Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey and The Surrey Coalition for the Disabled People have joined forces to launch a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of including an SMS contact detail and hearing loop at establishments.
One in three adults in the UK are Deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.* In Surrey there’s an estimated 66,000 people who are digitally excluded and are Deaf or hard of hearing (2021).
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Including an SMS contact enables people who are hard of hearing or Deaf to communicate independently. It is important all businesses have this, and it is vital that health services provide an SMS contact and hearing loop for private and confidential conversations. Below a Coalition member shares their experience with their GP surgery.
Peter was born with a hearing impairment and lives in Surrey with his wife.
Peter cannot contact his GP surgery as they only offer a telephone number and not a SMS text number as he has requested for just under a decade. He depends on others to call and arrange the appointment for him.
Once an appointment has been made, he needs to have access to a hearing loop at the reception and in the consulting room. Often this is not available which means Peter needs to take his wife with him to appointments meaning his right to privacy is breached once again.
The lack of accessibility is not only isolating for people in Surrey who are hard of hearing or Deaf, but it takes away their independence and in this case their privacy.
What we can do:
- Ask the person what their preferred method of communication is.
- Provide accessible contacts. This should include a telephone number, email, SMS text, and a British Sign Language (BSL) relay service.
- Ask the person if there are any other accessibility needs for their appointments.
- Remember the individual is the expert on their communication needs and everyone is entitled to privacy when dealing with their health and care.
- Support our campaign by sharing our social media posts and blog to raise awareness about the importance of including an SMS contact and hearing loop
Peter’s story and animation is based on a real experience, but the name has been changed.
