Deaf MD: A Resource for Deaf People and For Hearing Interpreters

Like many bloggers, I’ve been too busy with my own life to post as much as I intended to when I first started this blog. I wanted this blog to be an interesting and informative resource for Sign Language Interpreting students and a place for me to connect with Deaf people whose blogs and vlogs I visit on a regular basis. 

But…well, you know how it is. Anyway, while I was looking up local Deaf events, hoping to find a Silent Movie event, I found a link to this really awesome website: DeafMD.org.

• Interpreters can use it to brush up on medical vocabulary if they are interested in ever entering the field of medical interpreting (which would be really neat for me to do since my husband is a doctor).
•  It is great for Deaf individuals who need better explanations about their health issues than what their doctors can provide. 
• It can also be used to search for Deaf friendly doctors in one’s area. (Unfortunately, my state is not on their. Perhaps, when my husband is finished with his residency program and is finally working on his own as a doctor, we can add his name to the list!)

Deaf-Friendly Cities Survey

Hmm, this is interesting. I just got an email about a research project: “Deaf-Friendly Cities in the U.S.” by Deaf411, Inc. Here is what they have to say about themselves and their project:

Deaf411, a marketing and public relations company, has launched an internet video website with an online survey. This survey is part of their research to compile a report of “Deaf-Friendly Cities in the U.S.” which will be made available to interested consumers free of charge.
 
This research will involve identifying criteria of what a deaf person living in any city needs in terms of accessibility and general services; compilation of services and resources needed in that city, identifying and listing cities with proven track records of providing such services; attitudinal considerations, and other factors involved in determining what constitutes an ideal city that is fully accessible.
 
Areas covered in this project will include employment, government, business, and community services and opportunities. In the video at Deaf411 online, Michel Swafford describes some factors that a consumer who is deaf or has a hearing loss face when they move to a new city. Findings of the online survey and correlating research will provide a powerful tool for professionals and businesses with clientele who are pre-dominantly deaf or have a hearing loss.
 
The project is expected to take six months. More information on the “Deaf-Friendly Cities in the U.S.” project, the online survey, and the upcoming report is now available at Deaf411 online. 

Personally, I think this seems like a worthwhile project. I’d be interested in knowing more about the Deaf scene in a new city to which I might  move.