During the varsity game, the deaf kid for whom I interpret got knocked down by someone from the other team. He was down for a little while and so the coach and I started to run out onto the field. (Once again, on the outside, I was projecting a cool and in-control persona, but on the inside I was like, "Yikes! I'm running onto the field!") I had thought that once we came up to the deaf kid we would see blood pouring out of his nose or something, but he looked okay, and he actually got up before the coach and I reached him. But, since we had run out, according to the rules, this student had to leave the game (he went right back in after he reached the sideline). Apparently someone's elbow connected with his jaw when they were going after a ball and it knocked him down.
But this whole experience, coupled with the earlier experience of the ambulance carting some other kid off, actually made me wonder: what happens if that WAS the deaf student? Am I supposed to go with him in the ambulance? What about when we reach the hospital? I'm not trained in medical interpreting. What if I signed something wrong? Would I be liable? But seriously, I'm not going to NOT go with some deaf kid if they're injured. I asked our lead interpreter and she said that she would check into it, but as of right now, I don't think that our district has a policy outlining our (interpreter) role in that situation.
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3 comments:
Yikes! I never considered those kinds of issues. I suppose you wouldn't even fall under the "good Samaritan" rules because it's not like you just happened to ramble onto the scene.
I look forward to the sequel of this post.
Hmm...you could perhaps be held liable; I don't know the law there. But I would think that where you are, there would be interpreters available at the hospitals. And you could perhaps fingerspell a little? The kid probably wouldn't know many of the medical terms anyway, even if you knew the actual signs. And if the child is a minor, they would not have permission to do any medical procedures without parental/guardian consent, except for life-saving procedures.
Did you get an answer back from the powers that be regarding this issue?
Of course I haven't received an answer yet. I'm not even sure whom the lead interpreter would be contacting about this. Although, we could probably find out pretty quickly from our union.
Where I am, there would not be staff interpreters at the hospital. They would have to call an agency and the agency would have to send someone down to the hospital. And I'm pretty sure the hospital personnel would balk at the idea of calling someone else in to interpret when an interpreter is standing before them. I know a few CODAs who have had to either interpret for their parents or INSIST that the hospital call an agency. I mean, can you imagine having to interpret major medical information to your own parent? Shouldn't you just be allowed to be the concerned child of your ailing deaf parent?
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