In this segment, you will be learning emergency signs. You may happen up on a situation where there has been an accident or someone has become very ill and the person involved is deaf. You may wonder, ¡§What could I do until medical help has arrived and a qualified sign language interpreter has been contacted?¡¨ 

You may want to ask the deaf person, ¡§Are you alright?¡¨ Let¡¦s start with that. You sign to that person ¡§are you¡¨ by pointing to them. The next sign is ¡§alright.¡¨ My left palm is extended upwards, my fingers are out. ¡§Alright.¡¨ I¡¦m hitting with the heel of my right hand. ¡§Are you alright?¡¨ 

You may want to ask the deaf person, ¡§Are you sick?¡¨ Again, point to that person, ¡§are you¡K¡¨ The sign for ¡§sick¡¨ is middle finger touching my forehead, middle finger touching my stomach. ¡§Are you sick?¡¨ 

You may want to ask them, ¡§Do you want me to call a doctor or the hospital? The sign for that is, ¡§Do you want¡K¡¨ you know this sign ¡§call¡¨ from ¡§telephone.¡¨ And then ¡§doctor.¡¨ Make a ¡§D¡¨ on your hand hitting at the pulse on your other hand. ¡§Doctor.¡¨ Or you may say, ¡§Do you want me to call the hospital?¡¨ ¡§Hospital¡¨ is an ¡§H¡¨ hand shape. 

You may ask them if they want you to call the police. Point, ¡§do you want¡K want me to call¡K¡¨ The sign for ¡§police¡¨ is a ¡§C¡¨ hand shape right here over the chest where the badge would be. Let¡¦s do that again. ¡§Do you want me to call the police?¡¨ 

You may also want to ask, ¡§Can I help?¡¨ The sign for that is, your left palm is facing up with an ¡§A¡¨ hand shape on the right hand and bring it up. Let me do it one more time. ¡§Can I help?¡¨ 

This person may have an injury, and you will want to ask them, ¡§Are you hurt?¡¨ Point to them. ¡§Are you hurt?¡¨ This is the sign for pain. Doesn¡¦t this look like ¡§pain¡¨? You can respond with, ¡§I will call the hospital.¡¨ ¡§I will call the hospital.¡¨ 

Please use these signs to help people, or if you are in an accident and the person that helps you is deaf. Then you can communicate what is wrong and for them to get help for you. Please never try to interpret for the doctor or the deaf person that you are with. You need to only use a qualified sign language interpreter and you are not qualified yet.