Next week (12-18 September) is Lip Reading Awareness Week. While we are still waiting on our very popular lip reading group restarting, Tutor Jill Bradshaw has shared some great information with us below.
Jill discusses something close to everyone’s hearts at the moment, getting away on holiday!
The advice is not meant to be prescriptive or offer any specific recommendations of travel companies but is based on Jill’s own experiences and some of the challenges that being deaf or hard of hearing can present when doing tasks that many take for granted.
Many of the tips also apply to other areas of life too, especially those for retailers or anyone who might have a customer facing role or work with someone who is deaf or has hearing loss so there is something in here that many of us could take heed of!
Booking a Holiday – Tips and Advice for deaf people
This is an important part of our lives when we book a holiday and here we are going to look at the best way forward when there are barriers to booking a holiday. For example, hearing loss making it difficult to book a holiday by phone.
Here are some questions you might like to think about which is relevant to booking a holiday:
- Are there any barriers to booking a holiday?
- Do you have to rely on someone to book a holiday for you?
- Is booking a holiday online the best way forward?
- What problems do we face when you are booking a holiday?
Of course, there is a pandemic on just now and we may not be going far but it is good to explore the potential pitfalls of booking a holiday.
Booking online
Is this the best way forward for you?
I have to be honest I have used this a few times but I always use a good website and it is always best to do your homework to check which holiday firms are more reliable. I have used the following; holidays via Booking.com and I have used both EasyJet and Jet 2 to book flights. For some hotels I have just gone to their website to book the holiday online.
Always check to make sure that they are a reputable firm!
If you are unsure, do your research by looking at reviews of the hotels and places. Never give out your private details and check that you always have insurance to cover yourself as there are many scams. In addition to this check to see if they are covered by ATOL as if the holiday is cancelled by the provider for any reason, this ensures your costs are covered.
Once you have booked a holiday online an email will be sent to you and it is wise to take a copy of the booking and take a note of the booking reference. When I am taking my passport on holiday, I always take the copy of the confirmation and booking so that there are no problems.
Going to the Travel Agent
Sometimes it is a good idea to take someone with you to the travel agent just in case that you have difficulty communicating with the sales person who will be booking your holiday. It is always best to advise the sales person/rep that you have a hearing loss, this way the barriers are broken down and the if the sales person involved is aware of your hearing loss they should do their best to accommodate your needs.
Make sure you have a list of questions prepared that you may want to ask. Find out about alternative ways of contacting the travel agent this could be by email or agreeing to meet at the travel agents.
Communication Tips
Face to face communication is important if it is possible.
Tell them not to write and talk at the same time so they are not looking down or away from you.
Similarly, when they are talking to the computer always ask them to turn the computer to face you so that you can see what they are talking about.
If the travel agent is sitting in front of a window ask them to swop places with you
Find a quiet spot so that there is no background noise
Ask for privacy if you need to.
Ask them to write anything down for you that you feel is important.
It is best to be prepared so have some questions ready!
Think about where you want to go for your holiday and have a budget in mind.
Think about who you are going with, what sort of holiday do you want?
When you are going on holiday? This can make a big difference to the costs and how busy your accommodation might be.
What type of accommodation that you might want and if there is any travel involved in the holiday?
Safety of the location is also very important. Most places should be quite safe but, without wanting to seem fearful, I have had difficult experiences before and I will discuss that later.
Make sure that you are comfortable with the travel agent as this is an important piece of communication and it is maybe a good idea to have someone with you.
In addition to this if you are finding it hard to lipread the travel agent there is no harm in asking if someone else can do the booking with your permission.
Finishing the meeting
Always ask the travel agent to confirm everything by letter or email.
Ask for the reference number of the booking and always ask for the copy of the paperwork as this is always given to you.
It is good to ask about equipment that might be available in your accommodation for your hearing loss like a doorbell for the door which will flash or smoke alarm or phone flash.
Given the recent issues of locations having their status quickly changed and travel plans affected, it is always good to make sure that all is going to plan with the booking so feel free to follow up with your travel agent.
When you give your mobile number always ensure that they will send you a text. I always do this as I cannot hear on the phone. There is nothing worse than a phone ringing and you are unable to answer it!
Enjoy your holiday!
Further Thoughts
There are just a few more things I would like to mention as they could be important or useful to travellers with hearing impairments:
Flying
When you are flying it is always good to book special assistance as this makes you feel a lot better. This way when you have this support in place, they will be able to notify you when your flight is in at the airport and where to go and will be there all the time with you. This is from arrival at the airport to the boarding of the plane and sometimes it is hard to get this when you arrive at your destination.
This prevents you from having to listen out for announcements in airports which can be very busy, noisy and can be very large so there are lots of echoes from the hard surfaces.
Hotel
When you are booking your holiday always make the travel agent aware of your hearing loss for the rooms at the hotel. The reason I am telling you this is due to the last holiday I went on; we had advised the travel agent that we would need to be in a safe part of the hotel.
It was horrendous to find that we had an apartment in the basement of the hotel where there were very few people around. My friends were deaf too and they were terrified as we had arrived very late at night there was no staff to assist with this problem. So, we had to wait till the morning and we are happy to say that we got it all sorted and we were near the reception so could go to them if we needed any assistance with anything. So, it is worth mentioning this for safety reasons that you wish to be near the reception.
Also, it is good to make yourself known to the rep who is organising your trips for the holiday so they can help if anything you requested (and have written proof of) has not been addressed.
Make sure that you know the name of the hotel and address also phone number as I got lost once when I was on holiday a few years ago! I didn’t have the details with me of the hotel when I was out but luckily, I knew the name of the area we were staying in.
General tips
Keep your phone charged at all times and be sure what your phone provider allows you in terms of overseas connections if you are abroad.
Final note it is always good to have a pen and paper with you at all times in case you need to write anything down.
Be careful with everything when you are on holiday. It is meant to be an enjoying and relaxing time and good planning can help that happen.
I have many a story to tell you about holidays! Until then, have fun and safe travels.
Jill Bradshaw
0 comments on “Lip Reading Awareness Week 2021” Add yours →