People with disabilities have limited access to health care services compared to the general population (Gibson, 2010). Senghor et al. (2017) state that 90% of disabled people experience difficulties while receiving health services. While considering the barriers people with disabilities face when they attempt to access health care, the first thing that comes to mind is the physical conditions of buildings or roads. However, this is quite different for deaf people. They frequently do not have access to efficient or clear communication in the healthcare system. This problem is of vital importance in emergencies or natural disasters such as earthquake.
The rightful mother tongue of deaf people is sign language which is different from the spoken language of a country (Zeshan, 2008). For deaf people receiving health services, communication with health workers is important. Poor communication between deaf patients and health workers can lead to life-threating.complications such as misdiagnosis and improper or delayed medical treatment (Tiwary, 2018). Deaf people cannot meet their health needs due to the lack of health educational materials and training of health workers about effective communication with deaf patients (Pollard, 2009).
The rightful mother tongue of deaf people is sign language which is different from the spoken language of a country (Zeshan, 2008). For deaf people receiving health services, communication with health workers is important. Poor communication between deaf patients and health workers can lead to life-threating.complications such as misdiagnosis and improper or delayed medical treatment (Tiwary, 2018). Deaf people cannot meet their health needs due to the lack of health educational materials and training of health workers about effective communication with deaf patients (Pollard, 2009).
