Sussex Community Lipreading
Fun and friendly lip reading classes for adults of all ages with a hearing loss, in the West Sussex area.
11/07/2024
My lipreading classes will be starting back once the school term begins, and run April to June. These are the final classes for the 23-24 academic year:
Monday mornings - Face to Face, Eastbourne
Monday evenings - online, via Zoom
Tuesday afternoons - online, Via Zoom
Friday mornings - Face to Face, Ansty, Haywards Heath
Friday afternoons - online, via Zoom
The focus of these classes will be vowel lipshapes. If you'd like to join us please get in touch for more details,
Sarah
Sussex Community Lipreading Fun and friendly lip reading classes for adults of all ages with a hearing loss, in the West Sussex
New classes for September 2023
Mondays 10.30am - 12pm, Face to Face, Eastbourne, Beginners/mixed ability
Mondays 7pm - 8.30pm, zia Zoom, Beginners / mixed ability
Tuesdays 2pm - 3.30pm, via Zoom, Beginners / mixed ability
Tuesdays 7pm - 8.30pm, via Zoom, Intermediate
Wednesdays 7pm - 8.30pm, via Zoom, Beginners / mixed ability
Fridays 10.15-12pm, Face to Face, Ansty (Haywards Heath), Beginners / mixed ability
Fridays 1.30pm -3.00pm, Via Zoom, Beginners / mixed ablity
Please message for more information on each class!
Thanks
Sarah
01/05/2023
Deaf Awareness Week 2023
4 things you can do when talking to a deaf person or a person with an acquired hearing loss.
1) Get their attention before you start talking.
Face the person that you want to talk to and give them eye contact so they know you want to speak to them.
Call their name, a touch of the arm or a wave can get their attention
2) Speak naturally and don’t shout
Speaking naturally allows a deaf person to pick up on non-verbal clues such as gesture and body language.
If-you-start-breaking-up-your-speech the emotion in what you are saying is lost and its actually harder to understand what’s being said.
Please don’t raise your voice.
Adding volume doesn’t add clarity to what is being said.
For some people, the added volume can be painful and cause discomfort
3) Please repeat what you’ve said – or better still rephrase it
Lots of words look alike on the lips when sound is taken away.
If you are asked to repeat yourself, please be patient.
Try rephrasing what you want to say – it can give more clues as to what you are saying
4) There are many different types and levels of hearing loss.
Not all people with hearing loss use BSL or lipread.
There are many different types, causes and levels of hearing loss.
There is no “one way” to communicate
If you want to know what you can do to help someone, ASK them.
Don’t assume that you know what they need you to do.
Each deaf person has different needs.
Thanks for reading
Sarah
As we’ve reached the end of the 2nd term (January to March) it's been fantastic to see the positive impact of the reintroduction of pair work and group work in my face-to-face classes. All learners have been able to practice their new lipreading skills with each other, in a safe and supportive environment.
In term 2 we focused on vowel lip shapes. Over the last 10 weeks we have looke at soup, starlings, tea towels, gondolas, beach huts, The Big Issue, Michael Faraday, Hallmarks, T-shirts, honeybees and so much more!
Term 3 starts week commencing 24th April and we’ll be looking at more new vowel lip shapes.
10/02/2023
There are some good tips here from Hearing Link about how to manage your hearing loss.
Hearing loss and eating out - Hearing Link Services Eating out at restaurants with family and friends can be a challenging experience if you have a hearing loss. Visit this page for useful communication tips.
Lipreading classes start back next week!
Mondays: 10.30am Eastbourne - Spaces available
Tuesdays: Online, Via Zoom, 2pm and 7pm - Both classes Full
Fridays: Mornings, Ansty Village Hall - 3 spaces available
Fridays: Online Via Zoom, 1.30pm - 3 Spaces available
Also available for private tutition (online via Zoom) if you dont want to attend a group session.
If you'd like to sign up, please send me a DM or comment below!
Thanks
Sarah
14/12/2022
Some useful tips from Hearing Link for getting through the Christmas period, whether you have a hearing loss yourself or are socialising with friends, family and colleagues who have a hearing loss.
