Call for better awareness of how to communicate with people who are deaf

A poll suggests that many people would actively avoid communicating with people who are deaf or have hearing loss.

The RNID has launched a campaign to encourage people who have not been diagnosed with hearing loss to communicate with people who are deaf or have hearing loss (Alamy/PA)

One in 10 members of the public would actively avoid communicating with a deaf person for fear of not knowing how to engage with them, a new poll suggests.

The survey, conducted on behalf of the hearing loss charity RNID, also found that 59% of people would not feel confident communicating with someone who is deaf or has hearing loss.

Almost half (48%) of the 2,095 UK adults surveyed by YouGov said they do not know how to communicate with someone who is deaf or has hearing loss.