Hello, I'm messaging you because I read your post on Reddit about deaf people communicating but now I can't find it to answer there.
In my experience, most deaf people will talk if they can, so your character doesn't have to be dependant on his phone all the time. If you want to see this in action, look for shows with Nanette Fabray. She was a deaf actress. You can tell she was deaf by her speech patterns and the fact that she would occasionally miss a line if she wasn't looking at the person she was talking to. I hope this helps. I enjoyed your story.
