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The SHHH Californian - SPRING 2002 / Page 7

WHAT NEXT FOR ACCESSIBILITY TO KAISER PERMANENTE'S PROGRAMS?

What has been accomplished so far to make Kaiser Permanente HMO (KP) accessible to hard of hearing people? First KP has published a training manual, plainly stating that it is important to distinguish between deaf and hard of hearing people in order to make accommodation for their specific needs. This is an idea long put forth by SHHH.

The title of the KP training manual is, A Better Way to Communicate with the HARD of HEARING. You always see people with hearing loss referred to as 'Deaf' or 'Deaf/Hard of Hearing', but never 'hard of hearing only'. Since Deaf people and Hard of hearing people are two distinct populations, it is only appropriate that we hard of hearing people should have our very own training manual.

Secondly, the description and use of the Hospital Information Kit that SHHH members have worked on for so long is included in its entirety in this manual. This shows hospital personnel how to communicate with a hospitalized hard of hearing person.

What accessibility issue will KP work on next? I am hoping that the next issue KP will address is making their Health Education classes accessible. KP believes strongly in preventive medicine, educating their members through Health Education classes on every imaginable subject such as heart problems, nutrition education, living with a chronic condition, diabetes, Alzheimer's, bladder infections, etc. However, these classes are inaccessible to many KP members. Three hundred thousand (300,000) or five percent of KP's California members are hard of hearing and cannot understand these classes without assistive listening devices. Further, a series of classes is being given with focus on senior health issues. Again, this is an accessibility issue, since 30% of seniors cannot hear well enough to attend these classes.

Kaiser itself is now accessible to us. Gayle Tang, MSN, RN, Kaiser Permanente Co-Project Manager of making KP accessible to all, has agreed to attend the SHHH International Convention in Seattle in June. Here she will see what 1000 hard of hearing people look like and learn what technology can be used to make the KP Health Education classes accessible. She has also agreed to speak at our February 9, 2002, State Board Meeting in Oakland.

So KP, the largest HMO in California and in the United States, is beginning to become communications accessible. We are finally being listened to. Change won't happen overnight, but when these ideas are fully implemented, they will ripple throughout the medical community of the United States.

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