© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading LIP READING

© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading Vocabulary Decipher : Succeed in understanding, interpreting, or identifying (something) Gestures : A movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning Impaired : Having a disability of a specified kind Integration : The action or process of integrating Rehabilitate : Restore (someone) to health or normal life by training and therapy after imprisonment, addiction, or illness

© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading Lip-reading is an effective form of communication for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Being a skilled lip reader allows easier integration into the "hearing" world, opening doors to careers, relationships and opportunities not as accessible to those who stick strictly to sign language. Lip-reading is a useful tool even if you have no hearing impairment.

© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading What is Lip Reading? Lip reading allows you to “listen” to a speaker by watching the speaker’s face to figure out their speech patterns, movements, gestures and expressions. Often called “a third ear,” lip reading goes beyond simply reading the lips of a speaker to decipher individual words. Learning to lip read involves developing and practicing certain skills that can make the process much easier and more effective. These include: Learning to use the cues provided by the movements of the speaker’s mouth, teeth and tongue Reading and evaluating the information provided by facial expressions, body language and gestures in conjunction with the words being said Using vision to assist with listening Using prior knowledge to fill in the gaps that can occur in understanding since it is impossible to read every word said.

© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading History Lip-reading dates to 1500 A.D. In the 17th century, Dr. John Bulwer was credited with teaching the deaf how to speak and lip-read. In World War I, lip-reading was employed to help rehabilitate soldiers who lost their hearing during battle. Since that time, lip- reading has been taught in most schools for deaf and hearing-impaired people.

© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading Interesting Facts about Lip Reading It is easier to lip read in a quiet environment without too many distractions. Some people mumble or have difficulties in speaking, therefore they are practically impossible to read. However, most people are much easier to read. Because lip reading depends on visual cues, lip readers must have good eyesight. Lip readers need clear light since it is impossible to lip read in the dark. Lip reading is much easier when it involves the lip reader’s first language. For example, an English speaker will find it much easier to lip read English than to lip read Spanish. Some of the shapes made by the lips when speaking look very similar, for example “th” and “f”, making them harder to decipher. This is why picking up subtle facial cues is so important.

© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading Benefits of Lip Reading People feel nice as they feel that the world is opening up again since they are able to communicate better. It brings confidence and develops social and communication skills. It helps the family members and friends of people who have difficulty in hearing to be more empathetic with the challenges faced by their loved ones. It helps communication professionals to communicate more effectively with deaf and hard of hearing persons in both professional and personal situations such as business meetings, lectures, press conferences or even parties.

© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading Limitations of lip Reading : Difficulties associated with lip-reading include: Normal speech is too fast to lip-read easily. Many speech movements are not seen. Many speech patterns are similar, leading to confusion and doubt. Some words look alike, even though they sound different. Many people do not speak clearly. Lip-reading cannot make up for the hearing that has been lost. It is not possible for a person to consistently understand everything that is said by lip-reading alone.

© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading Learning to lip-read Developing the ability to lip-read requires: Practice Patience Perseverance Lip speakers are used by deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people who use Lip- reading as their first means of communication with other people. A Lip speaker repeats a speaker's message to Lip readers accurately, without using their voice. They produce clearly the shape of words, the flow, rhythm and phrasing of natural speech and repeat the stress as used by the speaker. The Lip speaker also uses facial expressions, natural gesture and finger spelling (if requested) to aid the Lip reader's understanding.

© 2014 wheresjenny.com Lip reading Lip speakers may be used in a range of situations for example: Education Conferences and meetings Training courses Job interviews Some Lip speakers are also especially trained in medical or legal work.