Deaf people are denied medical care and appropriate communication access in healthcare settings–most of us familiar with the Deaf world know this for a fact. However, this experience is not documented in healthcare literature anywhere, which means that, for funding agencies, no problem needs to be solved. We want to help change this.
Idaho State University and Idaho CDHH partnered to submit a grant proposal on “Access and Barriers to Healthcare Among Deaf Users of ASL”, which was funded. Part of the grant allowed us to construct a survey asking Deaf patients their experiences in healthcare settings and focusing particularly on their experiences when asking for or being provided with sign language interpreters. To date, there is no data on how often Deaf people are denied care due to lack of communication access. This survey is the starting point of documenting a problem that is common knowledge in the Deaf community and which causes unnecessary suffering and frustration.
We are asking you to help us recruit respondents for the survey, and especially those Deaf people who would traditionally be unable to access a survey that relies on written English. Our survey has every question and answer choice in ASL, is presented by Deaf interpreters, and allows for respondents to answer in narrative form by using a mobile device with a camera or computer with a webcam. The ISU IRB has approved the study, and we will carefully collect results, translate answers, and attempt to document this problem in the literature in hopes of changing the experiences of Deaf people. Those who complete the survey before August 1st will have the opportunity to be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift card from Walmart. Twenty gift cards will be awarded. If you have any questions, please contact the principal investigator, Elizabeth Schniedewind, at schneli1@isu.edu or (208)629-0583 VP.
https://www.tinyurl.com/deafhealthcaresurvey
ASL Survey Advertisements: https://youtu.be/Kixn9oieUFM https://youtu.be/cRXC_cAGhl0