[Synopsis of RNID speaker Mr Simon Robinsons lecture]

Access to healthcare is a key right for all people. RNID’s concern is that the NHS is not ensuring comprehensive access for all deaf people. The focus was on two main issues:

Why you need to ensure accessible healthcare and the simple but effective ways that NHS organisations meet the needs of deaf and hard of hearing people.

Key points where:

• Lack of comprehensive accessibility to many NHS organisations, even newly built hospitals. 9 million people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing, that’s 1 in 7 of the population.
• This has serious consequences for you and for the safety of your patients.
• If you are not meeting your obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act (see notes at bottom), you run the risk of litigation (including clinical negligence claims) and bad publicity.
• You need to do something about this now. However, although you should be concerned, you should not be scared. You can make a number of simple adjustments to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing people receive an equal service.

The presentation drew on RNID’s report: A Simple Cure (2004) which estimates that the healthcare services failing to meet the needs of deaf and hard of hearing people, has costs the NHS £20m every year.

This lecture focused on the new Disability Equality Duty. Where as the DDA can only be used after the (discrimination) event. The DED is pre-emptive and intends to tackle institutional discrimintion.

This was mainly focused on the specific needs of Deaf people and asks us as designers to look at the needs of deaf people. less in a simple “put a hearing loop in.” as the DDA asks to look at others needs beyond “put a ramp in!”.

A usefull amount of information can be found at the RNID site, and courses are available at: www.dotheduty.co.uk