danielle----sr final thesis paper eddited final!!!!

Securing Fair Treatment for Deaf Patient

Running Head: SECURING FAIR TREATMENT FOR THE DEAF PATIENT

Securing Fair Treatment for Deaf and Hard of Hearing PatientDanielle Rauch

Northeastern University

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Abstract

This paper will provide a clear understanding of some of the struggles which D/

deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals experience in medical settings. These challenges are

not new, as they have occurred for over thirty years. This paper explores how hospitals

do not always have adequate access to important communication services for D/deaf

patients and discusses concern for the implementation of cochlear implants in such

patients. It is evident that there is significant need for doctors and anyone in the medical

field to learn more about the culture and history of D/deaf individuals. This paper

examines the problem of accessibility to proper and feasible communication options for

D/deaf patients, especially in emergencies. Presently, research supports the fact that deaf

patients who go into a hospital are told to wait for an interpreter to come to the hospital

for them, or they are told they can use a Video Relay Interpreting (VRI) to communicate

with the doctor or nurse. If neither a VRI nor an interrupter is available for an

appointment, D/deaf patients must resort to writing notes back and forth between health

care providers for service. This is not sufficient, professional, or appropriate

communication for deaf patients. The purpose of this paper is to bring attention to the

need for D/deaf and/ or hard-of-hearing patients to be acknowledged and treated with the

same respect as someone who is hearing in all settings, especially medical settings.

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Introduction

When people evaluate hospital systems in society, often there are two main

perspectives. The first is that hospitals are generally excellent, helping many people in

need; another thought is that hospitals do not adequately meet the needs of most people

and are greatly insufficient. People who support hospitals may not realize that hospitals

still do not fully serve every type of population, like the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing

community. This is a population that is still fighting for rights, even after the Americans

with Disability Act (ADA) was passed in 1990. This paper dissects and evaluates the

inadequacies of hospitals in America in regards to the treatment of D/deaf and hard-of-

hearing patients. There is great concern within the D/deaf community about how patients

feel they are being treated; many feel neglected or dismissed due to their disability.

Research in this paper includes examination of patients’ rights relating to the laws

concerning hospital protocols. When focusing on the deaf community, it is important to

analyze and evaluate how the hearing and the D/deaf (or hard-of –hearing) worlds

intertwine. Also, it is essential to assess how many hospitals have proper communications

accessibility for the D/deaf and hard–of-hearing community, without these patients

having to fight for suitable accommodations. One need to be look at how medical

technology has help as well as hurt individuals in a community, before assuming it is

good for everyone in the community. “Unlike a new kitchen appliance, new medical

technologies do not come with directions for their use. Rather, the protagonists who put

the technologies on the market and who put them to use in individuals indicate implicitly

or even quite explicitly their views of man’s social existence, that is, their images of

health and normality” (Hintermair and Albertini, pg. 190, 2005). When new medical

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technology become available for the public, everyone is exited but they don’t see that at

time the new technology can do more harm then good. With any type of new accesses

there are going to positives and negatives aspects.

The reason this doing this research on securing fair treatment for Deaf patients, is

important is because people generally think that if they are injured, they can go to any

hospital and be properly treated. However, this is not always true. Often, when someone

who is D/deaf or hard-of-hearing goes to the hospital, one has to wait for an interpreter to

come and assist in communication. Sometimes, the doctors and nurses begin without

someone there to explain what is happening to the deaf patient, or staff members think

the D/deaf patient can just read their lips. Hopefully, by exploring patients’ rights,

investigating existing laws concerning these rights, and examining what protocols

hospitals have in place for D/deaf/ hard-of-hearing patients, more people will be aware of

the needs of this community of patients. When hospitals view deaf patients as a

population they need to service, then these patients can receive the same rights as hearing

patients without having to fight for them.

Viewing deaf patients in a hospital setting through the human service macro,

micro, and mezzo lenses is not an easy task. For instance, the micro lens is very simply

the idea of an individual user; however, there is no research on just one D/deaf person’s

experience in a hospital. When a D/deaf or hard-of-hearing patient goes into a hospital,

that person must depend upon someone to be an interpreter for them when a nurse or

doctor is present and communicating. The need for an interpreter or some sort of

translation between doctor/nurse and the patient is personal. The next level, mezzo, is

easier to understand within the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing communities in a hospital

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setting because this level involves an approach and way of thinking which is institution-

wide. This level is something that can be done at a major level, such as requiring a

hospital to have staff interpreters on site for incoming D/deaf or hard of hearing patients.

