Accessibility

For Those With Special Needs

We work to ensure that all of our patients and visitors are able to communicate clearly and comfortably with their caregivers. The following services are available to assist patients and their family members who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind, or who have limited English proficiency. Please share your specific need and preferred form of communication at the time you schedule an appointment or when you arrive at Swedish.

If you speak a language other than English and need the assistance of an interpreter, please notify Swedish staff. You may also call 206-386-6000, state your language, and the Swedish operator will connect you to a telephonic interpreter who will assist you with your request. Patients with hearing loss may also call the TDD/TTY line at (206) 386-2022. Learn more about our interpreter services at Swedish

Please see our menu of assistive devices and notify staff of your special need when you schedule an appointment or visit Swedish.

To assist you in your communication needs, we have a number of assistive aids and services. To request these services, ask any caregiver.

  • Portable telecommunication devices (TDD's) and Hospital Kits that include a TDD/TTY Text telephone, a telephone hand-set amplifier, a PocketTalker personal amplifier with headphones, a door beacon light, and an alarm clock with vibrator
  • Baby-cry signalers that include a transmitter and two-way receivers for inpatient mothers in Labor and Delivery
  • Sign-language and Lip Reader interpreters for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing
  • Tactile interpreters for people who are deaf-blind
  • On-site and telephonic language interpretation services
  • Signage and patient materials translated into several languages
  • Closed-captioned television
  • Braille signage for offices, bathrooms, and elevators
  • Assistance in reading patient consent forms and materials
  • Wheelchair accessibility, and assistance as needed
  • Accessible disabled parking
  • Other assistance as requested

Hospital Kit for Patients with Hearing Loss

In association with the Hearing Loss Association of Washington, Swedish has developed a Hospital Kit for Patients with Hearing Loss for patients with special communication needs that includes communication aids, information brochures, signage and alert cards to give to your providers. Please feel free to request a Hospital Kit when you arrive for your stay.

For any other services or special requests, please call us.

Web Accessibility

This website meets the internationally recognized standards of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which includes accessibility for people with auditory, visual, neurological, cognitive, speech, physical and other disabilities.


Contact Us:

Linguistic Services Department
747 Broadway
Seattle, WA 98122
Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Phone:
206-215-2362
206-386-3019

Fax:
206.215-1731
206-386-3199

Swedish Edmonds campus
Phone:
1-425-640-4444

Swedish is committed to providing equal access to patients, family members, and companions with disabilities.

To ensure effective communication, Swedish provides qualified sign language and oral interpreters, and other auxiliary aids and services free of charge for patients, family members, and companions  who are deaf, are hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities.

To request auxiliary aids or services, please inform a representative from Patient Registration or a clinical staff member of the department you are visiting.  If an auxiliary aid or service is denied/not available, you can request a reconsideration by providing a hospital representative with a written statement explaining why you need the aid or service that was denied/unavailable.  If needed, office staff can help write down your request for reconsideration. If you have any problems, please speak to the Manager of Patient Registration or Linguistic Services directly.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. People who are deaf, are hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities have the right under the ADA to request auxiliary aids and services. For more information about the ADA, call the Department of Justice’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (voice), 1-800-514-0383 (TTY) or visit the ADA Home Page at www.ada.gov.