Resources for trans people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Under the ADA and Oregon law, healthcare providers must provide qualified sign language interpreters at no cost to you. This includes doctors, therapists, pharmacies, and hospitals. You can request a specific interpreter (Deaf interpreters are especially important for complex medical conversations). Providers cannot use family members or untrained staff as interpreters. If a provider refuses, that is a civil rights violation, Basic Rights Oregon and Oregon Disability Rights can help you enforce this.

OHSU Transgender Health has experience working with Deaf and HH patients and can coordinate ASL interpreters for appointments. When calling any provider to schedule, tell them upfront: "I am Deaf/Hard of Hearing and need a qualified ASL interpreter", this gives them time to arrange it before you arrive. Oregon Relay (711) provides free phone relay services. Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is available at many hospitals as a backup, though in-person interpreters are preferable for complex conversations about gender care.

ASL has evolving signs for trans identities, some created by Deaf trans people, some borrowed from English. The Deaf community has its own relationship with gender expression and identity, and Two-Spirit and gender-diverse traditions exist in many cultures. Seek out Deaf trans educators on YouTube and social media for ASL gender vocabulary. Signing Savvy and the ASL Signbank have community-contributed signs. If you're newly learning about trans identity and Deaf, both can unfold at the same time, you don't have to figure one out before the other.

The Deaf Queer Resource Center (national, online) is the most comprehensive resource for Deaf LGBTQ+ community and has regional connections. Oregon School for the Deaf in Salem has alumni networks. Portland's Deaf community has LGBTQ+ members, the Oregon Association of the Deaf can help connect you to social networks. Q Center is committed to accessibility and has had Deaf and HH programming; contact them directly about current offerings and what accommodations they can provide.

Trans Lifeline has a web-based contact option in addition to phone. David Romprey Warmline has a text option (text HOME to 741741 connects to Crisis Text Line; Romprey is 503-575-5026, call or leave a voicemail and they'll arrange a callback method that works for you). WERQ TOGETHER peer support can be arranged via email or text, reach out to peers@werqt.org to set up a communication method that works. You deserve support that meets you where you are.

Name and gender marker changes, benefits applications, and legal processes all involve written communication, which is often more accessible than phone-based systems. Oregon courts accept written requests. SSA and DMV have written application processes. For anything that requires a hearing or in-person meeting, you are entitled to an interpreter. Oregon Disability Rights has free legal help for Deaf and HH people facing access barriers in any system, including healthcare, housing, and employment.