Posted on by Phil de Haan

Advancing Access & Equity: Serving DeafBlind Patients in Medical Settings

An event that partnered Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services with the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired not only marked DeafBlind Awareness Month, it also benefited more than 30 workshop attendees and will benefit the people they come in contact with down the road.

“Advancing Access & Equity: Serving DeafBlind Patients in Medical Settings” was planned for physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, physical therapists and more and led by Jill Gaus, who worked for years as a licensed practical nurse before losing her vision and hearing as a result of Usher Syndrome.

She now has made it one of her missions in life to educate people about the ways to serve and accommodate those who have lost (or are losing) their hearing and vision.

The goal, Gaus said, was to educate medical providers on DeafBlindness and how to effectively and respectfully serve patients so that they have equitable access to health.

“I cannot even begin to say how important this training was,” Gaus said after the event. “So many medical staff just don’t know what DeafBlind is and the unique differences with each individual who is DeafBlind.”

She added that the simulations she provided attendees were a highlight for her and a novel experience for people used to having their sense of sight and hearing.

“While they were under a blindfold and had earplugs in, they had to do simple tasks with no communication,” she said.

Attendees also called the simulations a highlight of the day.

Nick VanderWall, a youth transition specialist for Disability Advocates of Kent County, teaches classes on pre employment skills and life skills as part of his work, but was thrilled to attend the Gaus-led event as a student and not a teacher.

“I am blind,” he said. “So I wanted to know how best to relate and serve the DeafBlind community.”

He loved the many ways in which the event helped him grow, he said.

“I thought all the interactive parts were a great way to really get an idea of what the DeafBlind community goes through on a daily basis,” he said. “It was surprising to learn that medical professionals still often don’t know how to act around people who are DeafBlind.”

Miriam Andrade Cuevas, who works as an inclusive communications manager for Corewell Health, agreed.

“There is so much to be done in regards to providing equitable access to services for our DeafBlind community members and education is the best channel to address this need,” she said. “I am dedicated to advancing my understanding and eager to learn as a health care representative, as are many of the Corewell Health team members who also attended the D&HHS event.”

Man in a red shirt practicing print on palm with a woman who is blindfolded
Attendees practiced print on palm during a simulation
Woman with with dark hair smiles as she practices haptics on the back of another woman with red hair wearing a blindfold.
Attendees also got to experience what it is like to use haptics

Like VanderWall, she said the simulations were a highlight of the event.

And, she added, “learning from DeafBlind community members and gaining insight into their personal experiences was very impactful.”

Going forward, she said, she expects to advocate and bring awareness to her fellow team members on the importance of leaning in, learning and understanding how to serve DeafBlind populations.

Such comments were gratifying to D&HHS community and partnerships manager Erica Chapin, who noted that DeafBlind individuals face many barriers while receiving medical services.

“By educating medical professionals on how to best serve the community, we hope to minimize these barriers,” she said.

That kind of feedback was common, Chapin noted.

“After the workshop we had multiple people come up and share that they gained so much from this training,” she said. “There were several asking if this will be offered again or if we could provide something specific to their agency. We do hope to provide this again, potentially on an annual basis.”

Audience at a Deafblind workshop

In addition to the workshop attendees, Chapin said another 30 people or so were part of the day, running resource booths, working as interpreters and coming in as community members to share their DeafBlind experiences.

Charis Austin, Client Advocate at the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, was excited about the turnout and participation during the conference. 
 
“Participants asked good questions,” she said. “People who have sensory loss are often misunderstood. This was a great opportunity to learn. ABVI Staff are looking forward to planning another workshop in the future.”  

D&HHS executive director Deb Atwood said simply that part of the organization’s mission is to educate.

“We strive to do this daily,” she said. “Every day, we see a lack of understanding on how to serve the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing. We learn from community members and their experiences that there is a lack of access and equity across services, especially for DeafBlind. From these situations, we know we must work with our partners to educate and improve services and opportunities. Education workshops like these are important for us to organize because they bring awareness to these situations, and without awareness and education, things will not improve.”

Atwood also noted that D&HHS serves 27 counties and knows that education is not only needed in Kent County.

“We strive to support and serve all of our Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing communities throughout West Michigan,” she said.

See Event Photos

Thank You Sponsors