2026 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Experiences in Healthcare Summit: Agenda
Welcome Session
A1: Bridging Gaps: Transforming Mental & Behavioral Health for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community
Despite a growing awareness of mental health needs, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) community continues to face significant systemic barriers to equitable care. From a shortage of culturally and linguistically competent providers to the nuances of diagnostic overshadowing, the path to wellness is often obstructed by structural gaps. This interactive panel features a moderated, three-way conversation between experts and advocates dedicated to rethinking the behavioral health landscape. Moving beyond just identifying problems, the panel will explore successful models of care and the intersectional challenges of the D/HH experience. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how to bridge the gap between current service limitations and a future of inclusive, accessible, and high-quality mental health support.
Participants will be able to:
- Identify at least three primary gaps in the current mental and behavioral health infrastructure that disproportionately affect the D/HH community.
- Describe the essential components of "linguistic affirmative care" and how it differs from standard interpreted sessions.
- Outline two specific strategies or policy shifts that can be implemented within clinical or community settings to improve health outcomes.
- Discuss the role of specialized tele-health, peer support networks, and community advocacy in expanding access to care in underserved regions.
B1: Bridging the Distance: Strategic Healthcare Support for Rural Interpreting Equity
For Deaf patients in rural areas, geographic isolation often leads to linguistic isolation. When on-site American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters are unavailable and local professional networks are non-existent, healthcare providers must rely on a “digital bridge” to ensure equitable care. However, simply having a Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) contract is not enough; infrastructure failures and poor clinical integration can turn a vital tool into a barrier.
This session moves beyond the “ideal” of in-person staffing to provide a high-level strategic roadmap for Deaf healthcare equity in resource-strained environments. We will focus on optimizing VRI technology for low-bandwidth areas, training clinical staff to be visual-communication advocates, and establishing rigorous protocols that eliminate dangerous “ad hoc” communication habits like lip-reading or written notes.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Assess the technical and environmental requirements—such as bandwidth stability and specialized VRI hardware—necessary to ensure seamless, jitter-free visual communication for Deaf patients in rural clinics.
- Develop a tiered approach for sourcing ASL interpreters, balancing the immediate availability of VRI with the strategic scheduling of on-site certified interpreters for complex or sensitive medical encounters.
- Identify and eliminate the use of ineffective communication methods (such as lip-reading or family members) by implementing policies that align with ADA mandates for effective communication in healthcare.
B2: Interpreter Triage Scales: Calculating Encounter Acuity to Optimize Interpreter Staffing
As healthcare systems increasingly rely on technology to bridge communication gaps, the challenge remains: how do we ensure that “efficiency” does not come at the cost of “access”? This session examines the evolution of interpreter triage scales and the critical variables that must be considered when determining the appropriate modality for language services. We will move beyond a purely logistical view of interpreting to explore the nuanced needs of various patient populations, including those where technology-first solutions like Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) may not meet the needs of patients and/or companions. Participants will gain insights into how to build triage frameworks that account for complex dynamics and prevent systemic assumptions from creating barriers to care. By shifting the conversation from simple staffing logistics to a human rights and health equity framework, this session provides a roadmap for delivering high-quality, inclusive care in a tech-driven landscape.
Participants will be able to:
- Recognize when "tech-ready" solutions fail to meet "patient-ready" developmental or linguistic needs.
- Evaluate how assumptions regarding a patient’s support system or family dynamics can inadvertently lead to the exclusion of necessary communication services.
- Analyze complex communication scenarios involving multiple parties (patients, caregivers, and providers) to determine the most effective staffing and modality configurations.
- Define the key components of an acuity-based triage scale that balances organizational resources with clinical safety and patient rights.
Lunch/Virtual Exhibit Hall
C1: The Power of Two: Why Tandem Interpreting is the Standard of Care
Is “tandem” just another word for “teaming,” or are we missing a vital distinction in how we serve our Deaf, DeafBlind and hard of hearing patients and companions? We’re moving past the textbook definitions to discuss why Tandem Interpreting—the specific, symbiotic partnership between a Deaf and a hearing interpreter—is a distinct framework from standard team interpreting. We’ll explore real-world scenarios, from the high stakes of a labor and delivery room to the nuances of medical records and staff turnover. If you’ve ever seen a “team” struggle with bias or communication breakdowns, this session will help you understand who truly benefits from a tandem approach and how to frame it for clinicians and administrators, as well as interpreting agencies.
Participants will be able to:
- Articulate the fundamental differences between "Team Interpreting" and "Tandem Interpreting.”
- Recognize a minimum of three specific medical scenarios where a tandem approach is necessary for equitable access.