Some top tips from our volunteers and staff on how to manage some of the challenges that Christmas brings for people with hearing loss
Lipreading classes are back!
All classes start week commencing 19th September 2022:
Monday 10.30am - Face to Face, for East Sussex Hearing - in Eastbourne
Tuesday 2pm - online via Zoom, for Surrey Adult Learning
Wednesday 1.30pm - Face to Face, for East Sussex Hearing - in Uckfield
Friday 10.15am - Face to Face, Ansty Village Hall, Haywards Heath
Friday 1.30pm - online via Zoom, for East Sussex Hearing
This course lasts 10 weeks and we will be looking at consonant lipshapes.
Cost of course varies by provider.
Please get in touch if you'd like more details or have any questions,
Many thanks
Sarah
20/04/2022
Spaces available in all face to face classes starting next week!
Mondays 10.30am Eastbourne (9 weeks)
Wednesdays 1pm Uckfield (9 weeks)
Fridays 10.15am Ansty, Haywards Heath (10 weeks)
Drop me a message if you'd like to come along!
Lipreading tutors often teach the BSL alphabet in class. Some times is the first letter or sound on a word that can be tricky because lots of sounds look alike on the lips. Knowing and using the BSL alphabet can help you get clarification.
04/02/2022
Hearing Aids don't restore your hearing like glasses restore your vision...
10 Reasons Hearing Aids Are Not Like Glasses "What reasons would you add to the list?"
Want to learn to lipread?
Classes start back next week, w/c 10 January. All classes are 90 mins with a refreshment break. Courses are 10 weeks long with break for half term (w/c 14 Feb).
Face to Face classes (socially distanced) are:
Mondays: 10.30am Eastbourne.
Wednesdays: 1.30pm Uckfield.
Fridays: 10.15am Ansty, Haywards Heath.
Online classes - via Zoom with captions are:
Tuesdays: 2pm
Tuesdays: 7pm
Fridays: 1.30pm
Any questions, please do ask!
19/12/2021
Its never too late to learn to lipread!
Classes may have started last week but we look at a new lip shape every week and recap our learning at the end of term!
Limited space available in most face to face and online classes! Get in touch for details if you would like to join!
Sarah
Wow - I have 30 people signed up to start next week!!
There is still time to sign up if you are interested. Classes start week commencing 20th September and there are a limited number of spaces available:
Mondays: 10.30am Eastbourne, Face to Face - Full
Tuesdays: 2pm online – 2 spaces left
Tuesdays: 7pm online – 4 spaces left
Wednesdays: 1.30pm Uckfield, Face to Face – 2 spaces left
Fridays: 10am Ansty, Haywards Heath, Face to Face – 2 spaces left
Fridays: 1.30pm online - 4 spaces left
Please get in touch if you have any questions or want more details.
All Face-to-Face classes are socially distanced.
Sarah
This week is Lipreading Awareness Week.
I am often asked whether learning to lipread is like learning a foreign language. The simple answer is no.
When learning a foreign language, French for example, you learn the French word for the English word. You learn the French vocabulary in sets, i.e. the names for animals, the manes for the rooms in your house, the days of the week etc.
In lipreading, we don't learn whole words - we focus on that the sound of the English language look like on the lips.
We teach the 12 consonant lip shapes and the 20 vowel lip shapes. As a lipreader, you would then use these 32 "puzzle pieces" to work out what is being said.
The reason we don't look at individual words is because we all use different words depending on who we are talking to and what we are talking about. The average person speaks 7,000 words a day - what would be a lot of words to learn and remember and what if you haven't learnt the right words???
Face to face classes are back! Updated 23/08
10 week course for the Autumn term, beginning w/c 20th September:
Mondays, 10.30am, Face to Face, East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre, Eastbourne.
Tuesdays, 2pm, Online via Zoom, Surrey Adult Learning
Tuesdays, 7pm, Online via Zoom, Surrey Adult Learning
Wednesdays, 1pm, Face to Face, Uckfield Civic Centre
Fridays, 10am, Face to Face, Ansty Village Hall, Haywards Heath
Fridays, 1.30pm, Online Via Zoom, East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre
** live captioning is available in all Zoom lessons**
Please contact me for booking details.
