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MDA has made a decision to teach some of its personnel sign language to permit communicating with deaf persons requiring assistance. The EMS organization is working with The Institute for the Advancement of Dead Persons in Israel along with Access Israel.

A workshop was help over the weekend for 30 paramedics and EMTs, who were given an introduction into the world of the deaf. They were taught the rules of communication with deaf and hard of hearing as well as learning the sign language as it is relevant to their field, questions and terminology that might arise during a medical emergency.

MDA points out that efforts to better communicate with the deaf and hearing impaired began in the 1990s with the use of fax machines and about 16 years later that system was changed to SMS text messaging and in recent years, email was added as a communications option.

MDA Chief of Operations Eli Bin commented, “I would like to thank The Institute for the Advancement of Dead Persons in Israel for cooperating towards providing new knowledge for EMTs and paramedics in MDA, assisting in their mission to save lives…”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)