DEI Special Edition Spring / Summer 2024
Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Lack of Inclusion
In Health Care and Research
by Ashley Walker, PharmD
Approximately forty - eight million Americans live with some form of hearing loss in one or both ears. Over the years, laws were put in place and various advances in technology have made it possible for individuals within this unique community to adapt to everyday living. One of the most powerful laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, exists to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunities to participate in society. Violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 can result in fines for non - compliance, bad publicity for place of business, and even punitive damages. Despite the availability of various resources such as American Sign Language interpreters, Video Remote Interpreting, speech to text software, etc. accessi- bility in the healthcare setting is sorely lacking. The reasoning behind such poor accessibility is due in part to the “ one size fits all ” mentality. All individuals with hearing loss are not the same. For ex- ample, someone who loses his/her hearing later in life may not know sign
language. There- fore, it would be inappropriate to- provide accessible communication in the form of sign language inter- preters. Some- one who com-
municates using American Sign Language may have difficulty understanding written English. Also, not all deaf or hard of hearing individuals have lip - reading capabilities. Deaf and hard of hearing individuals lose autonomy when it comes to making decisions pertaining to their health when the re- quested method of communication is denied or exchanged with alternatives and futile options.
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