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👋 A guide for Deaf colleagues to share

Working with a
BSL User

A free resource for Deaf BSL users to share with their hearing team. Personalise it and send your own link.

This guide is designed to be shared by a Deaf BSL user with their hearing colleagues. A quick, friendly introduction to help everyone communicate comfortably from day one.

If a Deaf colleague has sent you a personalised version of this page, it means they'd like you to read it. If you're a BSL user yourself, hit Personalise above to generate your own link to share with your team.

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English is a second language for many BSL users. So sometimes messages may come across as a bit short, direct, or missing a small word here or there. That's not rudeness, it's just the brain translating between BSL and English in real time!

✅ Please do
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Face the person when you speak A clear view of your face and lip movements makes a big difference.
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Write in plain English: short and simple is best BSL is a visual language with its own grammar and structure, it is not the same as English. Long, complicated messages can sometimes get lost in translation.
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Speak clearly and naturally Gestures and facial expressions help, keep them coming!
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Get their attention first A wave, a tap on the table, or a gentle tap on the shoulder or arm works perfectly. It might feel unusual, but it's simply the equivalent of saying someone's name.
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Turn on captions in meetings Most video call tools have live captions, they're a game-changer and easy to enable.
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Be patient with clarifications If they ask you to repeat something a couple of times, that's completely normal, no worries at all.
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Teams chat and email work great

Written messages are often the most reliable way for us to communicate clearly, especially for anything detailed or important. Feel free to drop me a message or email whenever it's easier. There's no right or wrong way, whatever works best for both of us!

❌ Try to avoid
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Cover your mouth while speaking Lip patterns are an important part of communication, covering them cuts off a key signal.
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Talk while walking away Once you turn away, they genuinely cannot hear you, finish the thought first!
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Everyone speak at once In group conversations or meetings, one person at a time really helps with following along.
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Panic if communication feels awkward It happens sometimes, that's completely fine. Just keep going and laugh it off together.
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Shout louder Volume doesn't help, speaking clearly and facing the person is far more useful. 😄
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Test lip-reading from across the room Distance, lighting, and angles all affect lip-reading, keep it close and face on.
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Free to use and share

If you're a Deaf BSL user, hit Personalise above to generate your own version of this page to share with your team. No sign-up, no cost.