Today, American Sign Language, or ASL, is the most famous and well-recognized method of communication for the Deaf community in this country. You may be surprised to know that there was a time in our history when ASL was thought to do more harm than good, to the point where teaching it was banned from most schools … Continued
Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs) are interpreters who, while being deaf themselves, have been trained to interpret for deaf patients who may have a limited knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL). If a patient is not fluent in ASL and uses a mixture of gesture/home signs or have a psychological or physical challenge preventing them from using ASL, a CDI … Continued
CMS Overall Hospital Star Ratings are available online and reviewable by potential patients deciding where to seek treatment. This represents a challenge for healthcare organizations whose ratings are on the low side. Improving these ratings has become an executive-level priority for many hospital leaders. If you manage language services for a hospital or healthcare organization, … Continued
It’s been three years since Health and Human Services’ final order on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act took effect. US healthcare providers have worked hard to meet the language access requirements that Section 1557 lays out. Has your organization achieved compliance with the interpretation and translation requirements found in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care … Continued
You want to provide translations for your patients to lower readmission rates, improve patient satisfaction, and keep within the letter of the law. But how do you determine when and how to translate your organization s documents? Fortunately, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has provided a guide to help you to determine when documents need … Continued
MYTH 1: SIGN LANGUAGE IS UNIVERSAL. ONCE YOU KNOW IT, YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAF ALL OVER THE WORLD It’s easy to watch someone signing and assume that those signs would work anywhere. But that’s not the case like spoken languages, sign language varies from place to place, and most countries have their own unique … Continued
Choosing a language services provider for your hospital or healthcare organization is a significant responsibility. The Joint Commission has identified communication problems between providers and their patients as the root cause of one in five sentinel events in healthcare, so choosing a partner to provide a quality of interpretation and translation which ensures clear communication is crucial. Unfortunately, some language services … Continued
Many immigrants who come to the US become quite proficient and fluent in English in addition to their native language. For the 60 million who speak another language at home, nearly 60% report that they speak English very well. But how does that compare to the abilities and knowledge of a native speaker especially in situations … Continued
A limited-English proficient (LEP) patient who refuses to use a professional interpreter can put your staff in a challenging position. First, there’s legal compliance to consider: Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act requires covered hospitals and healthcare organizations to provide qualified interpreters to patients who need them. Patient safety is also an issue: the Joint Commission lists provider/patient communication … Continued
Melanie is one of our RID-certified American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters and an ASL-VRI supervisor who works in our video interpretation queue in Arizona. She’s also a CODA – a Child of Deaf Adults. Melanie’s mother is deaf and her father is hard of hearing, and they communicate with her primarily in American Sign Language. … Continued
