Question For The Deaf Community

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Michael Grady

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My name is Michael Grady, I am a nursing student at the University of South Alabama. I am conducting a research project that is attempting to improve the communication between nursing staff and their Deaf patients. In my research I had a group of Deaf volunteers complete a survey that asked them about their opinions of the healthcare system. One of the questions read as "Do you feel that you are treated differently or unfairly when you are in the doctor's office or in the hospital?". One of the Deaf indivduals responded "Who Knows? There is no way for me to compare with other patients."

My question for you all is do you feel the same way? In my research I found a lot of peer-reviewed journals where Deaf individuals stated they believed they were treated differently, so her response to the question, honestly, surprised me.

Also I would like to ask you all as members of the Deaf community do you have an automactic assumption that you are going to be treated differently as a Deaf person?

Thanks for you assistance with my question!
 
I think it is entirely depends on how well the nurses or doctors know how to treat a Deaf/hoh person. Every deaf and hoh person are different. I assume the nurses and doctors are probably seeing older adults with aging hearing loss who don't use sign language. Most of the time I feel that I am treated normally. I think it gets awkward if their is a misunderstanding. The hostipal I go to provides interpreters for appointments so I find that really helpful.
 
I'm definitely treated different.

As a deafie, whenever I visit the doctor's office, I feel that people often push me aside. Many times I've just had paperwork shoved into my hands and they don't even bother explaining what it's for then I've been left to my own devices until it's my turn to be seen by the doctor.

Even then, the doctor shouts people's names so I've actually missed my appointment several times and so I go back up to the desk and ask why I haven't been seen yet and they check and say to me while annunciation every word with their mouth practically open wide and turning their computer screen to show me 'Oh. You. Were. Called. X amount. Of. minutes ago. And you. Weren't there'.

Like whaaaat? You know I'm deaf, woman! It says so on my chart. Could've told the doctor to come over to me, instead of standing in the door way calling patients names.

Believe it or not the next time I went to that doctors office, the same exact nurse got a post it note and wrote 'Special Needs' and stuck it to my jumper. I was furious. When I left, I lodged a complaint with her superior. I am not special needs just because I'm deaf :mad2:

And they call themselves medical professionals :squint:
 
iMaisie said:
I'm definitely treated different.

As a deafie, whenever I visit the doctor's office, I feel that people often push me aside. Many times I've just had paperwork shoved into my hands and they don't even bother explaining what it's for then I've been left to my own devices until it's my turn to be seen by the doctor.

Even then, the doctor shouts people's names so I've actually missed my appointment several times and so I go back up to the desk and ask why I haven't been seen yet and they check and say to me while annunciation every word with their mouth practically open wide and turning their computer screen to show me 'Oh. You. Were. Called. X amount. Of. minutes ago. And you. Weren't there'.

Like whaaaat? You know I'm deaf, woman! It says so on my chart. Could've told the doctor to come over to me, instead of standing in the door way calling patients names.

Believe it or not the next time I went to that doctors office, the same exact nurse got a post it note and wrote 'Special Needs' and stuck it to my jumper. I was furious. When I left, I lodged a complaint with her superior. I am not special needs just because I'm deaf :mad2:

And they call themselves medical professionals :squint:
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You should taken the note and wrote ' Rude Jerk' on it and posted it the nurse forehead !
 
iMaisie said:
I'm definitely treated different.

As a deafie, whenever I visit the doctor's office, I feel that people often push me aside. Many times I've just had paperwork shoved into my hands and they don't even bother explaining what it's for then I've been left to my own devices until it's my turn to be seen by the doctor.

Even then, the doctor shouts people's names so I've actually missed my appointment several times and so I go back up to the desk and ask why I haven't been seen yet and they check and say to me while annunciation every word with their mouth practically open wide and turning their computer screen to show me 'Oh. You. Were. Called. X amount. Of. minutes ago. And you. Weren't there'.

Like whaaaat? You know I'm deaf, woman! It says so on my chart. Could've told the doctor to come over to me, instead of standing in the door way calling patients names.

