Old name, new purpose: why we’ve gone back to RNID

Deaf awareness training

Give your staff the confidence and skills they need to communicate with colleagues and customers who are deaf or have hearing loss or tinnitus.

1 in 5 adults in the UK are deaf or have hearing loss and 1 in 7 adults have tinnitus. If your company isn’t deaf aware, you’re missing out. We offer a range of deaf awareness training courses tailored to suit your business needs. 

Get in touch for more information about our training courses.


“The deaf awareness session (delivered remotely) was interesting, engaging and ran seamlessly.” 

Read our reviews on Trustpilot


Types of deaf awareness training 

1. Deaf awareness seminar

This is delivered to large numbers of staff remotely. It’s a brief introduction for organisations who may not be aware of the issues and a great starting point for anyone wanting to commence on a training programme with RNID. 

The seminar will focus on: 

  • top level tips 
  • barriers that your colleagues might face 
  • ways to overcome them together with support that we can provide. 

This also includes the British Sign Language (BSL) alphabet and encourages attendees to follow along. 

2. Deaf awareness training 

This remote course is delivered by one of our experienced trainers who are deaf or have hearing loss. 

The 2-hour session covers: 

  • an introduction to the trainer and RNID 
  • statistics on deafness and hearing loss in the UK 
  • different levels of hearing loss and correct terminology 
  • causes of hearing loss 
  • a lipreading exercise 
  • communication barriers and solutions 
  • BSL and fingerspelling. 

We can tailor the course to support your organisation, providing information is provided in advance. If attendees require communication support, we must be informed in advance and additional fees may apply. 

3. Deaf awareness e-learning

We’re working in partnership with Signature, the awarding body for British Sign Language qualification, to deliver an introduction to British Sign Language (BSL) and deaf awareness course, specifically aimed at organisations. 

Staff members will benefit from flexible learning by using a mix of: 

  • informal clips 
  • receptive practice 
  • short quizzes
  • vocabulary. 

This course will give staff members confidence and an understanding of deaf communication and how to use it in everyday life. 

The course is hosted on an online learning hub. It’s been designed so staff members can study at their own pace. Progress is logged and sections can be revisited at any time.


More information about deaf awareness training

Benefits of deaf awareness training

Our deaf awareness training will help your staff be able to:

  • offer improved customer service to 1 in 5 of your customers

  • understand the barriers faced by deaf people and people with hearing loss or tinnitus
  • feel confident communicating with deaf people and people with hearing loss or tinnitus
  • work more effectively with deaf colleagues and colleagues with hearing loss or tinnitus.

Research shows that more than 70% of people who use hearing aids would choose a company with staff who are deaf aware over a company whose staff are not.

Our trainers

Our deaf awareness training courses are delivered remotely by trainers who are deaf or have hearing loss themselves.

This means they’re able to use their personal experience to deepen understanding and support any concerns that individuals may have prior to attending.

How many people can attend each course

We normally recommend no more than 16 people attend our group courses to allow for full interaction.

Our seminar is uncapped and depending on the platform is a presentation-style session with limited interaction and a question-and-answer session.

Why you should choose RNID

We’re the charity making life fully inclusive for deaf people and people with hearing loss and tinnitus.

We’re expertly placed to provide deaf awareness training courses for the public, private and voluntary sectors. The money we raise helps us fund our hearing research, support services and campaigns for equality. Your support will make a huge difference.

How to book deaf awareness training

Get in touch to discuss how we can help you raise deaf awareness in your organisation.  We’re open 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Contact us

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Page last updated: 4 May 2023

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