See this also: http://www.ada.gov/hospcombr.htm from the ADA, it's the law.

Communicating with your physician or any healthcare provider is always vital, and sometimes also a matter of life and death. Could there be a better reason for full verbatim real time text (CART) for those who require it? Even if it’s a “routine” check-up, one “usual” follow-up visit, a first meeting with a new provider, a conference to help care for a loved one, an emergency room visit, or a health education video handed to you for cancer treatment, CART or captions will serve thousands if not millions. Why? 37 million is the current estimate of people with deafness or hearing loss in the USA alone. Not all need CART. Some use hearing aids or other listening devices for full speech comprehension. (Keep in mind many hearing aids wind up in drawers, never to be seen again, because hearing aids do not cure hearing loss, and are uncomfortable for many; the result is that some deny any hearing loss and learn to “bluff” extremely well). CART is a universally appropriate language (in whatever language you use) for all who can read. It is used by people who are deaf also (though some prefer sign language). CART provides an easy record (transcript) of what is said for best health and for proper treatments. While talking with your provider, while you or the nation is paying for the best healthcare one hopes to find, it’s essential not to miss a word.

The CCAC website has a number of videos on the “Articles and Resources” page to illustrate what CART is, www.ccacapioning.org. If you believe the cost of CART or captioning is too much, consider what the patient deserves, and consider doing no harm.

The ADA law applies to communication access, just as it applies to wheelchair access. There are ways to budget for CART (on site or remote delivery of full verbatim text), and for a 30 minute consultation, or even more, the cost is fully manageable. There is a “learning curve” to this. Afterwards, for an estimated five percent of the population who requires this for inclusion, you will both benefit from the quality of care delivered.

What about Captioning? So many Health Education Videos online do not have quality captioning. Does your health agency use video information online? Is it captioned? If not, come talk to the CCAC, we want to make this happen in 2011. Many good volunteers, many excellent professional captioners want to assist. 

Here is a document of interest from MA -  effective_communication_access_requirements.pdf (application/pdf) 85K

Below is a partial list of Hospitals and Medical Offices that offer CART:Short listing here, too short: what about your health center? Is CART available on request? Health videos online captioned? Tell us about it so we can add it here.

==

Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA

New York University Hospital (?)

(List to be updated as readers send in information)

Prepared for the CCAC by:

Lauren E. Storck, Ph.D. 

Advocate, Consultant, Speaker

drlestorck@gmail.com

(Founder of the CCAC)