This document discusses communication barriers that deaf individuals face when accessing healthcare. It notes that sign language interpreters are not always available at medical offices and hospitals. As an alternative, family members sometimes need to translate, but they may not understand medical terminology. The document recommends that healthcare professionals learn basic American Sign Language to better communicate with deaf patients directly. It also provides several references on topics like the Rehabilitation Act, Deaf culture, and strategies for improving healthcare access and experiences for the deaf community.

3.  Easier for the professionals, the
patients, and the family members
if it was unnecessary to call in an
interpreter.
 Sign language is a very popular
language used throughout the
United States, and there are
around 500,000 to 2,000,000
signers.
 violate the HIPAA policies.
 Another alternative is Computer
Assisted Real-time Transcription
(CART).
 This is a computer that helps
hearing impaired client
communicate with healthcare
professionals, but like all
computers there are flaws.
 In most situations family members
are the ones who translate for the
deaf patient.

4.  Please take the time to View this video!!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w48
2R-dBlOY&feature=player_detailpage

5.  Medical offices are the worst
place to not being able to
communicate with employees
 Wendy Burkett explains the
hardship of communicating
with the deaf community.
 In Our Hands: Education
Healthcare Interpreters.

6.  Deaf people
cannot read lips
and some do not
even have the
ability to read
 The website talks
about how and
what healthcare
professionals should
do.
 The Rehabilitation
Act

7.  The interpreters are
not always at the
hospital or medical
office

8.  Teach all medical
students how to use
even basic
American Sign
Language before
they graduate.

9.  Burkett, Emily. Communication with Deaf Tanya Snyder. 4 July 2012.
 Burkett, Lindsey. Working with Deaf Society Emily Burkett. 17 July 2012.
 Burkett, Wendy. Problems with the Deaf Society in the Health Profession Emily Burkett. 6 July 2012.
 Center, University of Washington Medical. "Communicating with Your Deaf Patient." Culture Clues
08/2003, 04/2007, 01/2012.
 Deaf perspective of doctors providing interpreters. Dir. Youtube.com. Perf. virtualvri. Aug 15, 2010.
 Deaf, National Association of the. National Association of the Deaf. April 2008.
 Doctors accommodating Deaf patients . Perf. Deaf person explaining his perspective on Doctors and
Interpreters. Aug 10, 2010.
 Elizabeth A. Jacobs, M.D., M.P.P. "Language Barriers in Health Care Settings:An Annotated Bibliography
of the Research Literature." August 2003.
 Hadley-Macias, Andrea. Deaf Health Care. 6 April 2009.
 Harlan Lane, Robert hoffmeister, and Ben Bahan. A journey into the deaf-world. San Diego, California:
DawnDignPress, 1996.
 Helen E. Meador, PhD and. "Health Care Interactions with Deaf Culture." Journal of the Americal Board
of Family Medicine (2012).
 Malcolm, Laurie Swabey and Karen. In Our Hands: Educating Healthcare Interpreters. Vol. 5th.
Gallaudet University Press, 2012. 5 vols.
 Mitchell, Ross E. "Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education." Oxford Journal (2005).
 Services, U.S. Department of Health & Human. Understanding Health Information Privacy. 200
Independence Avenue, S.W. · Washington, D.C. 20201, n.d.
 Swabey, J. Moore and L. "Medical Interpreting: A Review of the Literature." Research. 2007.