Towards Medical Interpretation Service in Hirakata (for Deaf and Foreign People)

The first forum to discuss the problems of providing medical interpretation for deaf people and foreigners was held yesterday in Hirakata-shi, Osaka. Almost 200 people attended (to the joy and relief of organizers) in this first attempt to bring deaf people and foreigners together to discuss their experiences and needs in medical interpretation (indeed the room was so packed it was difficult to move around to take pictures). There was a keynote lecture, a discussion panel and comments from audience members (see below posters for speaker details). This is just the first of these forums. The goals of the organizing group are lofty: providing interpretation for deaf people and foreigners locally, especially at the new city hospital to open in 2013, and to provide a template for these kinds of services throughout Japan. To this end many volunteers and experts are joining together. Stay tuned to VAOJ for more information about future forums. (I will also update this post with more photos in the near future).

UPDATE: SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THE EVENT!
LINK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28133281@N00/sets/72157626905579528/