Since each of these levels relate to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community as a whole,

most hospitals can promote a statement which guarantees that they will have some sort of

communication access to interpreting services.

The macro level is quite a challenge since all people are not the same; so, trying

to give a generic policy on the state or even national level is quite difficult. In regards to

communication with D/deaf patients, what occurred in the past anything after the 1990’s

was an evaluation of how doctors communicated with such patients? “Physicians were

asked to estimate the fraction of encounters in which they used each of the following

methods of communication: lip reading, writing, communication through a relative or

friend, sign language interpreter, nonsigning gestures, and no communication” (Ebert and

Heckerling, 1995, Pg. 227-228). By doing this, states attempted to show if doctors used

interpreters or not. The main finding in this research was that doctors and hospitals did

not prioritize the expense for interpreters. “It is clear that the cost of providing

interpreters may not be financed by surcharges to deaf patients or by billing a deaf

patient’s insurance carrier” (Chilton, 1995-1996, Pg. 983). This making trying to find out

who pays in a hospital setting tricky. An analysis of this study indicates great concern

that D/deaf or hard-of-hearing patients may end up getting unnecessarily hurt when there

is no one to provide access to clear, direct, and concise communication for them at

hospitals. However, one positive aspect of this topic is that as more studies are conducted

and more articles are written, more attention will be drawn to how D/deaf and hard-of-

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hearing patients are not treated fairly. With increased visibility of this issue, one can hope

that interventions to provide access to adequate communication and care become more

widespread and guaranteed as basic rights.

Statement of Objectives

The strong motivation for doing research concerning fair treatment of D/deaf and

hard-of-hearing patients is that this group of people has minimal representation and

advocacy. Not only is it important to be aware of the concerns of this population, but

also it is also important for people to understand the size of the population in order to

increase awareness. Regarding the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing population, “Nationwide,

about 2.1 percent of all Americans have a hearing problem, while just under 1 percent are

considered deaf” (McDaniels, 2015). While this is a relatively small number of people,

this population deserves to be treated with respect, receiving the same medical care that

someone who hears would receive in similar situations. The point of this research is to

demonstrate how D/deaf and hard-of-hearing people do not receive the same rights.

There are people who are aware of the struggles of the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing

community and are working to make sure these individuals are treated well. One way to

ensure that D/deaf and hard-of-hearing populations receive fair treatment is to increase

awareness of this need in communities. This paper, as well as existing research, will help

provide awareness and advocacy for fair treatment of D/deaf and hard-of-hearing patients

in hospitals. Also, another significant objective of this paper is to make sure that audism

is not still occurring in society. D/deaf and hard- of-hearing people have faced the

oppression of audism for years. “What audism refers to— the discrimination of Deaf

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people—is nothing new. The word to describe it, however, is. Whether being denied

rights to own property, to have children, or to drive a car, Deaf people have rarely been

treated with the dignity that should come with being human” (Bauman, Pg. 239, 2004).

D/deaf and hard-of -hearing individuals should be able to receive the same rights and

treatment as someone who hears without feeling they are a burden on hospitals; they

should never feel oppressed.

Literature Review

Fair and adequate treatment of D/deaf and hard-of-hearing patients is an

important topic which needs more attention and action because too many times deaf

patients have not received proper care due to a common mentality of “of out of sight, out

of mind” by hospital staff. What often happens in hospitals is that the D/deaf community

is overlooked, and their treatment does not meet their needs. Literature regarding this

topic can be divided into different time periods; thus, the paper will be structured by these

same time frames: 1980-1999, 2000-2009, and then from 2010-present day. Relating to

the research, there is overwhelming evidence of the need for medical, personal, and

professional support and aid in hospitals for D/deaf and hard-of-hearing patients.

Significant literature concerning the rights and treatment of D/deaf patients in

hospitals is present from 1980-1999. The years from 1980-1990 (period before the

American with Disability Act (ADA) was passed) are vital to study, as they are important

to the history of deaf patients’ struggles in regards to getting medical help. One of the

oldest articles related to this research, “Health Care Delivery for Deaf Patients” by

Dipietro, et al., was written in 1981. While this might be a dated source, it is important to

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note that throughout history D/deaf and hard-of-hearing patients have not been treated

with respect. This article indicates that health care in this nation had some significant

issues in the 1980’s which should have been resolved. However, what makes this article

so interesting is the fact that someone noticed that the D/deaf and hard-of hearing

communities were not being treated with respect years ago.

