THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE DEAF COMMUNITY: THE CASE OF SPANISH SIGN LANGUAGE (LSE) AND CATALAN SIGN LANGUAGE (LSC)

In this article we analyze some specific issues faced by deaf communities at the local, national, and international levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, by placing special emphasis on language policies and dissemination and communication policies for Spanish Sign Language (LSE) and Catalan Sign Language (LSC), taking the perspective of their respective communities. We propose a quality control system to assess specific communications and the use and handling of languages in crisis situations by applying a combination of four dimensions, known as the 4-A standard (Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, Adaptability). A description of the application of each dimension grounds the analyzed implications of their implementation for both languages, underlining the importance of multilingual and accessible communication in signed languages and a close collaboration between governments and deaf people's organizations to ensure their enjoyment of their linguistic rights and effective equality in accessing information and communication.

Influence of Sars-Cov 2 lockdown on the incidence of facial trauma in a tertiary care hospital in Rome, Italy

OBJECTIVES: Italy has been the first affected country in the western haemisphere by SARS-COV 2 with over 200.000 cases during the first months o the pandemica. To control the spread of the virus, the whole country was placed under lockdown with limitations in the circulation of people and vehicles from March 2020 to the first half of the month of May. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We aimed to analyze the incidence and type of facial traumas referred to our tertiary care hospital during the months of Italy lockdown due to SARS - COVID 2 spread compared with those during the same months of 2019 to determine eventual variations in the incidence, type and causes of trauma. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: During the 2 months of COVID-19-related lockdown, a dramatic decrease in facial trauma patients was observed at our tertiary care hospital with a shift toward older age ranges. Regarding the causes of trauma, the largest percentage reduction was found in road, sports and work accidents;this percentage reduction was not found in aggressions. A small increase in the percentage was also found regarding surgical indications, likely because more severe cases were more prone to be referred to the hospital despite the fear of being infected.