Resources for Medical Providers

• Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing patients are protected legally and ethically by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 
• Whenever you encounter a Deaf, Deaf-Blind, or Hard of Hearing patient find out their PREFERRED communication mode. 
• Call a live interpreter and/or use Video Remote Interpreting to make sure you clearly see their PREFERRED communication mode. This will be a good start to get the best medical access for the patient. 
• Even if you know some ASL - THIS does not replace an interpreter! Any casual learning of ASL DOES NOT replace an interpreter and/or proper, preferred communication with a Deaf, Deaf-Blind, or Hard of Hearing patient
• If you exchange any notes, keep ALL the papers for the patient's file. Written notes are not ideal as communication may be truncated and confusion can occur. 
• ASL is its OWN language with a specific grammar and sentence structure that is NOT THE SAME as English. (If the patient knows ASL but not English, the written notes may be difficult for an English speaker to understand clearly) 
• Not all Deaf, Deaf-Blind, or Hard of Hearing people know American Sign Language and everyone has varying levels of English language skill. 
• Lip reading is difficult and writing notes are not always reliable so it is important to call an interpreter and confirm the best communication method with the patient. 
• Having some basic ASL skills can help when an interpreter is on the way or if VRI technology is not working. 
• Some ASL knowledge and awareness can help the patient feel more comfortable. 
• If the patient does not know ASL or has different sign language capacity you can also use a Certified Deaf Interpreter or a CDI. In some situations you may have a CDI and another interpreter who can work together with your primary care team to help communicate with the patient. 
• It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AND DUTY as a medical provider to help your patient in the BEST possible way. There are many resources that can aid this process and are essential to make sure your patient has equal access and care.

ASL is a beautiful language. It can be really comforting for some patients to know that their provider has some training in ASL for basic communication and rapport. It is best to learn from Deaf creators and certified ASL interpreters whenever possible. The following are great resources to access if you want to expand your ASL:

• This company called Hallenross has ASL Classes and specifically has a multiple week ASL for healthcare workers class taught by Britny Bensman, LPN, founder of DeafMed. https://www.hallenross.com/services/asl-classes 
• Bill Vicars on YouTube is a renowned teacher and creator of very popular, effective ASL resources https://www.lifeprint.com
• Meredith is a certified ASL teacher who has great videos and courses as well https://www.aslmeredith.com/learn-from-home.html
• Gallaudet University (a private and renowned university in Washington D.C. for the deaf and hard of hearing) has some ASL resources: https://www.gallaudet.edu/asl-connect/asl-for-free/
• The Sign Language Center has classes https://www.signlanguagecenter.com/classes

Any casual learning of ASL DOES NOT replace an interpreter and/or proper, preferred communication with a Deaf, Deaf-Blind, or Hard of Hearing patient for ethical and legal reasons mentioned above. It is fantastic, however, to be trained in some ASL to help a patient in an acute situation where an interpreter or VRI is not available. Learning some ASL can be helpful in an emergency situation by enhancing patient communication access and potentially creating some patient rapport. 

• Learn How to Sign Medical Signs in ASL | Profession Signs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zyCRgWkl4I
• 15 Signed Phrases for Emergency Medical Questions in American Sign Language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaWE6cFl8ac&t=819s

The following are some good medical ASL YouTube videos you can learn from:

• "Bill Vicars": https://www.youtube.com/c/billvicars
• "Learn How to Sign":https://www.youtube.com/c/LearnHowtoSign
• "ASL Meredith": https://www.youtube.com/c/ASLMeredith

Need some basic introduction to ASL? Don't know where to start?

• Learning ASL? Learn This FIRST!!! (10 Things You Need to Know About ASL) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w1ZDaE-whc
• 25 ASL Signs You Need to Know | ASL Basics | American Sign Language for Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FcwzMq4iWg
• 150 Essential ASL Signs | Part 1 | Common and Descriptive Signs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ll3OtqAzyw (watch all 6 parts in this series if you want a good foundation for basic conversational skills)
• Learn American Sign Language: 40 Beginner conversational words and phrases in ASL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhQvlq-mZtA

• CT Association of the Deaf: https://www.deafcad.org 
• CoSignCT: https://cosignct.com A fantastic and comprehensive Connecticut based Interpreter company founded and run by Leslie Warren
• Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss: https://www.amphl.org
• Health Signs Center: https://www.healthsignscenter.org
• Deaf in Scrubs: https://www.deafinscrubs.com
• Partners in Deaf Health Inc.: https://www.partnersdeafhealth.org

• CT Association of the Deaf IG: https://www.instagram.com/deafcad/
• Deaf Med: https://www.facebook.com/access.deafmed/
  • https://www.instagram.com/access_deafmed/
• Deaf Health Talks: https://www.instagram.com/deafhealthtalks/
• AMPHL: Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses https://www.instagram.com/amphlorg/
• Deaf in Scrubs: https://www.instagram.com/deafinscrubs/
• Health That: https://www.facebook.com/healththatnow
• MI Deaf Health: https://www.facebook.com/MIDeafHealth/