Quick answer
An emergency is a conversation, and for a deaf or hard of hearing person it is one that responders start wrong: shouting, talking from behind, treating a lack of response as confusion. A deaf medical ID fixes the first minute: “Deaf. Write it down or face me.” Your record then carries the rest: how you communicate, whether you have a cochlear implant, and who to call. Knowing how to reach Triple Zero (000) without voice is the other half of the plan.
Hearing loss is common. The Australian Government put the figure at about 3.6 million people, or one in six Australians, with some form of hearing impairment. For most that means hearing aids; for many it means a cochlear implant; for the Deaf community it often means Auslan as a first language, as healthdirect notes, with English second. Emergency services are built around a voice call and a spoken conversation at the scene. This guide covers how to make both work when you cannot hear.
Reaching emergency services without voice
You cannot text 000 directly. The routes that work in Australia all run through the National Relay Service (NRS), and the Access Hub page on making an emergency call using the NRS sets out which ones are prioritised:
| Option | How | Priority in the NRS queue |
|---|---|---|
| NRS Chat (app or web) | Click the red “Call 000” button or type 000; the relay officer asks which service and where, then relays your typed answers. Type “GA” when you finish each answer. | Yes |
| SMS Relay | Text 0423 677 767 asking for 000 and stating the emergency and location | Yes |
| NRS Captions / Voice Relay | For people who can speak but not hear, or hear but not speak | Yes |
| TTY: dial 106 | Text emergency number; works only from a TTY (teletypewriter) or a device for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing | Yes, given priority over other NRS calls |
| Video Relay (Auslan) | NRS advises not to use it for emergencies: calls cannot be identified and prioritised, and it runs limited hours | No |
Whichever route you use, the NRS says the same three things matter: ask for the service you need (police, fire or ambulance), say or confirm where you are, and be ready to explain the emergency. healthdirect adds that 106 can only be used with a TTY, and that 112 from a mobile is simply an alternative route to the same 000 operators. The Australian Government’s page on other emergency numbers is explicit that 112 gives no priority over 000, does not work via satellite and still needs mobile service.
Auslan users: a newer route
Since 12 November 2025, Expression Australia’s Auslan Emergency Interpreting service lets an Auslan user make a video call to a qualified Auslan interpreter, who calls 000 for them. It runs 24 hours a day, every day, is free, and is designed to keep the interpreter with you after the call ends, through to paramedics and hospital. Set it up before you need it, and record in your profile that you use it.
Do this today
Save 0423 677 767 as “NRS emergency SMS”, install the NRS app, and practise finding your location on your phone. In a real emergency the operator’s first question is where you are.
At the scene: the first minute goes wrong
Now reverse it. You are the one who is hurt, or has collapsed, and a stranger is trying to help. They kneel behind you and ask questions. A paramedic asks your name, what happened, what medicines you take, whether anything hurts. You cannot hear any of it. Without an explanation, no response reads as confusion, a head injury or a stroke, and the whole assessment tilts the wrong way.
Australian resuscitation guidance builds in a chance to catch this. ANZCOR Guideline 2 directs rescuers, during the initial assessment, to check for “physical (eg. alert jewellery) or electronic alert devices (eg. smartphone application) that may be relevant to assessment or management”. A band that says DEAF is relevant to management in the most direct way possible: it changes how everyone at the scene talks to you.
Cochlear implants and hearing aids in an emergency
Hearing aids and cochlear implant sound processors get knocked off, lost or removed. If you are found without them you may hear nothing at all, and nobody will know that with the device you would manage fine. Record what you wear and where a spare might be.
A cochlear implant also matters as an implant. According to Cochlear’s Australian MRI guidance, most of its Nucleus implants are designed to be MRI-compatible at 3 tesla with the internal magnet removed and at 1.5 tesla with the magnet in place, some with the use of a special MRI kit, and the company directs recipients and radiographers to its regional MRI guidelines for the exact conditions. The practical point is simple: the imaging team must know about the implant, its model and its manufacturer before you go anywhere near a scanner. If you are unconscious after a car accident or a fall, your record is the only thing that can tell them. We cover the general rules in what counts as a medical implant or device.
What a deaf or hard of hearing medical ID should say
On the band
- DEAF or HARD OF HEARING
- FACE ME / WRITE IT DOWN, or AUSLAN USER
- COCHLEAR IMPLANT, if you have one
- Your membership number, so the rest can be read
In the profile
- How you communicate, specifically: lip-reading (and which side you hear better on, if any), written English, Auslan, a phone’s live-transcription or typing app, or an interpreter. Say what works without your devices.
- Your devices: hearing aids or a cochlear implant, which ear, the manufacturer and model of any implant, and where the processor and spares usually are.
- Interpreter needs: that you use Auslan, that you want an Auslan interpreter at hospital, and whether you use the Auslan Emergency Interpreting service.
- Everything a hearing person would record: conditions, allergies, medicines, doctors.
- Emergency contacts, in order, with a note on who can interpret or who knows your communication preferences, and whether they should be texted rather than called. Our guide to setting up emergency contacts covers the order.
