Having worked as a sign language interpreter, I can inform you that deaf people learn to rely on their other senses. No deaf person would cross a railroad track without looking, and they would probably also check the gate to see if it was down.

A deaf friend of mine keeps the volume on his phone turned on, even though he can't hear it or answer a call. That way, he can tell someone is trying to reach him whenever people around him start staring at him.