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Improving accessibility for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
By Jennifer Quigley , TranslateLive
For the past 30 years , I have witnessed great inequality and inaccessibility in all areas of life for those with hearing loss . Advocating for equal access for deaf and hard of hearing individuals within the workplace and in the community as a whole has become one of my life ’ s missions . I would not have chosen any other journey . Have we traveled by leaps and bounds in the past 30 years ? Sure . That being said , we still have a long way to go as far as accessibility in the travel and tourism space .
When asked by Fred Maahs , Jr . of Maahs Travels to write this article , I went straight to the source - people I know who have firsthand experience in this space . Their insight as individuals with hearing loss has been immeasurable and I am grateful for the time taken to share with me their experiences .
I had the pleasure of recently meeting Angela Young , MEd . through a weekly show on diversity and accessibility . Dr . Young herself is deaf but is not fluent in American Sign Language . The assumption is often made that all people who are deaf are fluent in ASL ; this is inaccurate . Dr . Young relies heavily on lipreading for communication when she is traveling . Now that people are starting to travel again after Covid-19 , some are still wearing masks . Dr . Young points out that it is essential that staff need to be aware of the limits to communication that come with wearing masks . Dr . Young states , “ I think within the tourism industry , we especially need awareness regarding the fact that mask-wearing creates so many problems for people with hearing deficits , and that patience , compassion , and empathy should be at the forefront of all we do for others .” Dr . Young also added that visual signifiers that are able to alert a deaf or hard of hearing guest that someone is at the hotel guest room door would be a huge help .
I also had the opportunity to interview Maria Block , Accessibility Specialist for William Paterson University in New Jersey . ( I can ’ t go without mentioning that she also happens to be one of my best friends !) Maria , being profoundly deaf herself , was able to provide additional insight as she and her husband love to travel . Maria states , “ Most major chain hotels have been accessible during my travels ; restaurants and resorts not so much . However one company that went above and beyond would be Royal Caribbean ( RC ) Cruise line . They provided interpreting services 24 / 7 as needed and it was