Hospitals are changing accommodation protocols which may impact your care. More information: NAD.org/Coronavirus.
Original video credit: Deaf Health Communication and Quality of Life Center and Gallaudet University. #CoronavirusInASL

[TRANSCRIPT & DESC: A freeze frame of the signer signing Coronavirus in black and white. White bold text “COVID-19” and light white text “change in medical communication access” floats in.

SIGNER: Because of the pandemic, hospitals are changing and will be different now. If you need to go to the hospital, you need to be prepared. This guide is to help you be prepared for your hospital visit. Before the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals have good services that help you communicate clearly and ask you what services you need. This might include in-person sign language interpreters or Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). Now, during the coronavirus pandemic, most hospitals are very busy seeing a large number of patients and often cannot provide the same services like before. There are new rules now. Many hospitals will not allow in-person interpreters. Family members or visitors cannot go in with you. You may be alone for a long time when you are in the hospital. Most doctors and nurses now wear masks and gloves and may talk to you from behind a window or curtain, so it may be harder to communicate.

Clip ends with a white background with Deaf Health Communication and Quality of Life Center and NAD’s logos with a copyright in black text “2020 All Rights Reserved”]