Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #119519

Darcie L. Mersereau, MPH, Health Behavior & Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 34 Woodlawn Ave., Fairport, NY 14450, 585-377-6853, mersereau@unc.edu, Kurt M. Ribisl, PhD, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health, CB #7440 Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, and Felicia Mebane, PhD, Health Policy and Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health, 1104d McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.

Objective: Existing research has shown that communication barriers between Deaf patients and their hearing doctors result in decreased access to, quality of, and utilization of health care by Deaf individuals. A contributing factor to these barriers is the infrequent use of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters by health care providers, which is itself in part due to the scarce supply of interpreters. The purpose of this study was to examine whether state legislation recognizing ASL as a language and allowing ASL classes to be taught in secondary and post-secondary institutions might have an impact on state interpreter supply.

Methods: Existing state ASL educational policies were examined nationwide and policy provisions were itemized for each state. A point allocation system was created and points were assessed for each state policy based on the provisions it contained. This system was used to assess the strength of the ASL educational policy in each state and to measure the relationship between ASL policy strength and state interpreter supply.

Results: No significant relationship was found between the strength of ASL educational policy and interpreter supply, however one was found between strength of policy and the rate of growth in interpreter supply, suggesting that stronger ASL policies may be associated with faster growth in interpreter supply.

Learning Objectives:

• Articulate the communication barriers between Deaf patients and their hearing doctors.
• Understand the nature and variation of state ASL educational policy provisions.
• Utilize a policy scoring tool to measure relative strength of state policies.
• Explain possible links between these policies and interpreter supply.

Keywords: Deaf Patients, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.