The deaf community struggles with significant health disparities and is often excluded from health surveillances, outreach programs and mass media healthcare messages. Deaf users of American Sign Languages (ASL), through cultural and language barriers, are at high risk for poor health knowledge and inequitable access to medical care in our health system. These barriers directly translate to inadequate assessment, limited access to treatment, insufficient follow-up and poorer outcomes. ASL is the primary language for many people who are deaf; however, interpreters are often not provided during medical visits.
To read more about the issue as discussed in two recent cases, see the PDFs below.
