deaffriendly CONSULTING’s Post

Continuing our snippets for Deaf Awareness week here is Snippet #2 from us at Study Sharpe. This time we are sharing a real life experience of the process for a Deaf person attempting to access health care services via their GP and to their hospital appointment. This happens far too regularly for Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users. This serious imbalance of access has to STOP - we need to better educate our GP and healthcare services to the needs of BSL users. If your first language is BSL, you need an interpreter for communication - for Deaf people having to rely on family members to do this vital role is just not acceptable! If you are a GP or work on the frontline in Healthcare services, do ask about having in depth Deaf Awareness training in your staff teams and learn the basics of BSL so that everyone understands the impact of mistakes like those made below that can so easily be avoided. Think Smart - think Deaf friendly - if you know you are seeing a Deaf patient who uses BSL, then be ready to check their communication needs before you see them and have the details of a reputable Sign Language Interpreting agency to hand to contact, as they will, more often than not, need advance notice of all bookings. #Deafawarenesstraining #Bookaninterpreter #Bedeafaware #BSL

Ever wondered how hiring an ASL interpreting agency works? It’s like a triangle with three essential connections: 🔺 The Deaf Person: This is the individual who needs clear communication to fully engage with the world around them. They are at the heart of the triangle, ensuring their needs are met through effective interpretation. 🔺 The Agency: Acting as the facilitator, the agency coordinates and provides skilled interpreters who bridge the communication gap. They ensure that the Deaf person's needs are matched with the right interpreting services. 🔺 The Company: This is the group that needs the communication to happen—whether it’s a business, educational institution, or any organization. They work with the agency to ensure they meet accessibility requirements and support Deaf individuals effectively. Each side of the triangle plays a crucial role in creating an inclusive and accessible environment. When all three work together, communication flows seamlessly! 🤝🔺 #ASLInterpreting #Accessibility #InclusiveCommunication #DeafAndHearingCommunities

Ever wondered how hiring an ASL interpreting agency works? It’s like a triangle with three essential connections: 🔺 The Deaf Person: This is the individual who needs clear communication to fully engage with the world around them. They are at the heart of the triangle, ensuring their needs are met through effective interpretation. 🔺 The Agency: Acting as the facilitator, the agency coordinates and provides skilled interpreters who bridge the communication gap. They ensure that the Deaf person's needs are matched with the right interpreting services. 🔺 The Company: This is the group that needs the communication to happen—whether it’s a business, educational institution, or any organization. They work with the agency to ensure they meet accessibility requirements and support Deaf individuals effectively. Each side of the triangle plays a crucial role in creating an inclusive and accessible environment. When all three work together, communication flows seamlessly! 🤝🔺 #ASLInterpreting #Accessibility #InclusiveCommunication #DeafAndHearingCommunities

What's a Deaf Interpreter? A Deaf Interpreter (or a DI) is a Deaf professional who ensures communication is clear and accessible, especially for Deaf individuals who use different types of signing or have unique communication needs. Here’s how it works: the ASL-English interpreter signs to the Deaf Interpreter, who then adjusts and conveys the message in a way that makes sense for the Deaf person. The Deaf person then signs their response to the Deaf Interpreter, who passes it along to the ASL-English interpreter. The ASL-English interpreter then speaks to the hearing individual. Deaf Interpreters bring their lived experience and cultural understanding to bridge communication gaps, making sure everyone understands each other fully. This teamwork is essential in creating effective and accessible communication. We’re grateful for all our amazing DIs!

“All my life, I have worked with Deaf and Hard-of-hearing people, and it is so important for everyone to have access to communication,” said Erika Bravo, #TeamGrady American Sign Language (ASL) Medical interpreter. As our first ASL medical interpreter at Grady, Erika is dedicated to breaking down communication barriers and ensuring our Deaf and Hard-of-hearing patients receive the best possible care. 🧏 🏥 “Now, when a Deaf patient comes in, we don’t have to call an agency and wait for someone to arrive, which can take over an hour, said Erika” “A patient can have an in-person ASL interpreter here whenever there is an emergency.” Below, Erika shares three tips to remember when caring for deaf or head-of-hearing patients. • Even if you use an interpreter, always speak directly to your patient. • If you can help it, limit the number of people talking simultaneously at the patient’s bedside. This can make things challenging for a deaf person who can’t follow many conversations. • When entering a patient’s room, flipping the lights on and off or partially opening the door and waving your hand is always preferred instead of knocking.

