Deafness causes red faces

JUST under two thirds of the public find it "embarrassing" to start conversations with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, according to the results of a poll published yesterday.

Hearing loss charity RNID polled attitudes to deafness and hearing loss across the UK as part of Deaf Awareness Week 2010. The results support findings from RNID's new report In It Together, also launched yesterday, which explores the impact of hearing loss on family relationships, especially couples and children.

The report found that hearing loss had a major impact on family life, often caused by a widescale lack of awareness about the best ways to talk to someone with hearing loss.