FAQ | DCAL

What failures / successes have you seen in the medical community during this move primarily to telehealth?

Interpreter perspective: Telehealth has been a challenge, but it has also been a positive experience for many patients. Some patients that are HOH or Deaf depend on lip reading. Many that I have worked with are grateful to have a video interpreter that is not required to wear a mask. A challenge is many healthcare professionals and staff feel that it will provide access in ALL situations, which is does not. There is a learning curve for what it can and cannot do.
Do you find that most medical offices/hospitals provide their own translation services or are you responsible for finding your own translator as the patient?

Hospitals and clinics are resonsible for providing interpreting services per the ADA. This is covered under the Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Some patients may have an interpreter preference and will make that known when scheduling.
Do Emergency Departments have interpreters on-call in the case of life threatening situations? For example, where waiting to provide care before having an intepreter present, might be a life or death situation?"

Unfortunately, in the State of Nebraska, I am not aware of a formal 'on-call' list. Each healthcare facility has a list of contracted interpreters that they may use to send out a request, but they do not have 'on-site' interpreters standing by for emergencies. Often they will defer to Video Remote Interpreting if avaialble.
I noticed that the videos posted on the Participant Access / Workshop Resources page are listed as "private". Will we be getting access to those as part of our participant access?"

Yes. The password is listed in GREEN under the Workshop Resources heading.
What recreational activities are restricted to the Deaf and HOH community? eg. movie theatres. What are ways to get around it?

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What are optimal goals for the Deaf/HOH community?

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