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Spot
light
Equality and Inclusion monthly spotlight.
June 2023: Running with hearing loss
· What is hearing loss and how common is it?
There are various causes and types of hearing loss, and these are categorised into four levels; mild, moderate, severe and profound hearing loss. With mild hearing loss a person may lose the sound of things such as whispered conversations, dripping water and birds chirping. With moderate hearing loss someone is likely to benefit from hearing aids to keep up with conversations, whilst those with severe or profound hearing loss additionally may use lip reading and sign language. Hearing loss is quite common, and historically age and noise are the two most common causes. It is estimated that hearing loss affects around 12 million people in the UK - that’s 1 in 5 adults.
· How might hearing loss affect someone taking part in sport?
England Athletics have produced a fantastic resource on how to achieve accessibility for anyone with hearing loss. The guide can be found in full here https://england-athletics-prod-assets-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/02/deaf-friendly-athletics-2020-v1c.pdf
Here is their summary of potential barriers for someone with hearing loss:
What can I do to support a club member who experiences hearing loss?
There are various aspects to this as it is important that all members are kept safe whilst out on training runs, can compete in races, and also that they are able to participate in the social side of the club. I
If we take this approach for all members it can avoid someone having to disclose their hearing loss or be made to feel like they are being singled out with different treatment.
Some things to consider…
Ø Ask the person how you should communicate with them.
Ø If running on the road, run towards oncoming traffic, and make use of pedestrian crossings where they are available.
Ø Consider using pre-agreed hand signals, lights or flags to communicate.
Ø Limit distractions when speaking – move to a quiet place.
Ø Speak clearly and naturally.
Ø Don’t cover your mouth when you are speaking.
Ø Communicate important information in a variety of formats.
Ø Offer a buddy system.
- Making the club inclusive
As always, this is where your feedback is important! If you’ve had an experience that helped you, or you can see opportunities for improvement in how the club and our activities are run please get in touch with a member of the committee or Ali JH (Equality & Inclusion champion)
· Further information
Ø www.rnid.org.uk Supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus
Ø https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a34233529/deaf-runner-michael-agyin-running-asl/ A deaf runners insight.