Wow! I’m so happy to see this on Instagram; thank you, Richmond Council, for the opportunity to share some British Sign Language (BSL) signs! It’s fantastic to see such strong support for the International Week of Deaf People and for promoting BSL rights. It’s important for companies and organisations NHS, councils, banks, transport services, shops, airports, and many more to ensure that all staff, from front-line reception to managers, directors, and CEOs, are aware of how to: 1. Develop awareness of Deaf access needs. 2. Explore the impact of lack of access on Deaf people’s health. 3. Learn some basic facts about signed languages. 4. Examine technological advances your organisation could use. 5. Understand which terms Deaf people prefer. 6. Empower Deaf people through better access. 7. Develop skills for better communication with Deaf individuals. 8. Learn some basic BSL. 9. Use Access to Work (ATW) to support Deaf employees. 10. Recognise that the UK government officially approved British Sign Language (BSL) on 22 May 2022. If you’d like to know more or arrange training for your staff, contact me at feras@deafaccessibility.com. Together, we can remove barriers and create a more inclusive society for everyone! #BSL #SignLanguageRights #DeafAwareness #AccessToWork https://lnkd.in/eY8WHtdr

What do you do when the Deaf person looks away? When you are interpreting and the Deaf person would look at their phone, or write something, or look around, what do you do? From what I have seen, some interpreters carry on interpreting. I do not do that. I stop. To carry on interpreting, is a waste, it means nothing. I know a hearing person can look down and continue listening. A Deaf person cannot do this. What I do, is I listen, watch the Deaf person, and prepare. When the Deaf person looks at me, I do a quick summary of the information they missed and then carry on interpreting e.g., they talked about XYZ. For me, this is the correct way to do it. It means the Deaf person, who gets tired from looking all the time, can rest a bit, without missing too much information. I wonder what your view is on this?

It’s Deaf Awareness Week Deaf people are much more likely to be inactive due to barriers they face to activity Here’s three ways activities could #DoItDifferently to enable Deaf people to be active… #DeafAwarenessWeek #DoItDifferently Visuals The way activities are instructed can often be very verbal But, on it’s own, this doesn’t work that well for some Deaf people Make sure your instructing through visuals as well as verbally Speech You don’t have to change the way you speak when you’re speaking to a Deaf person Shouting or exaggerating your lip pattern can actually make it harder for the person to understand. Speak at the same volume and pace as you would usually British Sign Language training Some Deaf people will use British Sign Language to communicate You don’t have to be an interpreter but even knowing some basic sign language can make activities more welcoming to Manchester Deaf Centre offer course for all levels

Hartford HealthCare is partnering with the American School for the Deaf (ASD) to offer in-person American Sign Language services and other translation services for deaf and hard of hearing patients and their companions. This partnership includes the addition of a full-time American Sign Language (ASL)/English medical interpreter to the Hartford HealthCare team and deepens the system’s commitment to the deaf and hard of hearing community. “It is our privilege ― and responsibility ― to meet the communication needs of those who rely on us as part of our work to promote the health and healing of all,” said Ajay Kumar, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Hartford HealthCare. The partnership includes the addition of a full-time American Sign Language (ASL)/English medical interpreter to the Hartford HealthCare team. Read more at https://lnkd.in/eFcyQPEW #healthcare #asl

MasterWord is hosting a webinar I think many of you will find incredibly valuable—“Culturally Competent Legal Interactions: Understanding Deaf Culture.” This session offers a unique opportunity to gain practical knowledge on how to navigate legal and law enforcement settings with Deaf individuals. Whether you work directly with clients, support teams, or manage processes, understanding Deaf culture and communication modalities can make a real difference in providing equitable, effective services. If you've ever wondered how to better serve Deaf clients or collaborate with sign language interpreters in legal contexts, this is the webinar for you. It’s not just about learning—it’s about applying this knowledge to foster more inclusive, culturally sensitive practices. I highly recommend attending!