I always overcome communication barriers by using BSL interpreters and communication assistants (for translating between languages at a fluent level).
My family, who live in Europe, communicate with me by fingerspelling or using basic vocabulary signs and written language. Consequently, they lack the ability to convey information at a fluent level and I miss out on details.
I was not aware that my mother’s medical condition had developed two years before her death until I saw the death certificate that listed them.
Two months before my mother’s death, I was informed, not by my family, that my mother had been taken to hospital for unknown reasons.
Read the full story at: http://limpingchicken.com/2016/03/18/anonymous-i-wasnt-given-an-interpreter-when-my-mum-died-and-then-i-was-excluded-from-funeral-arrangements/