As a nurse, and a proficient ASL signer, I’ve been motivated by what I’ve seen in the health care industry to be part of providing quality healthcare to the Deaf community, directly.
Interpreters are awesome, and I will always advocate for my patient to have one any time they are receiving health care – even if I’m there – I’m not an interpreter, and that’s not my role, as a nurse. But I am a pretty good nurse, and being able to use your native language with a healthcare provider is pretty different than through an intermediary! That said, every Deaf patient has a moral and legal right to an interpreter, and they should always have one in a healthcare setting.
This is of course true for all non-native speakers of English, but it’s especially true when your language uses a different modality than most hearing people are used to (signing vs speaking). Misunderstandings can and do occur, even with an interpreter present. In fact, interpreters are bound by a code of ethics which often limits their ability to ethically help identify and clarify miscommunications. With good direct communication, in any language, watching the other party for cues to their understanding or confusion throughout the conversation, and modulating the conversation as needed is an inherent part of the conversation.
I don’t know what I’m going to do with this site yet, and career possibilities which take my ASL use into consideration are still wide open and maybe a bit fuzzy.
In the meantime, here are some terrific ASL healthcare links!
http://www.handspeak.com/word/category/index.php?dict=health
The following videos are only ASL, no English voice or captions: