Is there really a class for lip reading? Yes in fact there are many and teachers can be trained so they can help you learn better.

How do you go about finding a class in your area? Although sometimes lip reading classes are run by the Deaf Community, more often classes are conducted by hearing loss organisations which support the hearing impaired.

Use these resources to find classes
(1) Ask your audiologist, audiometrist (hearing aid dispenser) or ENT specialist. These professionals often have information about where lip reading classes are conducted in your area.
(2) Check whether your local adult education centre or college has classes.
(3) Ask at your local library and council/county office.
(4) Use the internet to search in your area. Type “lip reading classes (your area)” into Google and see what comes up. If you don’t find anything then search “lip reading classes” without your area. This will broaden your search and return many links.
(5) Join hearing loss forums on the web and ask other members if they know of classes
(6) Find hearing loss organisations in your area.
(7) Ask family, friends or colleagues if they know of any late deafened adult and contact them.

If there are still no classes in your area consider doing courses on a DVD or video. You can also, to some extent, teach yourself. Concentrate on lips instead of eyes when people talk to you, turn the sound off on the television news and see if you can understand and practise in front of the mirror, mouthing words instead of saying them aloud.

Failing all this – start a class yourself. Even getting together with other hard of hearing people for an hour or two to practise with each other is a help. There are many books on all aspects of lip reading and you can take courses to become a lip reading teacher.

Lip reading or speech reading really does help if you are hard of hearing. I became quite proficient before I got my hearing back with my Cochlear Implant. I could even tell if someone wasn’t from Australia but rather spoke with an accent. It is worth taking the time to go to classes and gain additional skills to help you cope with your loss and enhance communication.

Here is some of information I found.
- In the UK the Association of Teaching Lip Reading to Adults (ATLA) keeps a list of lip reading classes running around the country. However, there is a shortage of trained teachers and therefore, some organisations may have discontinued classes so it’s wise to check if they are still running.
- In Australia lip reading teachers are trained and classes run by Better Hearing Australia.
- In Canada I found that some local council areas list lip reading courses on their sites.

Copy and paste these links into your browser to access the sites.
Disc or video
(1) Seeing Speech - http://www.seeingspeech.com/
(2) Lip reading - http://lipreading.com/
(3) Lip read - http://www.lipread.com.au/content/2
(4) Speech reading laboratory - http://speechreadinglaboratory.com/
UK /Europe
(1) Lip Reading UK- http://www.lipreading.org.uk/about_atla/classes.htm
(2) Lip Reading Courses - http://www.hotcourses.com/uk-courses/Lip-Reading-courses/hc2_browse.pg_loc_tree/16180339/0/p_type_id/1/p_bcat_id/9971/page.htm
(3) Hear it- Organisation - http://www.hear-it.org/index.ds p
USA/Canada
(1) Western Oregon University - http://www.wou.edu/education/sped/wrocc/links_speech_reading.htm
(2) Community Organisations list - http://www.wou.edu/education/sped/wrocc/links_consumer_orgs.htm
(3) Hearing Speech and Deafness Centre - http://www.hsdc.org/Community/Education/lipreading.htm
(4) Hamilton Council area - http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/Events/healthenvironment/LIPREADINGClasses.htm
Australia
(1) Deaf Can Do - http://www.deafcando.org.au/index.php/deafcando/services/C81/
(2) Better Hearing Australia - http://www.betterhearingaustralia.org.au