• Face the individual and gain his/her attention before speaking.
• Do not put obstacles in front of your mouth.
• Speak clearly and at moderate pace. Do not shout.
• Rephrase when you are not understood.
• Move to a quieter area to talk if there is background noise.
• Provide written instruction when needed.
• Do not speak from another room or across a room.
• When in doubt, ASK the hard of hearing person for suggestions to improve communication.

• the room must be well-lit

• the light should shine directly at the speaker and away from the hearing impaired individuals eyes

• the room needs to be bright; one or two table lamps are not enough

• adjust seating arrangements to take advantage of the light

• do not put a sofa against a wall with a window in it (the window will back light anyone sitting in front of them making it difficult to see the speakers face)

• move couch at ninety degree angle to the window or to face the window

• arrange the rest of the furniture to face the other available light sources

• at night or in dark rooms with few windows use track lighting (may be portable or built in)

• may use individual spot lights that swivel, if you only need to light one or two particular areas

Furniture
Furniture that absorbs sound should be selected and seating arrangements must be taken into consideration.

• use cloth covered padded furniture or add pillows

• use small conversation areas situated away from fans, air-conditioning units or heaters

• must be able to move chairs closer to speaker or to take advantage of lighting

• arrange seating so that the hearing impaired individual can see all the speakers

• position so that the hearing impaired individual’s back is to the light and the light is on the speaker

• if bedroom furniture is arranged (and cannot be moved) so that the hearing impaired person cannot see the door, hang a mirror on the wall that will help him/her to see when someone has entered

• use small dining table with hearing impaired individual seated with his/her back to the light source

• table should be situated in a quiet area away from other diners and/or noise sources.

Offices
The furniture in your offices can be arranged to benefit your hearing impaired residents and/or staff members

• do not force hearing impaired individual to talk across a large desk
• walk around the desk to greet him/her
• have two extra chairs in the room to you can sit face to face with no barriers between you.

Acoustics
Acoustics refers to the way in which specific areas treat sounds. For example, a place with bad acoustics in one in which sound echo. (Bathrooms, kitchens, large workrooms and many offices because of their metal, linoleum, and ceramic surfaces; their bare wall; and lack of curtains.) They echo sound of speaker as well as the sound of a shoe scuffing, a cough, water running, water gurgling, and machines running.

• cover metal Venetian blinds with cloth window shades
• use curtains/drapes
• use carpeting or rugs
• use framed artwork, wall hangings, tapestry, small rugs, blankets, quilts
• place bookcases (with books in them) along bare walls
• use acoustical tile ceilings if possible

Noise:
While we may have become so accustomed to environmental noise that we have tuned it out, it poises a real problem to hearing impaired individuals and can significantly affect their ability to understand conversation.

• Become aware of background noises that may tend to blur speech input and work around it as much as possible.
• setup conversation areas away from sound sources such as TVs, air conditioners,
• do not try to hold conversations in a bathroom or kitchen, a basement, a noisy work area, on a busy street , in a crowded restaurant, or anywhere the combination of background noise and poor acoustics can overwhelm the listener

Postscript:
The above recommendations do not require a major financial investment. Many of them refer to a simple rearrangement of the environment. Other suggestions include items which may already be found on the cottage or may be purchased at low cost.