
People with tinnitus often have a hearing loss, or they may experience noises in the ears/head that can drown out or distort the sounds of speech. Lipreading skills can therefore be very useful. Maggie showed us how it was possible to “listen” to a speaker by reading the movements of their lips and tongue and by making use of other contextual information such as facial expressions, body language, gestures and so on. Then it was our turn. Everyone joined in and had a go, and we were all surprised at how easy it was and also how tricky it was. Certainly, it felt very fulfilling and rewarding when we could understand what people were saying. Maggie was a great teacher - she made it fun and entertaining.
Obviously there is a lot more to it than Maggie could cover in an hour, but it was good to learn the basics and there are classes available locally for anyone who wishes to take it further. A good place to start is the Association of Teachers of Lipreading to Adults (ATLA), who organise regular classes in Petersfield, Alton, Winchester, Fareham, Havant, Portsmouth, Chichester and other places. Click on the link at the bottom of this page to reach their website.
Another site you will find very useful is:
www.lipreading.net/classes.html
where you will find Maggie's contact details as well as a directory of all the classes that are available in our area.
We are always looking to try something a little different at our meetings. Maggie’s talk was called “Laugh and Learn to Lipread”, and that’s a perfect description. We’re very grateful indeed to Maggie for coming along to talk to us.
Afterwards it was time for refreshments and a chat, and a chance to browse our library of books and leaflets and check out our tinnitus equipment.
Altogether, another successful and well-attended meeting!