Feedback from the Deaf Community and the Rail Industry

Our Deaf Awareness Recommendations:

1. The use of webcam: Not all participants use their cameras depending on their location, they may not have one, or simply choose not to use it. For those in the deaf community, being able to lipread, witness body language and identify the speaker is vital to help them follow the conversation. 

What can you do? Use your webcams when speaking to allow for lipreading and also for facial expressions and body language cues. Also, establish ‘eye contact’ by looking directly at the webcam periodically, as this can help with lipreading, instead of focusing on the video screens of others in the call. Make sure you’re not backlit or too dark on screen as anyone lipreading needs image contrast to distinguish the details.

2. When not to use a webcam: However, webcams are not always helpful in all situations. In large meetings, having too many videos can be confusing and difficult to determine who is speaking. 

What can you do? In larger settings, it may help to only have your camera on when speaking, and then turn it off when you are not speaking. This way, it helps to identify and track who is speaking, and makes the speaker’s image larger to allow for easier lipreading.

3. Subtitles: Closed captions are a great way to establish what is being said. However, they are not always perfect, and can struggle with accents, technical terms and abbreviations. Depending on the speed that the speaker is talking at, sometimes the closed captions can be off the screen very quickly, and they are not visible again (by scrolling up etc). 

What can you do? Be conscious of your speaking speed, and pause between sentences to allow the closed captions to catch up as they may be delayed. Try not to use acronyms extensively when talking, or expand the acronym before using it further in the meeting, and possibly repeat or spell out any important technical terms to ensure they are picked up correctly. Also, it can be challenging to concentrate on the captions and take notes at the same time, which may also impact the ability to actively participate.

4. Transcription feature: As closed captions are only on screen temporarily, it may be useful to use a transcription feature, which records the closed captions throughout the meeting and can be downloaded afterwards. 

What can you do? Try out a transcription tool, and see what works for you. Transcription can also be used for other materials such as for voicemails, which can help the deaf community to be able to read their calls. A benefit of transcription is that the file can be downloaded and distributed after the meeting, which allows for processing in your own time and future reference.

5. Meeting Materials: Meeting materials, such as the slides, a supporting document or a video, can help to allow people to process before and after the meeting, however not all materials are tailored to the deaf community. It takes a lot of mental effort to lip read, focus on closed captions and read text on screen live. 

What can you do? Think and prepare carefully, and ensure all material is relevant and tailored as much as possible to account for the deaf community. Longer speeches should be accompanied by presentation slides, and try to have as much that was said on the slides so this can be referred back to if not recorded. Any video material should have subtitles, and should be played to audiences with subtitles on as default.

6. Recording what happens and what is discussed in the session: Recording the session and their content with transcription tools can be beneficial as it allows you to replay the video in your own time and make notes. However, due to the confidential nature of some meetings, or due to people not being comfortable with recordings, not all meetings can be recorded. 

What can you do? Raise the topic of whether a meeting can be recorded with the meeting chair ahead of the meeting. This means that a hearing impaired person doesn’t have to ask directly at the start.When discussing things in the meeting, it is best to share a live meeting notes document on screen and edit it live. This helps to avoid having to swap screens or windows, which could negatively impact someone attempting to lipread if the video call screen is no longer visible to them.

7. Virtual and hybrid meetings: It is important to be aware that virtual meetings restrict a lot of visual information and cues that a deaf person may use in face to face interactions to follow the conversation. Albert Mehrabian developed the ‘7-38-55’ theory; this means that in face to face meetings, 55% of communication is said to be communicated through body language, 38% through tone of voice, and only 7% attributed to verbal communication/spoken words. Also, it is estimated that the best lip readers can only understand 20% - 60% of what is being said. 

What can you do? Stay aware of the fact that due to lack of non-verbal cues, and differing ability to lip read due to camera position and lighting, this means that a deaf participant could be working twice as hard to understand, and only taking in half the information.

8. Scheduled breaks: Due to the increased concentration and focus needed to participate in meetings, it is very useful to build in breaks to longer meetings, or between multiple meetings. 

What can you do? It is thought that most people have a concentration span of around 30 - 45 minutes, so incorporating a short break often allows people to rest and process the information, which can increase focus and concentration in the next part of the meeting. Breaks identified in the agenda allows participants to know when they will be focusing and when they will have a chance to rest, catch up or ask questions.

9. Understand ‘hearing privilege’: The world is designed primarily for the hearing, and it is presumed that everyone around you can also hear and participate in the same way as you. However, there is so much more that can be done to be more considerate and compassionate at work to those around you, and what you can do to make their lives easier and more comfortable. 

What can you do? It is vital for those of us with ‘hearing privilege’ to understand and learn about the problems the deaf community face on a day to day basis, struggles we have never encountered such as hearing your name called at a doctor, or a delay announced at a station, or your stop being called on the tube. Therefore, it is very important to do something to help others and actively change processes to better involve those with hidden disabilities, even if it feels like a small change.

10. Keep going, keep engaging, keep sharing: The best way to start is just to try - something is better than nothing, and it is better to learn by doing and adapting, than seeking perfection from the outset. These tips, along with actions outlined in our previous blogs, are great ways to get started and make a small, easy change.  

What can you do? Encourage people around you to participate in implementing, improving and challenging current practices. The ‘EDI moment of the week' that we implemented and explained in our previous blog has received positive feedback as a great way to get people involved, increase understanding and awareness and encourage everyone to view the meeting as though they were a deaf participant. It is important that everyone is on board, and actively trying to improve practices to increase inclusivity, diversity and equality in the workplace.

I would like to thank Paul and others who have helped me immensely along the way with improving our processes, and provided feedback that was published in this blog.