FEATURE ACTIVITY
Art group The art group was set up by a charity called Hospital Rooms , which brings gallery quality art and art workshops into mental health wards , and was set up by Tim Shaw , a professional artist , and Niamh White , a curator , in 2016 .
They commission artists to transform wards with art , but due to COVID-19 , their projects around the country were put on hold . Instead , they set up a ‘ Digital Art School ’, a weekly free session streamed via Zoom for hospital units to join remotely . Each session is different and led by a different professional artist , often straight from their studio .
Interpreting From day one , Paz and I made contact with Tim to work out how to make it accessible for our service users . The first obvious barrier was language . All the sessions were led in English by a hearing artist . We discussed with Tim about them having a BSL interpreter on screen . However , it was decided to have an interpreter in the room , mainly because it is clearer in terms of communication to be able to see an interpreter in person .
The session is on a television in our activity room , but the television is covered by a protective box to prevent damage . This in turn creates an extra visual disturbance , due to the reflection .
We work with qualified and experienced BSL interpreters we know well and who have the skills to interpret for our client group . Working in mental health is a specialist domain for BSL interpreters . When working with a BSL interpreter , it is important to prepare them so they are aware of technical words or names beforehand .
With that in mind , Paz , the interpreter and I met with Tim via Zoom before the session . Tim would then brief us on the session .
We also prepared the interpreter in terms of what language register the service users utilise . This includes BSL , Sign Supported
English ( SSE ), which is English language with signs , spoken English , gesture and using a free voice to text app on an iPad called BigNote .
One challenge was if the deaf participants are watching the interpreter , they are not watching the demonstrating artist . This meant that sometimes they would miss some practical techniques , for example how to paint something . This meant that both Paz and I would need to know in advance , in order to reteach a technique or explain something in a different way .
Hearing people can listen and do the task at the same time . If they look away , they can continue with the activity – deaf people are unable to do this . This meant being mindful of when to stop the teaching and prompt them to start the task with Paz and I filling in the gaps .
Other methods of communication often involved showing a finished piece of art at the beginning of the session , so that it was visually clear as to the aim and further support understanding . Instructions were often given by me and Paz by demonstrating or visually showing how to do this using BSL .
We used the largest room on the ward , which is the activity room , with a television we could connect to a laptop via a HDMI cable . We made sure the interpreter was sitting in good lighting by a wall , as it is harder for a deaf person to concentrate if an interpreter is in front of a window and backlit . Also , the interpreter was situated away from other visual distractions , like people walking past .
Due to COVID-19 , we brought in three tables and set the space out so that everyone was socially distanced . The room has a 10 people maximum capacity , and we usually had between two and four service users join the session .
We cleaned the room before and after . Items were placed on the tables to enable each service user to have their own resources to deter sharing .
The biggest challenge of all was wearing masks throughout the group , including the interpreter . Half of BSL is lip pattern and facial expression , so we use a mask with a window . However it is not the full face and it is shiny , resulting in much lost communication .
The mask is also hotter than the normal surgical mask , gets wet , and sticks to your lips . It adds to ‘ deaf fatigue ’ and means Paz and I must be mindful of the way we communicate and how much we communicate .
Paz and I organised the group together through BSL . Imagine being hearing and organising a group
18 OTnews November 2021