“Even though it is well documented that proficiency of spoken and written

English of prelingually deaf persons is often seriously impaired, 76% of deaf

persons responding to a recent survey reported that writing was the most common

mode of communication used by medical staff in out-patient situations and 83%

reported writing to be the most common mode of communication used in in-

patient situations (Schein and Delk, 1980). Speech was reported as the next most

commonly used mode in both situations. The deaf respondents generally felt they

were understood by medical staff but 36.9% of the respondents only understood

some or very little of what medical staff were attempting to communicate to them

in out- patient situations. In in-patient situations 32.9% of the deaf respondents

only understood some or very little of what medical staff were attempting to

communicate to them. Only 25% of the respondents felt they understood every-

thing in both situations” (DiPietro, Knight, Sams, Pg, 107, 1981)

It is evident that even back in the 1980s, D/deaf patients did not feel their needs were

being met in medical offices. So, even before the Americans with Disability Act (ADA)

was passed, it is clear that this community was being oppressed, and people wanted to act

to change this. It is important to note that the ADA was passed in 1990.

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From 1990-1999, doctors, as well as hospitals, tried to understand the ADA and

all its various components. One article written in 1999, “Health Care Delivery for Deaf

Patients” by Harmer, reveals the importance of having interpreters present for D/deaf

patients at any kind of medical appointment. This article is significant because it provides

a clear understanding of what it is like for someone who is D/deaf to go to an

appointment and have no idea what is going on. In one section of the article, the authors

reveal how medical personnel can mistakenly believe passing a piece of a paper back and

forth to write and communicate is helpful for deaf patients.

“Thirty-seven percent believed that writing notes or speech reading

offered the best way to communicate with deaf patients. Forty-one percent of

those surveyed said they relied on writing notes for their deaf patients more then

half of the time. Only 19 % regular employed an interpreted. Remaining

physicians used speech reading, gestures, or asked family member to interpret for

the patient “(Harmer, pg. 93, 1999).

In situations where there is insufficient communication regarding medical concerns, a

D/deaf patient often leaves a medical setting more confused about what is going with his

health than before he went to the appointment. Still, a number of medical personnel

believe interpreters are not needed; hopefully, after more research and studies are

conducted, it will be clear how many medical personnel do not use interpreters even after

the ADA was passed. Doctors, nurses, and hospital staff must understand negative

hospital experiences for D/deaf patients, so they know how to successfully address the

concerns and correct the issues in the future in order for D/deaf and hard-of-hearing

patients to receive proper, fair, and comprehensive treatment.

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Another major concern regarding medical aid and treatments within the D/deaf

community is the trend of surgery for cochlear implants; this is a surgery to implant a

wire into the cochlea, which sends a signal to a device that a D/deaf or hard-of-hearing

person wears. This, in theory, allows D/deaf patients the ability to hear. From 2000-2009,

technology became more advanced; therefore, medicine and cochlear surgeries should

have produced higher rates of success. Sadly, however, this was not true. As technology

increased, so did the number of parents who wanted their children to hear. Thus, there

was a great increase in the number of cochlear implants surgeries; while there are some

successful cases, there are more failed cases in which the cochlear implant has not

worked. There are approximately 188,000 people who have cochlear implants (NIH,

2015). The most recent article pertaining to this implant research, “Long-Term

Complications after Cochlear Implantations” by Kawano, et al. was published in 2013;

this article explains how giving a deaf child this particular surgery will end up doing

more harm than good. One reason why this could do a lot of harm is because as hearing

individuals we do not know what the Cochlear implants sounds like: we assume it sounds

like our hearing, however science has told us other wise. Not only will it not help the

child hear like someone who is born with hearing it then put the child in a odd subgroup.

The child will not feel like they fit in the Deaf community, since the community is

against cochlear, and they will not fit into the hearing world since they do not “hear” like

we hear. So in the end the child is isolated and has a harder time making friends. Even

though there has been much research published about the positive and negative aspects of

cochlear implants, it is important to know that the concerns about implants did not stop in

2009; the debate about the use of implants is still present today.