I am available for private tuition - this can be on a 1-to-1 basis, a family setting or if you are a small group who would like to learn to lipread. Please get in touch to book a free 30 mins Zoom session to discuss your requirements.
18/07/2021
Experiencing hearing loss is a bereavement. You lose your hearing and you will never get it back - hearing aids don't restore your hearing in the same way that glasses restore your vision.
Everyone who experience hearing loss will go through these 5 stages. The time we spend in each of these stages and how we "deal" with it will vary from person to person. Some travel this journey in months while for some this journey can take years.
“I can see that I went through the five stages of grief when I look back at when my hearing loss started.
“I didn’t believe that I had hearing loss and that everyone around me was just mumbling to begin with.
“I was angry when I realised that I needed hearing aids. I was angry at the world in general, especially at whatever thing had stolen my hearing.
“I went through a period of time wanting to strike a bargain with God. Gods, science, or anyone really, as long as I could have my hearing restored.
“I then hit an all-time low. I was depressed about what I considered to be the half-life that I had ahead of me.
“I suddenly woke up one day and accepted that I was deaf and had to get on with my life. It was at this point that I began to read up on hearing loss and how others were coping with their own experience.
“I discovered a number of places online where I found a lot of information that I needed.
“As a writer, I became a part of the Phonak hEARo programme, which gave me a sense of belonging and allowed me to give back, as well as continue to learn what I needed.
“Often when I’m out and about, I’ll be standing in a queue, and the shop assistant spots my hearing aids. They then proceed to either shout at me or do that strange thing when they think they are speaking clearly making big mouth shapes like a fish. In reality, it makes lip reading impossible!
“Because of incidents like these – I am passionate about educating the hearing mainstream community about all things deaf.” – Philip
4 things you can do when talking to a deaf person or a person with an acquired hearing loss.
1) Get their attention before you start talking.
Face the person that you want to talk to and give them eye contact so they know you want to speak to them.
Call their name, a touch of the arm or a wave can get their attention
2) Speak naturally and don’t shout
Speaking naturally allows a deaf person to pick up on non-verbal clues such as gesture and body language.
If-you-start-breaking-up-your-speech the emotion in what you are saying is lost and its actually harder to understand what’s being said.
Please don’t raise your voice.
Adding volume doesn’t add clarity to what is being said.
For some people, the added volume can be painful and cause discomfort
3) Please repeat what you’ve said – or better still rephrase it
Lots of words look alike on the lips when sound is taken away.
If you are asked to repeat yourself, please be patient.
Try rephrasing what you want to say – it can give more clues as to what you are saying
4) There are many different types and levels of hearing loss.
Not all people with hearing loss use BSL or lipread.
There are many different types, causes and levels of hearing loss.
There is no “one way” to communicate
If you want to know what you can do to help someone, ASK them.
Don’t assume that you know what they need you to do.
Each deaf person has different needs.
Thanks for watching/reading!
Sarah
Today marks the beginning of Deaf Awareness Week 2021.
It’s a national event with the aim of raising the awareness of deafness and hearing loss in society.
Did you know that 1 in 6 people have some level of hearing loss?
People who are deaf or have an acquired hearing loss can
experience feelings of isolation or loneliness due to communication and language barriers.
Throughout the week I’m going to give you some hints and tips about how you can make sure everyone is included in whatever you are doing.
🦻🦻
24/04/2021
I have read many books about peoples experience of hearing loss so I am really looking forward to watching this film.
‘Like losing a hand’: musicians on the crisis in hearing loss Oscar-nominated film Sound of Metal depicts a drummer battling hearing loss. As rock stars like Myles Kennedy explain, it’s a debilitating and worryingly widespread problem
About lipreading .....
Lipreading is a skill that can dramatically improve how much you understand when people speak to you. Classes are relaxed, fun and supportive. As well as improving your lipreading skills, you will learn about useful communication tactics and the latest developments in listening equipment. You’ll also be able to gain support from people who share similar experiences.
Videos (show all)
