet article est seulement disponible en Anglais Am\u00e9ricain. Pour le confort de l\u2019utilisateur, le contenu est affich\u00e9… Continue reading “The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers”…","og_url":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/","og_site_name":"Canadian Hard of Hearing Association","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Chha-offic-144214962320170\/","article_published_time":"2020-10-29T21:09:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-10-29T21:16:10+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Importance-of-Removing-Communication-Barriers1-719x719.png"}],"author":"CHHA National","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@chha_amec","twitter_site":"@chha_amec","twitter_misc":{"\u00c9crit par":"CHHA National","Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/"},"author":{"name":"CHHA National","@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/df3b8dece1094aaafea35868615bf625"},"headline":"The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers","datePublished":"2020-10-29T21:09:24+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-29T21:16:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/"},"wordCount":794,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Young Adult"],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/","url":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/","name":"[:en]The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers[:] - Canadian Hard of Hearing Association","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-10-29T21:09:24+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-29T21:16:10+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/the-importance-of-removing-communication-barriers\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Importance of Removing Communication Barriers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#website","url":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/","name":"Canadian Hard of Hearing Association","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#organization","name":"The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association","url":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-CHHA-LOGO.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cropped-CHHA-LOGO.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Chha-offic-144214962320170\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/chha_amec","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/chhanational\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCNC_PTCmICqpscX_wpa5ooQ"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/df3b8dece1094aaafea35868615bf625","name":"CHHA National","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8ebc9cacc63eb90a83bd6717872fa61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8ebc9cacc63eb90a83bd6717872fa61?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CHHA National"},"url":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/author\/chhaadmin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4589"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4589"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4593,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4589\/revisions\/4593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}