It was Lord (Jack) Ashley, that doughty campaigner on behalf of the disabled, who probably best summed up the problems encountered by the deaf in their everyday lives and the social and other difficulties they face. Ashley, who was elected Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent in 1966, became totally deaf early in 1968 and was so depressed that what had seemed a promising political career had been so cruelly thwarted that he resigned.

A few weeks later, however, he was back in the Commons, persuaded to carry on by family and friends, and ever since has championed the cause of the deaf and other disabled groups with a determination and fire which has made him a thorn in the side of many a government and won him universal admiration.

In his book Journey Into Silence, Ashley writes movingly of what it means to be deaf. ''I sat alone on the Commons terrace watching the Thames. I thought I had known despair, but now I felt a chill and deeper sadness, as if part of me

was dead.

''I found making contact with other Members a remarkable experience. Whenever I attempted a conversation with them there was always an invisible but impenetrable barrier between us. Invariably conversations began affably, but ended in confusion or sometimes embarrassment. If they could not make themselves understood there was little left to do but jot down a note.

''Casual suggestions to have a drink or dinner were equally casually dropped. Some people shied away from our formerly close contact.''

Now the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) is in the early stages of setting up a a national survey aimed at discovering people's perceptions of deafness and at increasing their awareness of it.

Forms have been sent out to a number of selected households - 10,000 in Scotland - as part of a pilot project, the results of which will be assessed before a final decision is taken, probably at the end of January, on whether to go ahead nationally.

The statistics are remarkable, and are likely to come as something of a surprise to those of us whose hearing is not in any way impaired. For a start, 8.7 million people in the United Kingdom are either deaf or hard of hearing; by the age of 60, one person in three is suffering from hearing problems; and by the age of 80 this has risen to over 90%.

In addition, more than 2,000,000 people in the country have tinnitus, a maddening ringing in the ears which is a profoundly distressing by-product of some forms of deafness and which is virtually incurable.

The RNID, which is seeking donations as well as conducting the survey, is anxious to know if people are aware of the extent of the disability and which of six specific services it provides are considered least and most important on a sliding scale.

These include support for deaf

people with special needs, advice and information for people with a hearing loss, and special products to help deaf and hard-of-hearing people live a fuller life.

The organisation points out that deafness is very much an invisible disability and that few

people are aware of the immense suffering it can cause. ''Sometimes being deaf can be very isolating,

cutting you off from everyone around you.''

Joe Saxton, the RNID's director of Campaigns and National Services, states in a letter accompanying the survey form: ''Becoming deaf is something that can happen to any of us. It affects everyday events that many of us take for granted. Trying to cope with a morning's shopping when busy shop assistants don't realise you can't hear, or struggling to tell a doctor why you are feeling unwell.

''There is prejudice against deaf and hard of hearing people. This means that many people who develop hearing problems as they grow older find it embarrassing and awkward and try to hide their increasing deafness. Some employers are reluctant to give a job to someone who is hard of hearing and many offices, hospitals, and shops are still not accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing people.''

In Scotland, there are more than 710,000 people with hearing loss, and the RNID north of the Border currently is involved in a number of specific projects. These include the development of remote tele-interpreter services via video telephone; the development and running of a communications training programme to increase the pool of interpreters and ''lip speakers''; and a ''life-long learning'' project which will see the establishment of a specialised training centre in Scotland next year.

Lillian Lawson, director of the RNID in Scotland, points out that while it would be wrong to say the organisation is in a financial crisis, the uncertainty of surviving on donations, legacies, and some help from the Government means that ''we

do need money to keep our operations going''.

Through the survey and the financial appeal, the RNID nationally and locally hopes, for example, to improve services for deaf people in hospital, to put pressure on TV companies to improve subtitling, and to encourage courts, telephone companies, and others to install equipment so that those with hearing difficulties can properly use essential services.

In short, the institute is hoping that people will listen.