Billy Read: tips for d/Deaf people travelling abroad

Travelling is a great way for d/Deaf people to develop their confidence, make new friends and learn about the world. However, it can also bring some specific challenges with it.

This blog provides a useful guide on tips and advice for d/Deaf people travelling abroad, or are thinking about travelling, to ensure their trips run as smoothly as possible.

1. Use The Mighty Pen & Paper. (Or A Note App.)

This will be obvious for many d/Deaf people. When at airports and during your travels abroad, for many of us, pen and paper is the most effective way to communicate with hearing staff.

Whether its the airport check-in desk, or a hotel reception desk – tell the staff that you’re deaf and request a pen and paper so you can have a written conversation. It may be easier instead to write on a note app on your phone, you can then show them your phone and they can respond in your note app.

Almost every country has English speaking staff and guides in places where there are many tourists.
If a staff member doesn’t speak English, they will find a colleague who does, so you will unlikely find yourself stuck in a situation where there is absolutely NO English language.

(Unless you are checking into a small hotel in a remote village in the heart of Mongolia, for example. In which case – use a translator app on your phone (use their wifi to get online) and you should be fine!)

2. Use Bus Travel

Here in the UK we d/Deaf people take for granted the fact we can hop on and off any bus we like, for FREE, anywhere in the country, thanks to our Freedom Passes.

However, bus travel can be a challenge for us in some countries.

In most of the developed world, buses have screens that inform you of the next destination they will stop at, so you’ll know when to get off by keeping an eye on the screen.

Even in non-English speaking countries like Japan for example, the information screens display text in the native language and in English. In places like India and Mexico though, many public buses are extremely old, and in India especially – some have no suspension or windows, and get VERY crowded!

So what I normally do when I’m travelling alone, is to stand or sit near the driver, and ask him/her what the next stop is, and maybe even ask them to let me know when MY stop is. More likely than not, the driver is happy to help, and remember to alert you when it’s your stop.

3. Use Airport Assistance

Airport assistance (known as Special Assistance) is one of the most important factors of support for many d/Deaf people on their travels.

As d/Deaf people it is our prerogative to request support from the Special Assistance departments in all airports. Some d/Deaf people will find it useful and some may not, however, the option to use it is always there if needed.

Pros:

• Someone is on hand to inform you of any announcements made on tannoys, or any changes to your flights.
• Fast track through customs – no need to wait in long queues with everyone else, a member of staff will escort you right past them all!
• VIP treatment – having a member of staff by your side from check-in all the way to the boarding gate – sometimes they will hold your passport for you!
• On connection flights a member of staff will be waiting for you on arrival to escort you through the airport and through further security to your departure gate – sometimes they will swiftly escort you through the airport on a buggy or a Segway!
• Free upgrade to Business Class (if you’re lucky!)

Cons:

• Requesting assistance often means you may be escorted with a group of elderly and disabled people. This just means waiting for everyone in your group to pass through security before continuing through Duty Free and the food hall etc.
• Sometimes the staff will ask you to wait in the Special Assistance area for a long time, right until your gate makes the final call. This means you may not have time to browse the airport shops, buy food & drink, or even go to the toilet.

Personally, I don’t always use Special Assistance (well not as much as I used to).

If the airport is small and quiet, I won’t bother. As long as I can see the departure boards and keep an eye on my flight status, I’ll be fine.

I will decide to use it if, for instance, its a MASSIVE airport and its REALLY busy – if the queues at check-in are ridiculously long, I’ll just pop over to Special Assistance, inform them I’m deaf, and they will let me skip ALL the queues at check-in and security, and allow me to board the plane first!

(Sometimes I can’t help hide my expression of smugness as dozens of grumpy tourists watch in envy how I managed to casually turn up and jump the queue!)

Every airport and airline varies on how friendly and supportive they are, but in my experiences they are generally good. It’s also nice when staff are deaf-aware, and have a basic knowledge of sign language. On one occasion when I landed in Denver, Colorado for a connecting flight to San Francisco, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by assistance staff who signed to me in fluent ASL! (That’s American Sign Language).

Without Assistance, I Missed My Flight. Yep, true story.

In 2014 I once MISSED my flight back to Birmingham from Berlin, and this cost me.

