Healthcare and Medical
A problem in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HOH) community is accessibility to medical information. There is a need for greater understanding of health-related topics. The DHOH community can be said to be medically underserved. Nevertheless, there are some websites out there that provide accessible information about healthcare. Here are a few examples of such websites that you may utilize in order to obtain the answers that you may be looking for.
DeafDOC.org is a website that offers free, updated health information for the DHOH community, health and educational providers, interpreters, and partnerships worldwide. Their consulting, training, mentoring, and advocacy services are available to national and international medical, educational, government, research, professional and community organizations.
DeafMD.org is a website that provides health information in American Sign Language for the DHOH community. Such health information comes from two government sources—the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health. The website’s team of healthcare providers, linguists, and educators translates the medical information into ASL so that the complex content can be more readily accessible. Their focus areas are on: Diseases & Illnesses, Understanding Tests, News, & Finding a Deaf Friendly Doctor. They have also compiled a list of doctor’s offices and other healthcare facilities that use ASL fluently with their patients or comply with the ADA by hiring qualified interpreters for their patients, although such a list is not thorough or complete.
Another website that can be useful to those in the DHOH community is Network of Care, which is an interactive, single information place where consumers, community-based organizations, and municipal government workers all can go to easily access a wide variety of vital health-related information. It improves information and communication in the health field at the community level. The resources in this "virtual community" include a Service Directory; links to pertinent websites; an online Library; a political advocacy tool; community message boards; and many others.
LifeLinks’ Health Care ASL Educational Video Series is also useful for understanding health-related topics. Each video is narrated in sign language by a medical professional, and their series of videos offers a variety of tips and suggestions related to a wide range of medical issues.
RESOURCES
DeafDoc.org
DeafMD.org
Directory of Services: Healthcare
Network of Care
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- Seasonal Influenza
Create an Emergency Card
FACT SHEETS
VIDEO AND VLOGS
DeafDoc.org’s Medical Video Dictionary
DeafMD’s ASL Videos on Diseases A-Z
DeafMD’s ASLVideos on Understanding Medical Tests
LifeLinks HealthCare ASL Educational Video Series
