Should deaf people be allowed to be EMT'S or Medics

[Alcomedicism]

I think there is a difference between deaf and hard of hearing. The two should never be confused.

Deaf means - one cannot hear sounds to any degree and thus must communicate by writing, or the use of sign language. But the deaf learn to make it in the world by relying on their other senses. Deaf people tend to have really good vision, and can pick up on visual cues very quickly.

Heard of hearing - means you cannot hear sounds below a certain decibel, or can only hear a certain percentage out of either ear.

Heres my story-

I was born in November of 1983, a bright red-headed girl that appeared normal in every respect. Until I turned a year old - I was not walking, and certainly not talking. they had me tested for various learning disabilities, they even did brain scans to see if there was something functionally wrong with me. Everything came back positive until one nurse looked at the charts and promptly scheduled a hearing test with a tuning fork when I was almost 2 years of age. I reacted properly on my right ear, on my left ear, I had little reaction. They then scheduled for a thorough hearing test at an audiologist. I could hear very well out of my right ear but my left ear was shot. They concluded that it might have been due to a bad ear infection causing damage to the ear drum, thus, I lost 80% of my hearing in my left ear. I was not properly diagnosed with hearing loss until was I 3 years of age. I was then placed in a therapy program to help me catch up developmentally, with daily therapy, I picked up quickly, and reading at that time became a hobby as well as art. During this time, I learned sign language as they were afraid I might lose all hearing at some point, and I also learned to read lips so that I may communicate effectively with those who did not know sign language.

when I turned 5 I was enrolled in a public school and I did very well during my kindergarten year, and later became a star pupil at my school, and later participating in athletics, and for 2 years, band.

I get my hearing retested every year, at the last test, I was hearing less than 10% out of my left ear and was hearing nearly 85% out of my right ear. My body has adjusted as needed over the years, and I feel confident in my abilities to auscultate, and listen on-scene. I passed my EMT class with an 89% overall. My NR scores were 85%.

I can talk over the radio and communicate over the telephone effectively. As Devin stated, background noise occassionally becomes a hindrance, but I have found ways to lessen the background noise so that I may listen accurately.

I also participate in hunting retrievers, and so far havent met a "deaf" or hard of hearing handler.

As for dangers on-scene, you learn to be VERY aware of your surroundings, mostly looking, smelling, and sometimes you can use vibrations to tell when something bad is about to happen and to know to move. Never would I ever turn my back to a burning building nor would I ever get close enough to put myself, my partner, or my patient in that kind of danger.

Alot of it is this - people who find out someone is deaf also automactically assumes that they are also dumb, thats not always the case unless there was a serious birth-defect or they were involved in a serious accident causing brain damage and hearing loss.

the best way you can handle this is to talk to someone that is deaf, you will soon discover that they may be a math whiz, or they are very good at designing things, or building things, sometimes they are also very good writers. I dont mean to be rude - but you need to have more open minds about what can and cannot be accomplished.

As for someone who absolutely cannot hear whatsoever and cannot function in EMS then no, I wouldnt want them to be on-scene as that could become disastrous.

-Alcomedicism

[medik8]

Alco....You are absolutely right..there IS a difference...and I wish to apologize for the way in which MY post was worded if it offended you in any way. (I'm only speaking for myself here). I think it's important that you pointed this out. I always did say...that if I lost my foot (or similar appendage) in an accident tomorrow...that I would cry, grieve, go to therapy and get back on the damn truck. Nothing would stop me. I guess the situations are not much different. It would still be a handicap if I didn't have a foot, but that doesn't mean I couldn't do the job. I have to applaud your persistence and initiative to achieve your goals/dreams. A lot of people wouldn't try. Please know that our responses are not personal. But, that said...this is the reason for these opportunities for people to talk. So that we can all learn from one another. I won't lie and say I have absolutely no problem with it. It may not be a desirable situation, however, there are obviously those of you who have learned how to make it work, and for that I respect you. Maybe you've changed my mind a little. Completely deaf....no...I still have to stick to my initial thoughts. But hearing loss.....meh.....lots of firefighters, etc. have hearing loss. I can see how the job may still be done and done to the best of your ability.

Thanks for your story. :wink:

8

[Medic2588]

This might come as a shock to some people, but EMS does involve a little more than lung sounds and hearing BPs. If the deaf person can perform the other aspects of the job, then I wouldn't care if he or she was working on me. I know plenty of people who have no problem seeing, no problem hearing, no problem with any other physical aspect of the job but are beyond inept and still allowed to perform the job. I guess it all comes down to the individual for me.

Devin

[Nate]

To me, it is a safety thing.

[DontFearTheReaper]

This might come as a shock to some people, but EMS does involve a little more than lung sounds and hearing BPs. If the deaf person can perform the other aspects of the job, then I wouldn't care if he or she was working on me. I know plenty of people who have no problem seeing, no problem hearing, no problem with any other physical aspect of the job but are beyond inept and still allowed to perform the job. I guess it all comes down to the individual for me.

