Deaf Strong Hospital

Deaf Strong Hospital (DSH) (1), is an unique and visually entertaining role-reversal exercise for first-year medical students (2), is conducted annually in September. In this role-playing exercise, the medical students become "patients" who seek medical attention from "doctors," who are members of the local Deaf Community. Overcoming and understanding communication challenges are the main objectives of this exercise. Additionally, the medical students learn that culturally Deaf people do not view themselves as "disabled."

The students will be given a list of symptoms of various illnesses (fever, headache, various pains) and are instructed to go to the "Deaf Strong Hospital" that would be set up in the medical school, to receive care for their fictitious illnesses. Students will interact with Deaf volunteers who have been trained to act as physicians and other healthcare providers (pharmacists, dentists, etc.). The students will attempt to exchange scripted healthcare information with the volunteers without resorting to spoken English. They may use gestures, writing, sign language, or request an interpreter, if available. To view pictures of DSH, click here.

(1) Strong Memorial Hospital is a 739-bed hospital in the University of Rochester Medical Center.
(2) The students are first-year medical students at the University of Rochester's School of Medicine & Dentistry (SMD). There are approximately 105 students entering medical school every year at SMD.

DSH History

Deaf Strong Hospital was first created by a group of medical students in September 1998. These students were a part of an organization called "PAH-MD" (Promoting Awareness in Healthcare, Medical and Deaf), which views Deaf people as members of a linguistic minority, not as patients needing medical intervention to restore hearing. By pooling resources with the Deaf Wellness Center, DSH was conducted yearly from 1998 to 2002. In 2006, the Education & Training Committee of NCDHR reactivated DSH and facilitated the 8th DSH on September 5, 2008.

Volunteering for DSH

If you are interested in volunteering for DSH, please send an email to Danica Rice at NCDHR , or call her at: 866-901-0727 (Videophone).