Information Line (Freephone)
Telephone 0808 808 0123
Textphone 0808 808 9000
informationline@rnid.org.uk
Telephone 0808 808 0123
Textphone 0808 808 9000
informationline@rnid.org.uk
RNID: For deaf and hard of hearing people.
Lipspeakers
Lipspeakers work with people who prefer to communicate through lipreading and speech. You should be a confident lipreader with good English skills to use one.
Who uses lipspeakers?
Both deaf and hearing people can use lipspeakers to help them communicate with each other. If you are learning to lipread our publication Watch this face could be helpful.
What do lipspeakers do?
Lipspeakers repeat what is said without using their voice, so that you can lipread them easily. They produce the shape of words clearly, with the flow, rhythm and phrasing of speech. They use natural gestures and facial expressions to help you follow what is being said. They will also use fingerspelling if you ask them to.
Find out more about training to be a lipspeaker.
Getting the right lipspeaker
Lipspeakers are qualified at two levels, level 2 and level 3, and you should book one who is at the right level for the assignment.
- Level 2 lipspeakers are not trained to work in large conferences or in workplace assignments where the speed of speech is very fast.
- Level 3 lipspeakers edit down fast speech, without losing the meaning of what is said.
Booking a lipspeaker
Your lipspeaker will need a break about every 30 minutes. For assignments that are more than two hours long, you should book two lipspeakers.