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The debate about cochlear implants is just one health concern that greatly affects

the D/deaf community. There are people who believe everyone should hear, while there

are some who do not think it matters if people can hear or not, as long as they have access

to communication. Making sure everyone has access to communication is a problem in

medical field. The article, “Open your eyes: Deaf Studies Talking,” by Stein Ohna is

very pertinent in discussing this issue because it addresses how deafness is not a

disability. It also clarifies what it is like to be D/deaf and how being D/deaf does not

mean one cannot accomplish everything one wants to achieve in life. The idea that

deafness is not a disability will continue to be understood more clearly as time goes on if

the general population becomes more aware and informed. People will comprehend and

understand this concept better as increased education on the topic is more accessible for

the general population in university settings, as well as the news or media.

There are increasingly more movements to help deaf patients receive medical

help. In some cases, this help has even included legal steps to ensure patient rights.

Many patients or family members have sued hospitals for not providing an interpreter. If

one wants to file a complaint against a medical profession for not providing equal

communication for the D/deaf patient or Family member can go to the ADA website and

fill out a complaint. With there being a way for D/deaf patients to fill out a paper saying

that the doctor or hospital was not being ADA complaint, maybe with this now being out

there less news articles coming out saying that a Deaf patient is suing an hospitals.

There have also been attempts to aid D/deaf patients throughout the years in

hospitals by providing a machine called a VRI (Video Relay Interpreter), which

translated for patients. The idea for the machine sounds good; however, the machine is

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not actually effective because so much of American Sign Language (ASL) depends upon

facial grammar (this is basically syntax for ASL). So, if someone is talking to the screen

and waiting for a response from another, the person who is on the VRI (the interpreter)

may not understand the D/deaf patient or vice versa. The reason why VRI is not the most

helpful option is because the best form of communication for any patients is face-to-face.

When one put a VRI in front of a D/deaf patient after surgery or after one just wakes up,

there is going to be miscommunication that will occur because medical personnel are

asking someone who is D/deaf to use a computer to explain what is going on in one’s

body while one is still under medication. In a newspaper article, “Deaf Patients Sue

Hospital in Maryland Over Remote Interpreting,” by Bethany Broida published in the

Legal Times of Washington D.C. in 2005, the importance of having face-to-face

communication for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community is clearly illustrated. The

reason the woman was suing the hospital was because no one was giving her information

about what was happening in her body. (She ended up having a heart issue.) During her

time at the hospital, no one helped her; this was a very scary experience for the woman.

The doctors at the hospital did attempt to make communication clear and sufficient for

this woman, so like most D/deaf patients she left; she went to another doctor who ended

up telling her what was wrong (Brodia, 2005, pg.2). Maybe with Deaf studies becoming

more available in colleges/university, there will be less cases of family’s having to sue

hospitals to get equal and fair communication.

From 2010 to the present, there has been significant research by “outsiders”

(people not in the Deaf community) trying to understand the community, as many more

people are advocating for the D/deaf. Many are going through interpreting programs,

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wanting to learn ASL or wanting to become a teacher for the Deaf. With an increase in

the number of people showing compassion for and interest in the deaf community, much

good will occur. For example, there are some medical schools throughout the country,

such as New York University of Rochester Medical School, which offer classes to learn

about the best ways to treat a D/deaf patient. By taking classes on the history of the

D/deaf community and their needs, one will become aware of the community. There are

also informative books, essays, and articles, such as “Assessing Deaf Cultural

Competency of Physicians and Medical students” by Loang, et al., which people can read

to understand more about the D/deaf culture. Many need to realize that the D/deaf

community is not a group of people who need to be able to “hear” to be successful; they

are just different.

There is nothing wrong with being different; understanding one another and each

other’s differences is how a society grows. The D/deaf community is a group of people

who desire to be treated like everyone else when it comes to life and medicine.

Additionally, it is important to remember that there is no perfect hospital or doctor’s

office which treats the deaf community. There are, however, some doctors and hospitals

that have a better understanding of how to work with and support this community.

Hopefully, the role-reversal research, which was done in Rochester, will help others

understand the importance of awareness by medical field personnel in regards to the

needs of the D/deaf community, as well as realize the steps Boston hospitals are taking to

help the deaf community.

Solution

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Though there is not just one, clear-cut answer to resolve the issue regarding

insufficient treatment of D/deaf patients in hospitals, there are ways to help people

become more educated and aware of the Deaf community. As previously mentioned,

there are classes which one can take to become aware of the Deaf community. For

instance, Northeastern University in Boston offers two classes, “Deaf History and

Culture,” as well as,” Deaf and Society.” Other schools around the country which offer

classes about D/deaf communities are: University of Montevallo, University of Arizona,

California State University- Fresno, and California State University-Northridge. If

someone has a desire to know more about the community, one can type into Google

“Universities which offer D/deaf classes,” and one will get a list from Kaplan about

where one can go and take classes.

