Deaf women Aloud Initiated held a one-day consultative meeting yesterday Friday with health practitioners that involve Doctors, Midwives, Nurses, and other Organizations including DPOs and Deaf community on a project titled “increasing access to health services and information for Deaf women and girls”. The meeting was supported by VOICE.
The Executive Director, Hellen Beyioku-Alase explained that the meeting was to brainstorm, develop and draft the SRH related sign-language glossary format for health consultant to gather information, idea, data that will aid her work toward ensuring access to health services and information for Deaf women and girls in Nigeria.
“It is a fact that deaf people are unlikely to access available information like others in the society. The health care providers can not understand deaf people, they are often underestimating the difficulties of speech reading, and overestimating the deaf ability to understand written notes.”
“The cost of hiring sign language interpreters by deaf women to access SRH services in health facilities has limited the chances and ability of deaf women to access information and services on SRH as such it has increased maternal mortality among deaf women and their families in the FCT. This communication gap has led to so many deaf women staying away from the hospital and those who visit health facilities usually feel neglect due to the attitude of healthcare providers towards them.”
“The glossary when produced will serve as a guide to minimize communication barriers between the Health workers and Deaf community who visit their hospitals for treatments.” Hellen said
“Infact, Government need to ensure sign language inclusion in healthcare noting that NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US.”
She concluded by advising the health practitioners to make use of the rare opportunity to contribute to the development of sign language glossary.
Dr. Ijeoma Nnodim
Dr. Ijeoma Nnodim, the first Deaf paediatric doctor in Nigeria was one of the facilitators at the meeting. When asked about her opinion told INN that the development of a sign language glossary is a good development that will bridge the gap between health workers and deaf women.
She added “this will make health care in general and sexual and reproductive health in particular, more accessible for deaf women.”
She urges policy makers and organizations to support and emulate this laudable project by DWAI.
The meeting prove to be a huge success as more than 20 doctors, nurses and midwives from FCT Health and Human services selected from 6 area councils for the first time make a strong case for sign- language inclusion and indicate interest to develop sign language glossary.