Managing friendships and loneliness as a deaf young person

As a young deaf person, you might experience situations where language differences, noisy environments and other factors make socialising difficult. But don’t worry – you're not alone. We’ve gathered lots of confidence-boosting information to help you navigate social situations.

How do I make friends?

Friendships are built on mutual respect, common interests and being willing to make an effort with one another. 

Being deaf might mean that you need to explore ways to communicate with your hearing friends or hang out in different places. Don’t be afraid to let your friends know how they can best communicate with you. 

And you might find it challenging to meet other deaf young people, especially if you're the only deaf person in your school. If that's the case, looking outside of school or even online might be helpful.

From videos showcasing deaf-friendly communication tips for early years peers to posters, flyers and other deaf awareness resources, we’ve got a lot of information designed to help others around you learn about deafness.

Together, you can find ways to communicate – and you can even practise signing or learn to sign together!

Tips for building friendships

• Find others who share your experiences. There are many deaf groups (both online and in person) where you can meet other deaf young people. Have a look at our local groups or find deaf clubs (including sports teams) near you. You can also check out our social media profiles (such as Instagram or TikTok), where we collaborate with a variety of parents and deaf content creators.
• Find others who share your interests. We know that your deafness is just one part of your identity. Whether you’ve got a favourite show or sports team, a love of books, a knack for baking or an entirely different interest, there are lots of options available to you. If you’re looking for ways to make an existing group or club more deaf-friendly, why not share our video on adapting activities with your activity leaders?
• Use technology to your advantage. Although nothing can replace in-personal interactions, technology can be a great tool that allows for accessible communication with friends. Explore using things like video calls with subtitles, text messages and live transcribe features on smartphones.

What can I do if I struggle with loneliness?

Even though we can go online to talk to more people than ever before, lots of people still feel lonely sometimes. Feeling lonely is your body’s way of saying you need time with friends or people who care about you – just like feeling thirsty means you need a drink of water.

If you’re deaf, you might feel lonely more often, especially if you’re the only deaf person at your school or in your clubs. Sometimes there are things that make it harder to join in or feel included, like not being able to communicate easily.

If you are feeling worried about friendships, talk to a trusted adult. This could be your teacher, your tutor, a counsellor or Teacher of the Deaf. They can help you:

• Find a new buddy. Especially if you’re new to a school, club or class, ask to be paired up with a buddy. They can help you settle in and find your group.
• Share deaf awareness tips. Whether your school participates in Deaf Awareness Week or if you’re looking for resources you can share all year round, we’ve got you covered. Our communication cards, fingerspelling postcards, 'Talking to your deaf friends' posters or other deaf awareness resources can be shared with friends, classmates, teachers and activity leaders. (Plus, they're free to order!)
• Join in with meetups in your area. We’ve got a list of local groups across the UK, but there are other options, too. For example, if you have a Teacher of the Deaf, they might be able to recommend ways to meet up with other deaf young people in your area.
• Get a boost from volunteering. Just like joining groups for hobbies or activities, volunteering can open up opportunities to find new friends– all while giving you the satisfaction that comes from helping others. 

We hope the above tips help, but please remember that you can reach out to the friendly experts on our Helpline via text, email, phone or video calls.

If you want to learn more, we recommend reading Mind’s information about loneliness.

What about bullies?

The Anti-Bullying Alliance describes bullying as the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, often where there's an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological, and it can happen face-to-face or online.

Teasing and bullying are different, but what one person sees as playful teasing might be hurtful to another. If someone says or does something that’s hurtful, try talking to them about it. But if they keep doing it, then that’s bullying.

Read our information about bullying