The following information is meant as a guide for Event Partners on how to work with any Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) teams and participants at Competitions and Events.
Overriding guiding rule: Be in constant communication with the DHH team/coaches. The goal here is effective communication!
Every Deaf or hard of hearing person is different! Some may use American Sign Language (ASL), while others may not use it at all and speak for themselves.
General Tips
Working With Deaf / Hard of Hearing Individuals Who Use ASL Interpreters
- There are ASL interpreters and they usually work in pairs. They do NOT give the DHH team any advantage over hearing teams. They are required to be neutral and unbiased.
- If there are interpreters, they are for both the DHH team and the hearing staff. Some people say the interpreter is for the deaf people while others say the interpreter is for the hearing people. I like to say it’s for both parties.
- Assume that if students aren't looking at you (or the interpreter), then they are not receiving the message. Look at the Deaf individual, not the interpreter, when asking questions.
- Make sure the Emcees are aware of the need for interpreters to be there when they speak. If it becomes difficult to locate the on-site interpreter, you will need to go straight to the team to communicate all information, especially if it is vital.
- Go slow, and wait for the interpreting process which is behind your spoken message by 3-10 seconds.
- If you have to say a lot, break it into short chunks.
- One person speaks at a time.
- In groups, call on who has the floor to speak next.
- Using potentially one input method (the eyes), students cannot look at an item while receiving information about it. They have to look away to the interpreter. Use silent pauses to allow eye tracking to move from item to interpreter without the student missing information. If showing slides or lists, show item/slide/rules list first, allow it to be read in silence , then expand upon it verbally.
- If they are unable to bring sign language interpreters, see the section below about working with DHH in these situations.
Working with Deaf / Hard of Hearing Individuals Who Do NOT Use ASL Interpreters
It becomes especially important to work closer with students/coaches to provide access. You may use one or several of the ideas below. Again, effective communication is key.
- Patience, patience, patience.
- ALWAYS talk to the student/team that has the need. See what THEY prefer.
- Try to do face-to-face communication as much as possible. PA systems are not effective, especially if the space has bad acoustics/echoes. If you do use them, it is strongly recommended you follow up with them afterwards to explain face-to-face.
- Talk normally (unless you’re a fast talker, then maybe slow the pace a bit, but not too slow).
- Think about any audio cues you may use (mics, audio buzzers, etc.). These need to have additional, alternative ways to inform players/coaches who are DHH.
- Pagers are helpful if you have them (think restaurant paging systems) that have visual lights and vibrations (example).
- Use a dry/erase board or paper/pen for writing out messages.
- Use a phone to type out messages.
- Apple Notes, Google Keep, Cardzilla, or any similar app.
- HOWEVER, use with caution as many DHH students do not have proficient reading English levels.
In the Queue Line
- ASL Interpreters may or may not be with them. They will help facilitate communication.
- If no interpreters, provide and/or use a dry-erase board to communicate with them. Can use your phone to communicate using Notes app or something similar. However, use with caution as many ASL students do not have proficient reading English levels.
- If there's a monitor in the queue line that shows the queue, refer to it by pointing to the team number and giving a thumbs up/down.
At the Competition Field
- Try to have field monitors that display timers set up NEAR the field.
- Set it somewhere that DHH players don’t have to move their heads too much (imagine turning your head 90 degrees every time you had to see how much time was left). If DHH players have to take their eyes off the field to play, this puts them at a disadvantage.
- If they have interpreters, allow students to determine where interpreters will stand as long as it does not interfere with game play/players.
- Check with students (and interpreters) before starting each portion of the match. For example, at a V5RC event this would include checking with students before the autonomous and driver control periods of the match. This is usually in the form of a thumbs up along with eye contact. But any form of confirmation that the Head Referee AND the team agrees on will work.
- Amplification equipment: Some students may wear hearing aids and cochlear implants. This is normal for them, and they are not using them to gain an advantage during the match.
- Give visual cues with hands as much as possible. Explain beforehand. Careful though - sometimes too much visual gesturing can actually be counterproductive as it could distract DHH students.
- If you need to stop for any reason, put both hands up.
For Judges
- Reread the general tips again 🙂
- If no interpreters are present, some DHH individuals may need a quieter space in order to communicate better. Check with the team beforehand (perhaps during the check in process).
- If ASL interpreters are being used, allow extra time during interviews due to the ASL interpreting process. Translating from sign to voice and vice versa leads to a natural lag time.
Works Cited
The recommendations in this article come from presentations and information by Mr. Harry Wood, STEM Trainer and VEX Head Referee at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, and are used with his permission.