By Janis McDonald

DEAFSCOTLAND wants more of Scotland’s one million people directly affected by deafness to get walking outdoors. In any environment, walking weekly is a good way to look after yourself. We should all plan to increase the frequency of walking. Most of us take this opportunity for granted but we have focussed on why people don’t walk and the frequent answer is communication hurdles. You can help dismantle them.

Ironically, the lockdown has increased deaf people’s interest in walking as the limit on people who can walk together makes communication easier. Walking in even a small group is isolating as deafness affects conversation. It is hard to keep pace with the detail and easier to gradually withdraw from the activity. For many, walking alone is not much fun and can enhance feelings of isolation and vulnerability. Certain environments make matters worse such as walking in a shopping mall to hide from the rain where loud music is blaring. Clearly, we can all help to nourish relationships by informed planning, considering where and when to walk and how we communicate with friends, family and neighbours affected by deafness.

Deafscotland has consulted and come up with five tips to help. They were drafted by speaking to people affected by deafness about what would make a difference:

• Ask the person if they have a preferred side for you to walk to make conversation easier.

• Make sure they can see your mouth if possible – although with masks and social distancing this can be tricky.

• Choose a quiet place to walk – background noise causes problems.

• Avoid sunlight directly on your face as it makes it harder to lipread.

• Speak in normal voice and volume but try to speak clearly – raising your voice makes word patterns more difficult to understand.

Scotland is determined to mainstream inclusive communication with over five separate laws now in place towards making it happen. Making those intentions personal is a challenge for us all. We realise that the focus of our walking project needs to be on connections and raising communication awareness. It is important to our lives.

Communication sustains each of us as social beings, something which we have all realised during the Covid-9 lockdown. Many were isolated from usual "communication networks’. Relationships are built through communication. Education and work depend on it. Participation in justice systems, political, and civic life are all navigated through communication. It is a gateway to all our rights too.

Everyone has the potential to communicate but whether they can do so easily often depends on awareness, access to suitable services and funding for appropriate resources.That is why we want to highlight the inter-relationship of communication, walking and good mental health.

Janis McDonald is Chief Officer, deafscotland