An overwhelming majority of the parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing are not fluent in American Sign Language, reflecting a communication disconnect that could be critical in a medical emergency. Now, a publication created by Allyson Hayes, who recently completed her bachelor's degree in nursing at UD, is available to help these children tell their caregivers how they're feeling.
Hayes completed her community clinical rotation at the Delaware School for the Deaf in Newark this past spring. Working in the office of school nurse Terri Boothe, she recognized a need to inform parents about signs their children might use in answering questions about their symptoms when they don't feel well.
Hayes wrote some explanatory text and collected images of signs for nine symptoms, including cough, itchy, temperature, nausea and dizzy, as well as seven terms connected with hospitals, such as nurse, doctor, emergency, medicine and allergy.
The resulting brochure, "Important Signs for You and Your Child," was sent home to parents of children attending the school, but it also caught the attention of a school administrator, and plans have since been made for it to be used by Delaware's Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf Blind Services.