Information about staying healthy is easy to come by if you are hearing, but very little is made available in sign language for Deaf people. That’s part of the reason that Deaf people are generally not as healthy as hearing people.
Our Health Information pages will help you to get the help you need, provide information about major illnesses, and help you to do more to keep yourself healthy.
We also share the results of research which is of interest to Deaf people, including our detailed study of how the health of Deaf people compares to similar hearing people.
If you have an emergency now, contact the emergency services immediately. Deaf users can text 999 for help only if they have registered their phones in advance. Our Emergencies page has complete guide on how to do that. You should register now, so you can use 999-text if there is an emergency in the future.
Sick Of It – the Deaf Health Report
SignHealth spent five years and half a million pounds carrying out the first scientific study of the health of Deaf people, and how their health compares to similar hearing people. The money came from the Big Lottery. The report shows that in general Deaf people are not as healthy as they should be, and it reveals the reasons why. We’ve called the report “Sick Of It” and we hope that the changes it prescribes will give Deaf people better access to healthcare, and a healthier life.
Visiting the doctor can be a stressful experience if you are Deaf, but it is vital that communication barriers don’t stop you from going and interfere with your health.
Before visiting your doctor, be sure of what you want to ask and the help you want to get. Inform the GP surgery that you are Deaf and need an interpreter. It is the surgery’s responsibility to book an interpreter for you.
Information on common illnesses, and advice on how to keep yourself healthy, are hard to come by in sign language. SignHealth is working with experts on a wide range of conditions, to provide signed videos which give Deaf people the information which hearing people take for granted.
In March 2014 we published the world’s first large scientific study of the health of Deaf people. Read the shocking findings, along with our Prescriptions For Change, simple ideas which will make healthcare for Deaf people fairer – and save money too. Read about other important research relating to Deafness and Deaf people too.