Winner of Strictly Come Dancing Rose Ayling-Ellis supported calls for emergency personnel to learn sign language after they were unable to inform a deaf widow that her husband had passed away.
Elizabeth Corbett, from Derby, received a video call informing her of the death of her 51-year-old husband, David.
On Twitter, Ayling-Ellis, who was the first deaf celebrity to compete on Strictly, supported the initiative.
The ambulance service has expressed regret and stated its improvement efforts.
Mrs. Corbett, age 43 and deaf by birth, was at work when her children informed her that her husband had become ill.
When she arrived home, paramedics had already arrived, and they refused to let her inside.
“None of them could communicate with me, and I was unable to explain who I was,” she said of the June 2021 incident.
“I wanted to know what was going on, and the cops were asking me questions, but they were all wearing face masks, so I could not understand what they were saying.
“Eventually, I called the office, and the receptionist spoke with the paramedics, who informed her that David had passed away.” So I learned via FaceTime that he had left.”
A postmortem investigation found that Mr. Corbett’s deadly heart attack was caused by a blood clot.
Mrs. Corbett, a teaching assistant at the Royal School for the Deaf in Derby, now desires that all emergency personnel be fluent in British Sign Language (BSL) and have rapid access to a competent interpreter.
In a tweet describing the incident, Ayling-Ellis stated that paramedics “should have been given the proper tools and support to communicate with this lady.”
She also responded to suggestions that the paramedics may have written down their message or requested Mrs. Corbett’s 11- and 9-year-old daughters to relay the news that her husband had passed away.
The former EastEnders star wrote,
“Some of the remarks are quite upsetting.”
I just want to simplify it as much as possible. Why are the youngsters unable to inform their mother?’ Never should a youngster do this.
Imagine enduring the most terrible experience of your life.
“You must have access to someone who speaks the complete language. Not writing both forwards and backward.”
She supported requests for paramedics to learn basic BSL and for iPad interpreters to be available for emergencies.
“We, too, pay taxes; we are entitled to the same care,” she added.
Mrs. Corbett stated,
“Some of the social media comments have shocked and upset me, but I have tried not to dwell on them.”
Rose is such an important deaf role model, therefore I am ecstatic that she has taken a stand for me.
She stated that she is presently fundraising online in her husband’s memory in order to purchase a specially-adapted minibus for the school he attended.
Paul Burrows, the headmaster of the Royal School for the Deaf in Derby, stated,
“There are no winners in this story, but it should be used as a catalyst for change and to encourage every emergency service to become more deaf-aware.”
“Many people have a fundamental misunderstanding about BSL and deaf awareness in general.
“I am so proud of our school and the incredible students we are educating.”
Craig Whyles, divisional director for Derbyshire at East Midlands Ambulance Service, which treated Mr. Corbett, stated,
“We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the patient’s family and apologize for the poor experience they had with our service.”
“As an organization, we are currently collaborating with the Nottinghamshire Deaf Society to determine how we can improve our staff’s education regarding deaf awareness and common emergency communication issues.”
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