Visual cards with American Sign Language and clear pictures, so care can start right away while an interpreter is on the way.
Why we started
A deaf, pregnant woman was rushed into an emergency C-section, and no one in the room could tell her what was happening.Eddie Welsh saw it as a nursing student in 2007. He never forgot her face.
Interpreters can take time to arrive. In the meantime, patients are scared, staff can't ask basic questions, and care is delayed. DEAFECC gives everyone in the room a way to communicate from the very first minute.
How it works
Cards are grouped by what you need in the moment: the body, signs and symptoms, and treatment.
Each card shows common medical words and phrases next to pictures of the ASL signs. The patient points to answer.
Start the assessment and treatment right away, then hand off to a live interpreter when they arrive.
DEAFECC cards are a bridge, not a replacement. Always call for a qualified interpreter. The cards help everyone communicate until they get there.
The cards
The core set for hospitals and emergency rooms. Pocket-sized cards on a ring, or bound in a laminated booklet.
Made for ambulances, police cars, and first responders in the field.
A spiral-bound booklet for hospitals, mental health and behavioral health settings, where calm, clear communication is everything.
Tips for staff on getting a Deaf person's attention and communicating respectfully, plus the ASL alphabet.
Who uses DEAFECC
Created by a nurse, illustrated by an artist, and shaped by the Deaf community and the people who care for them.
Recognition
Buffalo, New York. Trained its staff on DEAFECC and shared it with its community.
Named by Deaf Access Services for helping close the communication gap.
Featured for building a practical tool to help Deaf patients be understood.
About us
Eddie Welsh, RN, BSN has been a nurse for more than 30 years. He chose every medical word and phrase on the cards. He also founded Project Cotton, a hospital clothing program that has given more than 50,000 pieces of clothing to patients in need, and wrote the memoir Her Force Unseen.
Laura Paynter Welsh is a professional illustrator. She illustrated every picture and sign on the cards so they are clear at a glance, even in a stressful moment.
Together they built DEAFECC so that no patient has to go through an emergency without understanding what is happening to them.
Contact
For orders, pricing, bulk sets for hospitals and departments, or questions, reach out to us directly.