One of the big questions people have when they first meet a Deaf person is, how do you get their attention if they're not looking at you? With hearing people you can just clear your throat and they'll look up. But with a Deaf you could literally shout and they'll just keep doing what they were doing. They can't hear you, so how do you get their attention?
Well, what you don't do is you don't toss something at the back of their head to get their attention. No. Definitely don't do that. And don't run and suddenly grab them, because you might scare them, and you might get a very bad reaction. If someone ran up to me and grabbed me, I would probably shriek in fear and probably try to beat them off with the nearest thing I could reach. Definitely not a good way to get their attention.
So, how DO you get a Deaf's attention? Well, here's how:
If you're in front of them, and they're looking down, you put your hand just into their range of vision and gently wave up and down. Not right in front of their eyes, mind you. Just just right in their peripheral vision where they can catch the motion. So, say they're reading, you put your hand to the side of their book and waggle it up and down. You don't cover what they're doing, but you're getting their attention.
If you're behind them, you gently come up and tap their shoulder twice. Twice is important, because one tap they'll think is just a bump, and three or more times signals that there's something urgent that needs their attention now, like a fire.
If you're in a crowded room, you either wave across the room, high enough for them to see, or you ask someone near them to tap them twice and point to you.
Basically, keep calm and don't startle them.
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