Wellness Cures
Can hospitals learn to better treat Deaf patients?

http://harpers.org/archive/2018/09/hospitals-learning-to-treat-deaf-patients/
Date Written:  2018-09-01
Publisher:  Harper's Magazine
Year Published:  2018
Pages:  7pp   Resource Type:  Article

The Deaf regularly move through the medical system without agency or dignity -- not because they cannot hear but because they are not given the opportunity to communicate. The onus for change is put on the Deaf themselves, often in terms of changing their own bodies to accommodate the hearing majority. What if, instead, the Deaf were consulted about what changes they would like, or how they would like for them to happen? What if they were invited to take part in shaping the next generation of doctors?

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

Those who are Deaf see themselves as set apart not by biology but by language and culture. They identify as a linguistic minority with a different set of norms than the hearing majority. One of their unifying tenets is that deafness is not a disability—or at least it doesn’t have to be. Given social and linguistic equality, a deaf person’s lack of hearing is not a barrier to a high quality of life.