I very NEARLY missed my flight again, when I was waiting at the WRONG gate, and realised to my horror at the last minute, which I then sprinted as fast as I could to the other side of the airport to the right gate, just as it was about to close its doors!

Hearing people don’t endure this kind of hassle, because the tannoys call out their names and they will hear it wherever they are in the airport.

This highlights the importance of Special Assistance for Deaf people.
You may think an able-bodied d/Deaf guy doesn’t need to be escorted around an airport and be given priority over the people in queues and allowed to board the plane first.

Let me tell you something: Special Assistance is ABSOLUTELY important to d/Deaf people. So yeah, it is our prerogative as d/Deaf people to request assistance whenever we need it.

4. Raise awareness when Booking Accommodation

When booking your accommodation online you can add a note for the hotel to let them know you’re d/Deaf, if you wish, or inform them at the reception.

This is important so they can alert you in case of emergency.

If using Airbnb, message the host after booking to inform them that you’re d/Deaf/ have hearing loss/etc. Personally, I let them know when meeting them on arrival that I’m d/Deaf, and that it won’t be a problem, except that I won’t be able to understand them unless they face me when speaking to me – just to make clear that communication is a challenge and that I’m not being rude or ignoring them if they speak to me behind my back!

I don’t feel I need to inform them beforehand (unless absolutely necessary), as I am a quiet person that doesn’t get in their way, no different to a hearing guest really. They should have no reason to worry or make any assumptions that d/Deaf people are noisy or difficult.

And you should have no reason to worry either – because you can publicly rate them on your stay at their place. Their reputation as good hosts is at stake – and they will not jeopardise that during your stay.

5. Always Check For Concessions Or Discounts

Wherever you go – always ask for free passes or discounts.

Most tours, museums, events and exhibitions etc. provide concessions for d/Deaf and disabled visitors.

As deafness is an invisible disability – you may be asked for proof, especially if you aren’t wearing hearing aids. So it may be worth bringing some sort of ID or document that confirms you are registered d/Deaf (such as a doctor’s note or an audiogram).

When asking at the reception or ticket office how much tickets are, tell them you’re d/Deaf (you can sign to them, speak to them or use pen & paper/note app) and in most cases they will simply give you a free pass, or offer a discount at the very least.

Also, many places offer free passes to ‘carers’ of persons with disabilities – so if you’re travelling au pair or as a couple, take advantage by pretending one of you is the carer of the other.It is a d/Deaf person’s RIGHT to demand free or discount passes to places of interest.

Bear in mind that many museums have audio guides which are USELESS for d/Deaf visitors, so they absolutely MUST provide concessions, otherwise you would be paying for a service which was not made for you in the first place.

Let me give you an example from personal experience.

On my trip to Cambodia in 2017, I visited museums and memorial sites that left me with some of the saddest memories I have ever had in six years of travelling.
I visited the notorious S21 Prison in Phnom Penh – the place where thousands of innocent Cambodians were imprisoned, tortured and murdered, just for being classed as intellectuals (ie: teachers, doctors, or simply just wearing glasses).

Now, this place was packed with visual information and guides, but everyone here was also using audio guides, which were of no use to me, as a d/Deaf person.
I was still able to learn some stuff from the information on boards, and the shocking photos of terrified innocent individuals will forever stay in my mind. The trip had such an impact on me that I was literally brought to tears.

But, I still missed out on information from the audio guides. Imagine what more information I could’ve learned.

6. Embrace The Internet(!)

Your smartphone can be a lifesaver.

Take full advantage of the internet on your phone, tablet, or laptop, to access information on absolutely everything and anything you need.

Use apps like Google Maps to navigate and find your way around. You can also type in ‘restaurants’, ‘petrol stations’, ‘shopping malls’ etc. and Google Maps will provide you with a list of them in your area.

Useful Apps for d/Deaf People
Here’s some apps that may be useful for d/Deaf people travelling abroad (or even in general daily living):

Glide: the ‘fastest live video messenger app on the planet’ – for general texting and talking

Google Voice: for transcribing messages (speech to text) – for iPhone only

Whatsapp: for messaging and video calling

FaceTime: for video calling conversations (iPhone only)

Easy Talk Pro: a simultaneous speech to text app used between two Android users

Dragon Anywhere: by listening to speech, the app translates speech into captions in real time.

