Barriers in Emergency Situations

Audience:Emergency Services
Runtime:1 min.
Focus:Colin Phillips on communicating with EMS.

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Audience:Emergency Services
Runtime:1:27 mins
Focus:Steven Wells on communicating with EMS.

Many of us who have communication disabilities, experience the same barriers as people who have mobility, sensory and other disabilities. In addition, we may experience unique communication barriers due to a pre-existing speech and language disability or an acquired communication disability related to the medical emergency. These barriers may include responders:

Not understanding what we are communicating
Not knowing if we understand their questions
Not knowing if we can give consent to treatment
Not having the time to problem solve about how we communicate
Not giving us a way to communicate critical information in a fast and effective way
Not being able to call 911 or access EMS