Workshop | Effective Communication: Working with the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Our deaf and hard of hearing populations are often left out of conversations, not given information, and miss opportunities because of a lack of language access. This is because most hearing people lack experience working with anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing. This leaves interactions filled with uncertainty, fear, and stress, which often leads to little or no communication. When deaf or hard of hearing people are avoided, ignored, or informed, they are being told they are not valued and are not being given the equity and inclusion they deserve. This workshop will give resources to create a game plan for welcoming, working with, including, and providing effective communication for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Having a proactive approach to effective communication removes barriers and nurtures an equitable and inclusive environment.

Timothy Vander Ploeg, MN, RN has been working with deaf and hard of hearing communities for almost a decade. Most recently, he was a school nurse at Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver, WA. Timothy has seen how language accessibility and a culture of inclusion can create a welcoming an collaborative working environment and how everyday situations can be made stressful and triggering when accessibility to language is not supplied. Timothy received his master’s in nursing with certificates in Nursing Education and Public Health from Washington State University in 2022 focusing on accessibility in the medical system with the use of patient portals like MyChart. He has been published and has presented on accessibility issues during Grand Rounds at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) and the National Association of School Nurses for the Deaf (NANSD).