Devin

=D> So glad to see some one else that realizes EMS involves more than just sticking a stethoscope in your ears. Lung sounds and B/P are very important but there is so much more that can be done with out the use of your ears. I was taught back in 1989 that one of the most important parts of a survey was to touch. Don't be afraid to touch your pt.

Like Alco said when some one loses one sense they strengthen the others. They know how to monitor their surroundings without hearing, they can sense vibrations better than those of us that can hear.

When this thread first started I was pretty pissed off at some of the wise cracks being made about the hearing impaired. I have a family member (uncle by marriage) that is deaf and mute. No he is not impaired in any other aspect. He was held under the faucet in the bath tub with the hot water only when he was very young, it scared his eardrums to the point he was deaf. He was to young to be talking so he never actually spoke. He can feel the vibration of a car's exhaust before I can hear it. And unless he is in very familiar territory he is always looking around to catch what is happening around him.

I myself would not have any trouble at all working with the hearing impaired. I would welcome the challenge.

[Roostmonkey]

A deaf medic is a danger to the pt. and should never be allowed. Would you hire a blind race car driver?

[DontFearTheReaper]

A deaf medic is a danger to the pt. and should never be allowed. Would you hire a blind race car driver?

YES as a matter of fact I would.

I believe it was the discovery channel has a show on last week that had a police officer from England that was in pursuit of a kid in a stolen car. The cop was hit head on and he lost his eye sight, but he did not lose the vision of being a race car driver. There was a racing company that worked with him and designed a car for the quarter mile drag. The car was rigged with sensors that attached to his head to direct him, sensors to the shift knob to tell him when to shift and also sensors to tell him when to brake. He managed to go 133 mph in the quarter. I do believe that is pretty damn good for a blind man in a race car....

Every one yells show me prove-- I would like to see the prove that a deaf person is such a danger to the field of EMS or to the pt. Come on, I am from the SHOW ME STATE.....

[thbarnes]

As far as I am aware of deaf culture, many want little to do with the 'hearing' and will probably stear clear from the Paramedic profession. It is also proven that the deaf also have difficulty reading and writing, which are auditory tasks, which may inhibit documentation skills.

[Dustdevil]

I thank God there is no ACLU in Canada.

A candidate must be able to speak, hear, and observe patients in order to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity, posture, and perceive non verbal communications. A candidate must be able to communicate well with patients. Communication includes speaking, reading, writing, and must be effective in settings in which time for communications is short.

and...

Paramedical education should be accessible to academically qualified students with disabilities who are able to meet these technical standards with appropriate accommodations. Realistic technological and environmental compensations should be taken into account. Ultimately, however, a paramedical student must be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. There is a point at which the use of a third party assistance would compromise the integrity of a paramedical education program

[vs-eh?]

I still stick by my post 100%

I am surprised no one has brought this up? Don't your services require some sort of baseline eye/ear/pulmonary testing done by an independent service to get a baseline on "adequacy" and for insurance purposes? I did.

I would find it hard to believe that a person who is only hearing 10% out of one ear and 85% out of another would get by standards. I would think some red flags would come up, no matter how you got by in school. This isn't personal Alco, but you said it. Are you considered legally deaf?

I am blind without my glasses. I would not be able to read threads on this site from more than a foot away from the screen without my glasses/contacts. This problem is easily correctable and does not interfere with core aspects of paramedic practice. Unless of course you catch me on a day in the field when I was wearing my glasses and they got knocked off. PS - I only wear my contacts on the job. Yes, I'm vain.

There are hundreds of thousands of those in EMS who wear glasses/contacts. How many do you know who wear hearing aids? Hmmmmm....

It also appears that some people are equating "deaf" with "deaf and dumb". Having a disability does not = lack of intelligence. Stephen Hawking anyone? It does however prevent you from from holding certain jobs in life. It is nothing personal, it is just the job.

The issue with EMS and assessment is not all about auscultation of lungs and taking BP's. No, it isn't. It IS however a CORE part of your job. If you have a condition that prevents you from doing this properly/adequately/accurately compared to equally tested persons without this condition, it tends to be a problem. Sorry...

And again, your partner can do it. You must REALLY REALLY REALLY trust your partner on ALL assessments which you may be adequately able to do. Just as the doctor example, as Rid said it is the PA actually, not the doc, that is assessing you. That is quite a bit of trust when you may not have a second opinion...

This will seem like a silly example but hear me out (relating to the height issue which is pretty equivalent)...

Would you work with a 4'5'' paramedic who managed to get through school? They are a genius, they can do every other aspect of paramedic care, flawless assessments...except lift. For whatever reason they got through and were able to be hired. They can't practically lift patients, for obvious reasons, regardless of strength. I wouldn't work with them...

Again...Unless you work in a system that affords you to have multiple (read: 3+) people on the scene/ambulance with equal or greater medical education than that person with a disability that impedes their ability to adequately do their job should not be there (hardcore sentence). This system also allows multiple people in the back with that same person.

A midget can be a genius paramedic and can do everything but lift. Are they going to be hired? Nope.