Résumé
Introduction: hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit worldwide. It is estimated that 4 million people in France have a hearing impairment. Hearing loss has an impact on the development of oral and written language. These language difficulties make communication between deaf people and hearing people difficult. In order to ease these difficulties in the context of access to care, the law of February 11, 2005 provides that deaf people can benefit from a translation of information related to their care at their request. In 2007, a circular promotes the creation of UASS in order to improve the quality of their reception in health establishments. In spite of these recent developments, deaf people are still facing difficulties intheir care.Methods: we sent out three surveys to three different populations: deaf people, health institutions and speech therapists. Our study is targeted on the department of Hérault. The results of these questionnaires will allow us to elaborate an information brochure for health institutions.Results: The results highlight that deaf people experience difficulties in accessing care during all stages of care. We also noted the recommendations of this population to improve their own access to care. We also observed the lack of accommodations made by health care facilities and were able to compare these accommodations with those made by speech therapists. We found that speech therapists were making more accommodations for deaf patients.Conclusion: our results highlighted the lack of awareness among health professionals about deafness and French Sign Language. Thanks to the suggestions of deaf patients and speech therapists, we have elaborated an information brochure intended for health institutions to improve access to care for deaf patients.