Access to Effective Communication Aids and Services among American Sign Language Users across North Carolina: Disparities and Strategies to Address Them

ABSTRACT

Objective: To examine the extent to which communication aids and services used by American Sign Language (ASL) users and their healthcare providers aligns with preferences, satisfaction, and unmet needs; and to elicit from stakeholders strategies to address disparities.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of ASL users in North Carolina. Respondents completed an online survey presented in ASL and English (N = 189). McNemar’s tests were used to compare rates of preferred and actual methods of communication. Logistic regression models explored relationships of accessible communication with dissatisfaction and unmet need. Qualitative interviews explored satisfaction with communication and reflections on what works, what does not, and outcomes (N = 54).

Results: While 45% of respondents used a professional sign language interpreter, 65% of respondents preferred to do so. Accessible communication was associated with lower odds of dissatisfaction with communication (OR = .19, p < .05). Dissatisfaction with communication was associated with greater odds of unmet need for healthcare (OR = 8.95, p < .05). Interview respondents emphasized their preference for on-site interpreters, explaining how video remote interpreting was subject to technical difficulties while writing back-and-forth led to important gaps in understanding.

Conclusions: While ASL users prefer to use professional, on-site sign language interpreters to communicate with providers, most use some other form of communication instead. Findings emphasize the need for policy strategies to facilitate access to high quality, well-functioning professional interpreter services and to have those services delivered on-site to overcome disparities.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of Glen Silver, Human Service Planner and Evaluator of NCDSDHH.

Author contributions

Mark J. Myers, who wrote the first draft of the article, participated in study design, analyzed and interpreted the qualitative data. Izabela Annis was responsible for quantitative data management, analyses, and interpretation. Lee Williamson participated in study design, recruitment and implementation of forums, recruitment for the online survey, creation of the online survey instrument including embedded video clips and reviewed the manuscript for completeness. Jan Withers originated the idea, participated in study design, and reviewed the manuscript for completeness. Kathleen Thomas participated in study design, interpretation of the quantitative data, and manuscript preparation.

Preliminary findings were presented at the NC Institute of Medicine, May 2019.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.