People often confuse the term ‘lipreader’ with ‘lipspeaker’ or ‘lipreading’ with ‘lipspeaking’.
A lipreader is a person who has lost some or all of their hearing and who understands speech by looking at the lip, tongue and facial movements of the speaker and by using information provided by the context, natural flow, rhythm and stresses of speech and any residual hearing. The lipspeaker facilitates this by repeating a speaker’s message to lipreader’s accurately without using their voice.
They produce clearly the shape of words, the flow, rhythm and phrasing of natural speech and repeat the stress as used by the speaker.
The lipspeaker also uses facial expressions, natural gesture and finger spelling (if requested) to aid the lipreader's understanding.
For some people, lipreading may be the only possible means of communication.
How do I learn to lipread?
The best way is to join a day or evening class where you will be able to learn how to lipread in a supportive atmosphere with other hard of hearing and deafened people. A trained teacher will encourage you to develop your lipreading skills to the best of your ability. To find out about classes in your area enquire at your local library or Contact Hearing Concern.
