There are everyday situations in the lives of deaf people that seem very obvious to those who know the Deaf community well, but are not so obvious to hearing people who are approaching it for the first time and starting to learn sign language. One of them is how to get a deaf person's attention. Although it is such a basic part of everyday interactions, it is not easy to find information about it.
Deaf people use different ways of getting each other's attention depending on the distance and the situation. Some of these may seem unusual to hearing people, such as directly touching someone's arm or shoulder to get their attention. Within the Deaf community, however, they are perfectly natural practices.
In this infographic, we present five common ways of getting a deaf person's attention, how to use them, and what to avoid in each case.
Transcript for people who are blind or have low vision:
- Tap on the arm (short distance, one-on-one setting): gentle but firm taps on the shoulder, arm, or forearm. This is the most direct way of getting someone's attention at short distances. Avoid: approaching from behind when the person can't see you coming and is alone.
- Wave your hand (medium distance, one-on-one setting): move your hand up and down within the person's peripheral field of vision. This is the most common way after tapping on the arm. Avoid: snapping your fingers and exaggerated movements.
- Tap on surfaces (medium distance, no-contact setting): knock on the table or stomp on the floor to send vibrations when there is no direct eye contact. Avoid: doing this when there are other deaf people in the same space who are focused on a task.
- Flick the room lights (long distance, large group setting): turn the lights in the room where the group is on and off several times. Useful for getting the attention of the whole group. Avoid: doing this when there are people in the room who don't need your attention.
- Flashlight flashes (long distance, low-light setting): turn on your phone's flashlight and move it around, trying to catch the person's eye with the light or shining it on a wall or floor near them. Avoid: using it too close and bothering their eyes.
You can see all of Unusualverse' infographics here.
