Today, many hospitals are trying hard to enhance communication with deaf patients but this is not always possible even with ASL interpretation readily available onsite. Without medical professionals understanding patients and their needs, cultural misunderstandings can occur and frustrations can run high.
Stratus Video Interpreting www.stratusvideo.com realizing the need to help the deaf and the hard of hearing population, developed Remote Certified Deaf Interpretation (Remote CDI). The CDI technology helps the deaf and health professionals accurately communicate with each other.
Stratus is the only Video Remote Interpretation (VPI) provider to offer Remote CDI. The system works with Certified Deaf Interpreters acting as intermediaries between deaf individuals and ASL interpreters.
Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) is a certificate provided by the Registry of the Interpreters for the Deaf Inc. Anyone holding the certificate has passed both a knowledge and performance exam.
To begin the process, the deaf individual and the CDI converse, the CDI then interprets the message into ASL. At this point, the ASL interpreter voices the message to the provider in English, and vice versa ensuring effective and trustworthy communication.
“CDI and/or qualified Deaf Interpretation is a crucial, yet often overlooked communication tool for the deaf and hard of hearing population,” said Chris Wagner, President of the National Association for the Deaf.
Stratus Video’s innovative approach to improving communication has garnered its customer base of over 1,200 hospitals since the company’s 2011 launch. Remote CDI will be available starting March 15, 2016.