A Tainan doctor of traditional Chinese medicine has a rare skill that make him invaluable to the deaf community: the ability to communicate in Taiwan Sign Language (TSL).
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00:00My neck's really sore. It hurts. I can't tear my head.
00:04It's hard to move?
00:06Yes.
00:07When Chao Nienting was in medical school, he joined a sign language club for fun.
00:12He's now a licensed practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine,
00:16and he's found that his decision to learn sign language has had an unexpected impact on his career.
00:22When I met a friend, I realized that when I got to sleep, I can give them more help.
00:30Taiwan's homegrown sign language, TSL, has gained visibility in recent years,
00:36and it's now even taught as an elective in some schools.
00:39But even within the deaf community, it's not widespread.
00:43Only around 20 to 30,000 of Taiwan's 125,000 deaf and hearing impaired people use it.
00:50This means it's not often TSL users can get services like medical care directly in their language.
00:56There are no doctors in Tainan who know sign language.
00:59They all get interpreters to help them.
01:01It's great to see a doctor of traditional medicine who can sign.
01:04Dr. Chao is still improving his sign language.
01:07But his signing patients appreciate having access to medical care without an interpreter,
01:11even if he still has to sometimes communicate in writing.
01:15It's written on the screen and it will be more clear.
01:19If it's not clear, then we can use all of them to make sure and explain it.
01:24Chao's hospital is proud to have someone with signing skills on board,
01:27and they make it known to prospective patients.
01:30The hospital hopes to expand services for deaf patients in partnership with deaf organizations.
01:49For now though, there is at least one doctor in the house able to give care to TSL users in a language they understand.
01:58Ryan Wu, John Von Trieste, and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.