Students in the Faculty of Medical Sciences are being taught Jamaican Sign Language so that they can communicate with Deaf patients. Given that proper communication is a tenet of medical and dental practice, the expected outcome of this initiative is medical and dental practitioners competent in Jamaican Sign Langage. This is an urgent need in society since medical and dental practitioners are usually unable to glean adequate information directly from Deaf patients and provide Deaf patients with information on their treatment. This UWI initiative will significantly improve the quality of health care received by Deaf patients.

Here, Nigel Byles, a third year Dentistry student participates in a simulation exercise with his Deaf tutor from the Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy, Rory McLean.