NGT: a useful text-to-speech relay service for phone calls (UK residents only)

Rideshare apps
Uber, Grab, Ola and Lyft are really useful taxi and ride sharing apps, especially for Deaf people. You simply enter your destination, see how much it will cost, book the ride, and wait for your driver to arrive. It’s all on your phone and you’ll see when your driver is here and what he/she looks like, their car make and reg etc.

While Uber is known worldwide, some places like southeast Asia use Grab instead. And in India, Ola is quite popular.

Sometimes rideshare apps are WAY cheaper than local taxi companies in some places, like Uber in Vietnam, and Grab in Kuala Lumpur, for example.

So it’s always worth checking what mode of transport is cheapest and most convenient if you’re on a budget. And thus, with all those handy apps at your fingertips, it’s important to have a powerbank with you at all times so your phone battery doesn’t run flat when you’re outside.

7. Look After Your Hearing Technology Abroad

Keep your hearing aids/implants safe abroad.

Make room in your luggage for your equipment, bring protective zip pouches to store them in overnight, or waterproof cases to keep them safe in near the poolside or on the beach.

And be sure to bring plenty of batteries.

8. Ask People For Information

Don’t be afraid to approach the locals for information – chances are, they know you are a foreign visitor and will be more than happy to help.

From my own experience, local people have always been very kind and friendly.

In many places such as India, Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean, basic hand gestures are an effective way of communication among hearing people. In fact, its deeply-rooted in the culture and language in places like Italy, Greece, and India.

And if in doubt, you can always use a note app, translator app, or pen & paper to ask for specific information.

9. Where Being d/Deaf Might Be An Issue..

My last piece of advice is where being Deaf could mean NOT being allowed to visit certain places – but don’t worry – these are rare and very specific areas.

In fact, I only know of one particular place that draws many tourists, but doesn’t seem to accept d/Deaf visitors.

The DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) in Korea.

That place is the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the border between North and South Korea.

I know this from a d/Deaf friend’s experience of travelling there. He was on the tour bus en-route to the Demilitarized Zone from the South Korean side, when he stumbled across a d/Deaf travelling couple on the same bus, with whom he engaged in friendly chat with.

Upon arrival, the military staff that received the tour group, noticed the d/Deaf couple by their hearing aids – and to their shock and disappointment – instantly refused them entry into the DMZ, wtf!

My friend was lucky though – because he wasn’t wearing hearing aids they didn’t know he was d/Deaf, so he was able to sneak in! OMG! Why? The rules for tourists visiting the DMZ are pretty strict.

Aside from the forbidden items such as mobile phones and cameras, visitors aren’t allowed to wear certain items like shorts or flip flops, because it makes them look ‘poor’, and this would be videoed and used by agents in the North as propaganda to inform the population that the South are worse off than they are!

And incredibly, they don’t accept d/Deaf people at the DMZ, possibly because of the fear that some in the North Korean military may understand sign language – and would be able to communicate with d/Deaf tourists across the border!

Who knows what interesting conversations could be had between d/Deaf tourists and North Korean agents! So this was a situation in which my d/Deaf friend realised that he had to ‘switch code’ – when a d/Deaf person pretends to be a hearing person to avoid suspicion.

So, if the DMZ is on your list of places to visit, just bear in mind the strict rules. If you use hearing aids, don’t bring them. Keep a low profile, and pretend to be a hearing person for the day.

Be Confident, Know Your Rights And Demand Equality
It is important to have confidence when travelling as a d/Deaf person.
Be assertive – know your rights and don’t back down if people refuse to help, no matter where you are.

Every country has different cultures and even differing views on d/Deaf and disabled persons – not all places will be open-minded or understanding about access and equality.

It is our prerogative as d/Deaf people to demand equal access and discounts where access isn’t provided!

Growing up in a hearing family, I spent much of my childhood being denied access at events and trips, and not being able to understand ANYTHING at all.

For years my frustration was ignored even by my own family as they enjoyed the benefits of hearing which they take for granted, and this led me to believe it was my OWN fault, and that I should just suck it up and deal with it.

It is so important that this ignorance is quashed and that d/Deaf people understand they have rights, and must keep fighting for access and equality.

I hope this blog is insightful. Do you know any other useful travelling tips for d/Deaf people?

Billy is a profoundly Deaf dancer and a travel blogger who enjoys travelling around the world. You can follow his travel blogs at www.brbgonesomewhereepic.com