New service for deaf and hard-of-hearing donors

New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) has launched a new booking feature for deaf and hard-of-hearing New Zealanders donating at a fixed site donor centre. Blood and plasma donors will now be able to request a NZ Sign Language (NZSL) interpreter to join them for future appointments.  

The initiative is a partnership between NZBS and NZSL interpreters from iSign, a service of Deaf Aotearoa, the national service provider representing the voice of Deaf people in New Zealand. iSign has access to 100 qualified NZSL interpreters, committed to pairing the best matched interpreters to a range of jobs and settings around the country.  

Donors donating at fixed site donor centres can book a NZSL interpreter through the NZBS mobile phone app or online. iSign interpreters will accompany donors through the entire donation process, from the registration and interview with a nurse, through the actual donation and rest time. 

To ensure a NZSL interpreter can be booked for preferred appointment times at any of the country’s nine fixed-site donor centres, NZBS asks that donors book appointments at least two weeks in advance on the NZBS website or on the latest version of the NZBS mobile app.  

At the moment this service is only available for donors donating at the fixed donor centres due to the logistical challenges to getting an NZSL interpreter to the mobile blood drive locations.  

For more information, and to watch any of the seven NZSL educational videos on blood donation click here.