A line for the responder helps more than anything: “I am deaf. I am not confused. Get in front of me, get my attention, then speak clearly or write. Yes/no questions work best.” Put it at the top of your profile where a paramedic will see it first.
How you communicate, your implant, your contacts — readable before anyone says a word.
A MedibandPlus profile stores your communication needs, hearing devices, medical details and contacts behind a membership number on a band you wear. No app, no login, from $19 a year.
Set up your profilePart of the Mediband family. Designed in Australia since 2004.
If you are the bystander
If you find a band or card that says the person is deaf or hard of hearing:
- Get in front of them, at eye level, in the light, and get their attention before you speak.
- Speak normally and clearly. Shouting distorts your mouth and does not help.
- Use your phone: type your question, or use a live-transcription app, and hand it over.
- Ask yes/no questions and use gestures: point to where it hurts, hold up fingers for how many.
- If they sign, and you cannot, say so with a gesture and go to writing.
- Tell the 000 operator and the paramedics the person is deaf as soon as they arrive.
The steps for the call itself are in five things to know when calling an ambulance. The same approach applies to anyone who communicates differently, which we cover for autism in autism and emergency communication.
Keeping it current
Update the record when you change devices, when an implant is upgraded or replaced, when you start using a new app or service such as Auslan Emergency Interpreting, and whenever your contacts change. An implant model that is out of date is a real risk in an MRI suite, so treat that field the way you would a medication list.
FAQs
How can a deaf person contact Triple Zero in Australia?
Through the National Relay Service: NRS Chat (click “Call 000” or type 000), SMS Relay on 0423 677 767, NRS Captions or Voice Relay, or by dialling 106 from a TTY. All of these are prioritised in the NRS queue. The NRS advises against using Video Relay for emergencies because it cannot be prioritised and runs limited hours. Auslan users can also use Expression Australia’s free 24/7 Auslan Emergency Interpreting service, launched in November 2025, where an interpreter calls 000 for you.
Can I text 000 directly?
No. There is no direct text service to 000. The text route is SMS Relay through the National Relay Service on 0423 677 767, or NRS Chat, both of which are prioritised for emergencies. The 106 text emergency number works only from a TTY or a device designed for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
What should a deaf medical ID say?
On the band: “deaf” or “hard of hearing”, how to communicate with you (“face me”, “write it down” or “Auslan user”), “cochlear implant” if you have one, and a number that opens your record. In the record: exactly how you communicate with and without your devices, your devices and implant model, your interpreter needs, your medical details and your emergency contacts.
Why does a cochlear implant need to be on a medical ID?
Because it is an implant with MRI conditions. Cochlear states most of its Nucleus implants are MRI-compatible at 3 tesla with the magnet removed and 1.5 tesla with the magnet in place, some with an MRI kit, and refers recipients to detailed regional guidelines. The imaging team has to know the implant exists and which model it is before any scan, and if you are unconscious your record is the only way they can.
How many Australians have hearing loss?
The Australian Government stated in March 2022 that about 3.6 million people, or one in six Australians, experience some form of hearing impairment. healthdirect notes treatment may include hearing aids, cochlear implants or surgery, and that for many deaf people Auslan is their first language.
How should a bystander communicate with a deaf person in an emergency?
Get in front of them at eye level and get their attention before speaking. Speak normally and clearly rather than shouting, type questions on your phone or use a live-transcription app, ask yes/no questions, use gestures, and tell the 000 operator and paramedics the person is deaf as soon as they arrive.
Will responders actually look for a medical ID?
The Australian and New Zealand resuscitation guidelines direct rescuers, during the initial assessment of an emergency, to check for physical alert jewellery or electronic alert devices relevant to assessment or management. A band reading “deaf” changes how everyone at the scene communicates from that moment.
Sources
- Access Hub (National Relay Service) — How to make an emergency call using the NRS — prioritised call options, SMS Relay number, Video Relay advice.
- Australian Government — Using other emergency numbers — 106 and 112.
- healthdirect — Calling triple zero — what the operator asks, 106 and TTY.
- Expression Australia — Auslan Emergency Interpreting — the 24/7 interpreter service launched 12 November 2025.
- Department of Health and Aged Care — World Hearing Day (3 March 2022) — one in six Australians.
- healthdirect — Hearing loss (reviewed April 2025) and Deafness (reviewed February 2024).
- Cochlear Australia — MRI and the Nucleus system — MRI conditions for implants.
- ANZCOR Guideline 2 — Managing an Emergency (April 2021) — checking for alert jewellery and devices.
Disclaimer: This article is general information about emergency communication and recording hearing-related details, not medical advice, and it does not replace advice from your audiologist, implant clinic or doctor, or accredited first aid training. Relay service details are correct at the time of writing; check the National Relay Service for current options. In an emergency, always contact Triple Zero (000) by the fastest route available to you. For non-urgent health advice, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (NURSE-ON-CALL 1300 60 60 24 in Victoria, 13 HEALTH 13 43 25 84 in Queensland).
Related guides