Additionally, schools attempt to increase student awareness of the D/deaf

community. At Northeastern, two times each year, the university has an event called

Deaf-Deaf World. This is an event that is put on to teach ASL 1 and ASL 2 students what

it is like trying to communicate in a world in which one has very little communication

access (A, Bournazian, personal communication, September 2012). During the event of

Deaf-Deaf World, each student will be given a different task that each needs to do, such

as try to get a hotel room for a night or try to buy something at a store. During this

process, these students must only use ASL; they are not allowed to use their “voice” or

speak. This exercise helps students to understand what it is like for someone who is

D/deaf or hard of hearing to navigate every day life.

Furthermore, people can learn about the D/deaf community through personal

research and reading. There are many articles available, such as, “Role-Reversal Exercise

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with Deaf Strong Hospital to Teach Communication Competency and Cultural

Awareness” by Parkhill, et al., which provide insights into how medical personnel, can

understand more about the needs of their D/deaf patients. In this specific article,

scenarios depicted what it is like for doctors, as well as nurses, to experience a role-

reversal with D/deaf patients. These medical personnel pretended they were in a

completely deaf environment, and the only way for them to communicate was via paper

or signing. This gave them a first-hand experience of what it is like to be deaf.

While it might not be feasible for doctors or other hospital staff to take a class or

study in-depth about D/deaf communities, they can take a survey in regards to the D/deaf

community as a starting point for improvement. Hospitals and medical offices might gain

great insight if their personnel fill out a survey regarding knowledge of and common

practices with the D/deaf community (see survey in appendix). As these surveys are

interpreted, medical groups can evaluate how well their staff and organization understand

the needs and concerns of the D/deaf community, as well as how well they are meeting

those needs. A few possible questions on a survey might be, “How does your hospital

work with the deaf community?” “What services or accommodations do you have

available to aid deaf patients? “How many D/deaf or Hard of Hearing patients does your

hospital see?” Once surveys are taken and results are recorded, then medical groups can

evaluate what hospitals and interpreters use when “trying” to interpret a medical

appointment because there is not much data on what hospitals use to work with the

D/deaf population. This is something which the surveys will hopefully help to change.

When one goes on a hospital’s website to view what services or aid that hospital

might provide for the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, one can see that most

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hospitals provide an email address and a phone number to call to set up an interpreter.

One will find this information on the interpreting webpage of the hospital. However,

since Deaf communities use a videophone to make phone calls, it would be important to

know if hospitals have videophones for Deaf patients to use. An example of hospital

practices regarding D/deaf patients is Mass General Hospital. If a D/deaf patient goes to

the hospital for an appointment, that patient would need to email the interpreting

department with one’s patient information about the appointment; also, a the D/deaf

patient would just have to assume that there will be some sort of access between the

D/deaf patient and the doctor and/or nurse (Susan Muller-Herhson, Personal

Communication October 2015). While it is good that there is an email address to

schedule an interpreter, there is no way to know if there will be an interpreter there for

the appointments because there is only one person who handles all of these requests.

One thing that has worked for people in the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing

communities is exchanging information about possible and best options for help in

medical settings. This is effective because D/deaf individuals share information with

other D/deaf people about good doctors and effective hospitals. People can share which

hospitals have better interpreters or which hospitals are friendlier to the community.

Publicity and attention to inadequate treatment at hospitals has also brought help

to the D/deaf community when a D/deaf patient sues a hospital for not providing

interpreters or a proper form of communication for the patient. It is awful when one reads

about an area in society which is not helping the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing

communities; it does, however, make people aware of the community or the community’s

needs. An article, “Deaf Patient Sue Hospital in Maryland Over Remote Interpreting” by

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Broward Daily Business review, reveals how even today 2015, D/deaf patients can go to

a hospital, and hospitals do not know how to work with patients who are D/deaf and hard

of hearing. The woman in the article talks about is a highly educated woman who is a

professor. It just shows that hospitals should have interpreters on staff to communicate

between someone who is deaf and hearing. Hopefully hospitals will see the need to have

staff interprets on sight, so this way if a D/deaf patient comes in they will have equal

access to communication.

