Jess Reynolds
Jess Reynolds is part of Sign Solutions & she is a Disability, Mental Health and LGBT+ Champion, as well as a native BSL user. Striving to empower organisations to embrace diversit...
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Who are you?
Yeah. Hello, my name is Jess Reynolds. It's my sign name, Jess. I work for Sign Solutions. I'm a marketing and social media manager for the team. You can ask me any questions about deaf awareness and within the workplace, how to work with deaf people and how to improve accessibility within the workplace.
How do I introduce myself to a deaf person?
Well be yourself. It is not a magical world. I don't expect you to learn sign language straight away. Just be yourself. Speak to me like I'm a human being. Talk at a normal pace. Don't talk too slowly. Don't treat me as a dumb person and try and establish how to communicate with me and what my preferred communication is.
How do I communicate with a deaf person?
Well, at first you have to establish what the deaf person prefers to communicate with what method. It could be sign language, it could be lip reading. So I think it's really important to ask them if they prefer to use sign language, then they may need BSO interpreter, or they may need to learn sign language, perhaps go a signing course. You could always use pen and paper to write things down.