How to make Halloween Deaf-friendly (and actually fun)

Halloween: that magical time of year when it’s totally acceptable to knock on strangers’ doors, fill your body with sugar, and pretend to be a vampire at work. But while most people are busy choosing costumes and perfecting fake blood recipes, Deaf and hard-of-hearing people are often busy doing something else: trying to survive the chaos of Dinner Table Syndrome, Halloween edition.

Yes, it’s real. Imagine everyone laughing around you in a dimly lit room, faces hidden behind plastic masks and vampire fangs, background music blaring, and you’re just there smiling politely like, “Haha, yes, very scary… I think?”

So, let’s fix that. Here’s how to make Halloween inclusive, accessible, and still monstrously fun.

👻 Rule #1: If your costume hides your mouth — rethink it.

We get it. You’ve always wanted to be Darth Vader. But if you’re talking to a Deaf friend or guest who lipreads, that mask is basically a communication blackout.

💡 Accessibility tip: Pick costumes that don’t cover your face, or at least lift your mask when speaking. If you must wear something spooky, go for makeup instead. Skeleton face paint? Yes. Full-face zombie mask? Only if you’re also fluent in British Sign Language (BSL).

💀 Rule #2: Lighting matters more than you think

Halloween is all about mood lighting, but “creepy ambience” for hearing folks translates to “visual nightmare” for Deaf guests. Flickering candles, dark rooms, and strobe lights make lipreading and sign language impossible.

💡 Accessibility tip: Keep areas well-lit where people gather and chat. You can still set the mood, just use orange fairy lights instead of total darkness. Because nobody should have to choose between “looking festive” and “understanding what’s going on.”

🕸️ Rule #3: Clear communication beats ghostly confusion

Between costumes, noise, and spooky sound effects, even hearing guests struggle to keep up. So for Deaf guests? It’s like playing charades on hard mode.

💡 Accessibility tip: Use visual aids! Posters, signs, or written cues help everyone. If you’re hosting a big event, hire a BSL interpreter, especially if you’ve got speeches, performances, or haunted tours. Trust us, it’s way scarier (and more fun) when everyone’s in on the plot twist.

Thanks @help2sign for creating this spooktacular alphabet!

🎃 Rule #4: Beware of Dinner Table Syndrome

We all know it: everyone’s laughing, you’ve missed the joke, and when you ask what was said, someone replies, “Oh, it doesn’t matter!” (It mattered.)

💡 Accessibility tip: Make the effort to include everyone in conversations, especially at parties or around the dinner table. Slow down, make eye contact, and fill your plate and your communication gaps.

Because no one wants to be haunted by “You had to be there.”

🧛 Rule #5: Accessibility is cool — not optional

Making events inclusive isn’t just polite, it’s powerful. And Deaf Umbrella is here to help make it easy. We offer professional British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting services across London and the South East, so whether you’re planning a Halloween bash or a corporate event, no one gets left out of the fun.

🎃 Book a BSL interpreter now at www.deafumbrella.com

Because let’s face it, a party where everyone can join in? That’s fang-tastic 🦇