Case Study: Why communication and access for Deaf people in hospital must improve
After a recent accident while she was working, an ambulance had to be called to take Emel Witshire to hospital.
In an already panicked, confused situation – what happened next just made matters worse.
Emel, a mother and member of the Deaf community, describes her experience as confusing, frustrating and ultimately frightening.
“They treated me wrong,” she says of her experience.
“In the ambulance, it was really hard to communicate. Hard to lip read with their masks on. Some words I could understand, some I don’t,” says Emel.
“I didn’t know what happened, I couldn’t get up. They took a look at my leg and then gave me morphine, and then I can’t remember.”
Emel was taken to the emergency ward at hospital, where things improved slightly for a moment – before getting worse again.
“The good thing was they had an interpreter there,” she says.
“But it took a long time for the interpreter to get there. I had to wait all day to find out what had happened and what would happen next, then I had to wait two days for an operation,” says Emel.
Emel was moved to another ward – and lost access to the interpreter in the process.
“I was trying to get that interpreter who was in the ED ward, but they said no. I said get her please, but they told me she can’t come in here due to COVID,” says Emel.
“I was really angry, and really upset,” she says.
Emel was in the hospital for five further days – without access to an interpreter.
“They wore masks. They wouldn’t even give me a note or pen to write – nothing. I asked for captions on the TV and they just ignored me,” she says.
“They didn’t give me anything.”
This experience is all too common for Deaf people. Time and time again, stories are shared of lack of understanding about Deaf people’s needs by hospital staff, lack of access to interpreters – things that aren’t a luxury, but a right. Because without access to these things, Deaf people’s ability to effectively communicate is removed.
And when you’re in hospital, being able to communicate effectively is essential.
“I’ve been to hospital before, it’s the same thing,” says Emel.
“Sometimes I have to Facetime a friend to ask them to interpret for me – I have to organise that myself. Every time I ask for an interpreter – nothing,” she says.
For Deaf people, improving communication in hospitals is paramount. In a situation where people are at their most vulnerable, and at times in their life where they need the most support – it is essential they understand, and can be understood.
The Deaf Regional Health project by Expression Australia is an effort to bridge this gap. Emel’s experience in hospital is unfortunately not uncommon – though often unintentional. The materials created as part of this trial will help improve hospital and healthcare worker’s understanding of the Deaf community, and provide Deaf people the tools they need to advocate for themselves.
Find the tools below, and learn how you can help improve Deaf people’s experience in hospitals.
