Read: Deaf couple angry with hospital over lack of interpreter during birth of son

The Guardian has published an article today detailing how a deaf couple were denied interpreting support during the birth of their son in London.

Extract:

A deaf couple have criticised a hospital for failing to provide them with a sign language interpreter during the traumatic birth of their son, which they say left them uninformed and added to the ordeal.

Hulusi Bati, 32, and Nadia Hassan, 28, claim the lack of communication, both during the birth and Hassan’s 10-day stay at University College hospital, London, post-birth, amounted to discrimination, as they were not given the information that a hearing patient would have received. The British Deaf Association (BDA) said the case reflects the experience of many deaf people within the NHS, two out of three of whom have asked for an interpreter at a hospital appointment and not got one, according to a 2012 survey.

Read the full article here: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/19/deaf-couple-lack-interpreter-birth-university-college-hospital-london

Our Editor, Charlie Swinbourne, has also written a comment piece about the risks of deaf people receiving hospital treatment without an interpreter. You can read it here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/20/deaf-person-hospital-interpreter-nhs-equality