Codger said:
At every venue level from my primary attending physician nad his staff, to every specialist referal, to the emergency room, through surgery and recovery. I first told them I was D/Hoh. I could not hear them. The only attempts at accomodation were to yell at me, or wave their hands like a bandmaster as if that meant something to me.
Hearing people are dense about D/hoh communication needs. As you have found out the hard way, just informing someone that you are D/hoh is not enough. You have to lead the hearies by the hand to let them know how they should accommodate your needs. That is not the ideal, but that is real life.
Next time, big black permanent marker across my chest "I AM DEAF! NOT STUPID!"
Unfortunately, they will just yell louder if you do that.
Every chart, every attending physician was notified before hand, then on admission, then by myself, then by my wife.
You write "notified" but did you tell them specifically what you needed for accomodation? Most hearies don't know what you need, and every D/hoh person has different needs. Some prefer a terp (ASL or SEE or PSE), cued speech facilitator, oral speech facilitator, CART transcriber, special amplification (FM system), etc. Hearies don't have a clue. If you can, meet with local service providers and find one that meets your needs. Then, find out how they contract their services with hospitals and doctors. Some interpreting/communication companies have staff members whose job is to contact hospitals, businesses, agencies, etc., and explain their services and set up contracts with them.
Each locality is different. There is also a difference between services provided by private companies and government agencies. Check them all out if you can. I can give you some links thru pm if you want. I don't want to "sell" my company (no undo pressure), so I can send you several links without identifying which it is. The one I work for (and several others) are national, not just local, so you will have choices.
... But you can bet I will take your suggestion and get some cards printed up. One side with deaf resources, the other with specific communication instructions. But I was stripped of everything when admitted, so maybe a deaf I.D. necklace too?
It might be a good idea. Maybe there is something available like MedicAlert?
http://www.medicalert.org/home/Homegradient.aspx