- Identify a minimum of three ways that the tandem model leads to better clinical records and patient outcomes.
C2: Beyond Access: Social Work Partnerships to Maximize the Patient Support System
This session explores how social workers serve as the glue between internal hospital stakeholders and external community partners to redefine the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) patient experience. Shifting from a “check-the-box” language access model to a holistic, community-based perspective, we will examine how to build high-impact partnerships that prioritize patient dignity and clinical outcomes. Attendees will learn to navigate the intersection of professional ethics and systemic advocacy, ensuring a seamless transition from acute hospital care to comprehensive community support.
Participants will be able to:
- Identify strategies to bridge the gap between internal hospital stakeholders and external community providers to ensure a seamless, non-siloed care continuum.
- Identify and address barriers beyond basic language access—such as cultural nuances and health literacy—to deliver an optimal, dignity-driven healthcare experience.
- Apply social work ethics to advocate for systemic changes that align discharge planning with long-term community navigation and DHH cultural perspectives.
D1: Signs of Safety: A Deaf-Accessible Therapy Toolkit for Trauma and Addiction
Deaf sign language users in the United States experience nearly triple the rate of lifetime problem drinking and twice the rate of trauma exposure compared to the general population. Although there are several treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in hearing populations, none have been developed for or tested with Deaf clients. Behavioral health treatments available for hearing individuals often fail to meet Deaf clients’ unique cultural and language access needs.
Leveraging extensive community engagement to address these barriers, our team of Deaf and hearing researchers, clinicians, filmmakers, actors, artists, and Deaf people with AUD/PTSD developed and pilot tested Signs of Safety, a Deaf-accessible toolkit to be used with the Seeking Safety cognitive-behavioral treatment protocol. During this 75-minute presentation, we will describe our intervention development process, show examples from the Signs of Safety toolkit, and share concrete ways that audience members can learn more about the Signs of Safety treatment approach and/or become involved in ongoing clinical research.
Participants will be able to:
- Understand the distinction between the Seeking Safety therapy approach and the Signs of Safety Deaf-accessible therapy toolkit.
- Identify the basic structure of a Seeking Safety therapy session and how to use the Signs of Safety toolkit within this format.
- Know where and how to access resources about Seeking Safety and Signs of Safety, including opportunities to support ongoing clinical trials research.
D2: Influence, Impact, Access: Speaking the Language of Healthcare Leaders
This webinar explores how language access advocates can move beyond a compliance-only mindset and create meaningful, sustainable change within healthcare organizations. While regulations and mandates remain important, true influence comes from understanding and aligning with what healthcare leaders value most.
Participants will learn how to frame language access as a strategic asset by speaking the language of healthcare leadership—patient safety, quality of care, risk mitigation, accreditation, employee and provider satisfaction, and readmission reduction. Through practical insights and real-world examples, this session will demonstrate how investing in relationships with key decision-makers and aligning language access initiatives with organizational priorities leads to greater impact, stronger buy-in, and improved outcomes for patients and providers alike.
Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to position language access not just as a requirement, but as a critical driver of excellence in healthcare delivery.
- Participants will list 5 specific healthcare metrics they can use to prove the financial value of language services to their boss.
- Attendees will draft a one-page strategy to move their department from "basic compliance" to a "strategic asset" using a provided scorecard template.
- Participants will identify at least 3 high-level leaders and list one specific goal for each that language access helps them achieve.
E1: Breaking the Silos: Building Multi-Disciplinary Alliances for Accessible Care
In the complex landscape of modern healthcare, the greatest barrier to patient equity is often the “silo”—the invisible walls between departments, specialties, and community organizations. When communication fails and data remains isolated, patients with accessibility needs are the first to fall through the cracks.
This session provides a roadmap for dismantling these barriers and fostering multi-disciplinary alliances. We will explore how clinicians, administrators, technologists, and community advocates can unite to create a seamless, accessible care continuum. Participants will move beyond the theory of collaboration to practical strategies for integrated care, leveraging shared data, inclusive technology, and cross-functional communication protocols. Join us to learn how to turn fragmented services into a unified force for patient-centered accessibility.
Participants will be able to:
- Identify common organizational silos that impede patient access and recognize their impact on health outcomes for marginalized populations.
- Design a framework for cross-departmental communication that ensures accessibility requirements are integrated at every touchpoint of the patient journey.
- Apply strategies for building "Alliances of Influence" that bridge the gap between clinical care, IT infrastructure, and administrative policy.
- Evaluate digital and physical infrastructure through a multi-disciplinary lens to ensure compliance with universal design principles.
Closing Remarks
Conference Registration
Registration for the 2026 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Experiences in Healthcare Summit is now open.