Hesperian Health Guides
Appendix B: Sign language for health
In most communities around the world, deaf people have created their own sign language. They use signs to communicate as well and nearly as fast as hearing people do. The signs shown here are from several countries. The sign for the same word can be different in different places. Use these signs as a guide. If you are a health worker, family member, or caregiver, ask the deaf women in your community to teach you the signs they use, how you should change and adapt these signs, and to teach you other signs. Sign language can help you make sure deaf women in your community get good health care.
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SIGNS HEALTH WORKERS NEED TO KNOW
Here are examples of some signs a health worker needs to know to provide good health services for deaf women. Sometimes signs are based on gestures, and sometimes by finger-spelling letters of the alphabet.
| Pain | |
from Great Britain |
from China |
Signs that point at the body
Body parts can be pointed at to show where
a pain is. For example, to show a pain in the
belly, make the sign for pain and then point
to the belly.
Signs that use gestures
Here are examples of other signs to use in a health setting. These signs mostly use gestures:
| AIDS | Infection | Medicine | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| from Kenya | from China | from Vietnam | from Great Britain | from the US | from Kenya |
| Family Planning |
Sex | ||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| from Vietnam | from Kenya | from Vietnam | from Kenya | ||
| Vagina | Condom | ||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| from Vietnam | from Kenya | from Vietnam | from Kenya | ||
| Monthy bleeding (menstruation) |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
| from Vietnam | from Great Britain | from Kenya | |||
Signs that use finger spelling
Many words can be understood by using finger spelling. For instance:
| STI | Condom | |
S
T
I |
C
O
N
D
O
M |
|
| from the US | from the US | |
| Condom | ||
 |
 |
|
| from China | from Vietnam | |
| HIV | ||
 |
 |
 |
| from China | from Vietnam | in Arabic Sign Language |
Other useful words to learn signs for
Here are suggestions for other words it would be good for a health worker to learn in a local sign language:
| abortion | chills | no feeling (numb) | passing urine |
| abuse | clean/wash | fever | pelvis |
| anus | cramps | growth (on skin or inside body |
penis |
| birth | cuts/sores/tears | pregnant | |
| blood/bleeding | depression | itchy | rape |
| blurred vision | diarrhea | labor | sleeping problems |
| breast | discharge | lump | sweating |
| breastfeeding | dizzy | medicines | swollen |
| breathing | drugs | miscarriage | tenderness |
| problems | dry | mucus | vomiting |
| burning | exams (examinations) |
nausea (feeling sick) |
weak |
| changes in color | womb | ||
| contractions | exercise | nervous | |
| cough | faint | passing stool |
Signs for numbers
Numbers can be used to say how long the person has had a problem (how many times, how many days, weeks, or months). Numbers from 1 to 5 can also be used to say how bad a pain is, with 1 as the smallest amount of pain, and 5 as the largest.
Sign alphabet