Believe it or not the next time I went to that doctors office, the same exact nurse got a post it note and wrote 'Special Needs' and stuck it to my jumper. I was furious. When I left, I lodged a complaint with her superior. I am not special needs just because I'm deaf :mad2:

And they call themselves medical professionals :squint:[/Q

Omg that is so rude! :mad2::crazy:
Click to expand...
 
I'm way older than 17 and I would not have done what WDYS suggests. That's even ruder and passive aggressive. Reporting it to the office staff or whoever runs the office is the better means. Killing them with kindness works better than being rude right back.

But whatever works for others isn't always the same that works for me.
 
iMaisie said:
I would have loved to but I was a quiet little 17 year old at the time :dunno: I didn't like confrontation.
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A lot of people don't like confrontation but I had very abusive dad and had to toughen myself up at a very young . I will tell the doctor's office that I am hoh and that they
have to call my name loud . There are a lot rude unthoughtful people around . I had to call some meds for ex husband and I couldn't say the name of it so I had to spell it out. I had to get a new doctor b/c my job change insurance company and the DR didn't take it. When I got my medical record I saw that the bitch I called the med into
wrote down about me having to spell it out ! WTF ! She knew I am very hoh but made it sound like was stupid b/c I have trouble saying some words! The woman was really rude about me having a speech defect .
 
Michael Grady said:
Also I would like to ask you all as members of the Deaf community do you have an automactic assumption that you are going to be treated differently as a Deaf person?
Click to expand...
Maybe not automatic, but alot of us are prepaired for it. Just a way of life.
 
As we all know, Deafness is invisible, (unless we are openly use Sign Language) yet ignorance is still ignorance. We will always have a problem with being treated in a way that is undesired or just downright rude due to ignorance. Yes, it gets tiresome to educate people on a day in - day out basis especially when it's with the majority of people you meet in public. Sometimes, you would rather take whatever comes at you because you simply can't be bothered to put things right. But what I found works for me, is when I take command of interactions and conversations (politely of course - always apply the golden rule 'do to others as you would them to do to you'.) In other words, get in first. Make it clear from the start how others are to interact with you and keep persisting they treat you the way you deserve to be treated and take nothing less from anyone. Most importantly - don't be apologetic for being who you are.
 
Thank you everyone for your input, I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to answer my question!
 
May I ask Deaf/HOH person? ....... This is NOT a scam or any of it.
 

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I feel like being hoh but able to talk I am treated differently when they find out. I am treated just fine until I happen to bring it up or my husband has to sign something they said then the doctor will stop talking to me and only address my husband. I become more like an object then a person. They will even ask my husband my pain level or symptoms, he tells them to ask me themselves.
 
DeafNerdMommy said:
I feel like being hoh but able to talk I am treated differently when they find out. I am treated just fine until I happen to bring it up or my husband has to sign something they said then the doctor will stop talking to me and only address my husband. I become more like an object then a person. They will even ask my husband my pain level or symptoms, he tells them to ask me themselves.
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THAT would but the crap out of me. To have someone talking to you just fine and then on a comment completely ignore you? Good on your husband for turning that back on the doctor, that's not any way to treat someone...
 
It is the worst feeling from going from a person to an object but my husband hates when people do that to me. He is also hoh but never tells anyone and refuses HA. So he knows how it feels to be ignored and left behind.
 
Definitely know this feeling and it's bull!! I am hoh and losing my hearing rapidly due to Ménière's. In the recent weeks my hearing is almost completely unreliable. I have had to ask my fiancé to make phone calls for doctors appointments and things like that and recently I visited the eye doctor and had the same experience as you. The doc was communicating with me just fine until there was one question I couldn't quite grasp, so my fiancé filled in the blanks for me via ASL...from that moment on, she (the doc) acting as if I wasn't even in the room and only addressed my fiancé. This angers me because I am NOT an object I am a human being and I am the patient.... Understand your frustration
 
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