Within the D/deaf community, there is a tremendous sense of pride, which really

helps unify and strengthen individuals in the group. These individuals do not see being

D/deaf as a disability; they just see deafness as part of their lives. When one sits down

and has a conversation with someone who is D/deaf, one realizes that these individuals

are just like everyone else (A, Bournazian, personal communication, April 2015). They

just communicate via sign language instead of through voice. Signing allows those who

are deaf to be just as successful as hearing individuals in the world. It is a good thing

when someone who is D/deaf realizes that the only thing different about the person is the

fact that one cannot hear while many around the person can; if a D/deaf person is

determined to stand up and advocate for themself, this individual will help the medical

community make great strides.

Integrated Practices of Promise and Conclusion

There are clear responses and solutions for the question of how to make sure

D/deaf and hard-of-hearing patients receive the same rights and proper treatment as

everyone else.

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A strong possible solution for aiding D/deaf patients involves education in sign

language. If medical personnel learned how to sign a few words for a medical

appointment, it could help D/deaf patients when they initially come into a doctor’s office

or a hospital. For instance, receptionists should learn to sign phrases like, “Hi, what is

your name; who are you here to see; and what time is your appointment?” This could

make the process smoother for someone who is D/deaf. It is not only smoother but more

comfortable; it helps to build trust in a new relationship

Additionally, there needs to be comprehensive assessment of what areas can be

strengthened in hospital budgets in regards to the D/deaf community; one important area

of every budget which needs to be supported is interpreters. Every hospital should have

some sort of budget built in for ASL interpreters, so this way if someone who is D/deaf

goes to a hospital, one can receive proper communication. There are approximately 230

certified ASL interpreters in a 100-mile radius of northeastern Massachusetts; these

hospitals are very fortunate to be able to have such a large number of people who are

certified. (Although, of the 230 people in northeastern Massachusetts, not all of the

interpreters are able to interpret a medical appointment) However, this is not always the

case with some states, which is why it is hard to find interpreters for a medical

appointment in some areas. Interpreters are especially crucial for patients needing surgery

or medication; VRIs are not sufficient for this need. VRIs are not something that should

be used in medical appointments, but they can, however, be used for very short

conversations, such as checking in for an appointment or just seeing how one is feeling. It

should not be used if a doctor is explaining about medications or a surgery.

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The reason there is such a crucial need for interpreters is because ASL is its own

language with its own grammar, such as phonology, morphology, syntax and pragmatics,

which one learns this when someone takes an ASL class. This is why hospitals should

have interpreters on staff. Interpreters have taken a number of classes in: ASL, Deaf

History and Culture, Deaf and Society, as well as classes to learn the correct way to

interpret. After a certain amount of time, interpreters are able to sit for a national

certification to show that they have sufficient understanding of the D/deaf community.

Once they pass the evaluation, then they are certificated interpreters, according to

information one gains from going to classes for becoming an interpreter (D. Cokley,

Personal communication, September 2014).

Once someone completes this process, it means one can be an interpreter;

however, it is important to realize that just because someone is certified, it does not mean

that person is qualified to be a medical interpreter. Having a qualified medical interpreter

on staff is not always easy; there might only be a certain number of qualified medical

interpreters in each state. Currently, according to the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf

(RID), there is not a medical interpreting certification according to the RID website

(http://www.rid.org). It is extremely important that hospitals have certified and qualified

ASL interpreters on staff in hospitals.

Finally, there is great hope that this research has helped others to see that D/deaf

and hard-of-hearing patients are being treated differently than hearing patients in hospital

settings. Although there are obvious strides to be made in regards to patient care for the

D/deaf community, many new steps are being taken around the nation towards the

attainment of equal rights for this group of people.

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Appendix A:Survey

1) Where is your hospital located? 2) What services do you have for D/deaf and Hard Of Hearing Patients?3) If you hospital have staff interprets, how many interpreters does your hospital

have? 4) How does your hospital work with the deaf community?5) How many D/deaf or Hard of Hearing patients does your hospital see?

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Appendix B Vocabulary

Audism- “Audism: n. The notion that one is super- based on one’s ability to hear or behave in the manner of one who hears” (Bauman, 2004, Pg. 240)

Deaf- A person who is audiology deaf with no or limited hearing ability and is considered to be apart of the Deaf community

deaf- Someone who is audiology deaf with no or limited hearing ability, is not considered to be apart of the community

D/deaf- both groups of people who are audiology deaf and someone who identifies to be a part of the Deaf community

Hard of Hearing- someone who has limited but can still hear, hearing ability

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danielle----sr final thesis paper eddited final!!!!

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