The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-10-15
How to treat Deaf People.

TOW 10 treat Dear FGOple.
In every community there are
number of persons who are parti-
ally deaf, and the families are few
who have none such among friends
or relatives. So it is no small mat
ter to know how to treat them If
we would do what we can to alle-
viate that which, under the best of
circumstances must remain a great
affliction.
Who can witness without COM
passion and a desire to relieve the
sufferer the strained attention, the
embarrassed manner, the scarlet
face of one who is trying in VAN to
hear what another is saying to him
or who is shrinking under the fear
that great blunder has been made
in his reply to something that has
been said to him?
Never speak to a deaf person
without first gaining his attention.
Do not utter one word until that
attention is gained. The observance
of this simple rule would save much
straining of voice and perhaps one
half the embarrassment involved
in talking with the partially deaf.
You address one such who d0es.not
know that you are going to speak.
When you are about half through
the sentance he discovers that you
are talking to him and is obliged to
ask you to repeat, your mental
ejaculation is, "My! how deaf he
is" and you raise your voice with
perhaps a change of countance that
unwittingly reveals inward annoy
ance. Or, perhaps, you scream at
him, making it as impossible for
him to understand you as if you
spoke too low. Perhaps all this
takes place when he would have
had little or no difficulty in under
{ standing you when you first spoke
to him had you gained his atten-
ton before speaking and had you
t spoken slowly and distinctly. In,
speaking to the deaf open the
mouth wide enough to allow the
lounge and teeth to take the partin
enunciation that nature in tended
: them to take. Do not mouth your
words, or chew them off. Speak
them out distinctly without slur-
ring your sylables and aspirates.
: While you are inwardly smiling at
Y the blunders your deaf auditor
makes he may be taking critical
| mental note of your defects of
speech, and comparing you un-
favorable with some other speaker.
Remember that a small differ.
ence in the distance from the
speaker may make great diffei-
: ence In the ability of the deaf per-
Q son to hear, and do not be afraid TO
move your chair up closer to him.
a He will not think you impolite, but
o the contrary. So would you if
!. nothing were needed to turn hear
n ing with torment into hearing with
! pleasure but the shifting of a chair.
: If obliged to raise the voice in
speaking to a deaf person try first
raising it just little. He may
! have lost but word or two of
what you said, yet to lose word or
two is Often to lose the meaning of
the sentence. You may have spok-
en- almost loud enough. Now why
: weary yourself and embarrass your
auditor by going to the other ex-
d treme and speaking too loudly? If
t. thrown much into the society of
d one partially deaf, experiment with
II him until you find the pitch. your
70 voice should take to make yourself
l. most easily understood. Some can
hear full, deep tone better than
;, they can those on high key and
= vice versa. There are varieties, of
deafness, as of voices. In consider
= ing the invitation of deaf person
to company RENE mber that the
% larger the company the more easily
the deaf guest will get along, be-
cause very small groups are MOI
% re ably, form,d for conversation.
" To ushers we would say, do not
l. put deaf people on side seats when
10 they ask for front seats. There is
lc no chance for deaf person to hear
i, On a side seat.
- Do not think these little sugges.
" tions out of place from the stand
point that ordinary intelligence will
lead people to think Of them with
III out suggestion. Observation has
!. convinced us that even extriordi
Is nary intelligence will not always
" think of them.--Jacksonville, Ill.