A sign of the times: Developing an American Sign Language health information website for the Deaf community

The special communication and cultural needs of Deaf Americans are often unrecognized, dismissed, and/or ignored by the mainstream hearing population. The subpopulation of Deaf people who communicate in American Sign Language (ASL) and self-identify as sharing a sociolinguistic cultural connection, as opposed to a medical problem or disability, often refer to themselves as Deaf with a capital “D”. ASL, a formal, visual-manual language that has its own grammar and syntax and is not a word-for-word gestured substitution for English, requires face-to-face contact to provide full comprehension; it does not have a printed component. English is not a Deaf person's native language and it is estimated that the average reading level for an American Deaf adult is significantly lower than the readability level of most materials on health care and disease prevention. Additionally, having a significant hearing loss limits one's accessibility to the health promotion information that is shared on radio and television. These written and verbal linguistic barriers negatively impact a Deaf person's ability to accumulate health knowledge, navigate the health care system and, therefore, lead healthy lifestyles.

This presentation will describe the steps towards developing a culturally and linguistically sensitive health information website that incorporates four ASL videos on HIV/AIDS, STDs, breast health and diabetes and three ASL interactive screenings for depression, anxiety and risk of heart attack. Participants also will learn how to incorporate the website or free DVDs of the videos into their clinical practice.