New portal brings accessible health information to deaf people

Deaf people often face barriers in the healthcare system. On Tuesday, the equalizent counselling centre presented besserleben.wien, a new health portal for deaf people, ORF reported.

The portal brings together information on accessible healthcare services, along with prevention information and learning materials in Austrian Sign Language and plain language.

Deaf people often rely on interpreters in everyday life, which can create difficulties during medical emergencies. While hearing people can go directly to an emergency department and communicate with staff, this is not always possible for deaf people, said Thorben Pachler of equalizent. Communication barriers can lead to uncertainty and misunderstandings, and some people avoid urgently needed medical appointments as a result.

Communication through an interpreter can also make accessing mental health services more difficult. Deaf people may have to discuss intimate matters in therapy through a third person to be understood by a hearing psychologist. This requires a high level of trust and can make it harder to describe their personal circumstances, said developmental psychologist Paulina Spelbrink, who is deaf herself. Direct communication with a therapist proficient in Austrian Sign Language can make the situation easier, she said.

The portal aims to make information about accessible health services easier to find. There are also cases where the necessary services are simply unavailable. Psychologist Marie Burgstaller said she had to refer the family of a deaf child who needed testing for ADHD and autism to a service in Linz because Vienna did not offer the required accessible options.