Basic Sign Language for First Responders and the Public in Health Emergencies and Disasters

This course will provide participants with an overview of communication issues that have crucial effects on a deaf person’s access to health and emergency services. Participants will acquire knowledge, strategies and a basic set of sign language to achieve effectiveness in communicating with deaf people in selected contexts requiring emergency services. Furthermore, the course leads participants to carefully consider deaf people’s needs in disaster settings and possible actions to take to reduce the risks they face. This is the first local-based online sign language course in Hong Kong focusing on disaster risk reduction through improving the communication between first responders, the public and persons with hearing disabilities in health emergencies and disasters. All signs in the course are demonstrated by the deaf. Serving health professionals and paramedics are invited as the actors to ensure proper skill demonstration. Due to its innovativeness, the course was invited by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to be presented in the Ignite Stage section in Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2019 in Geneva.