Resources for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community

In this video Kimberly Bostick, mental health counselor for Gallaudet University Counseling and
Psychological services, discusses some reasons why sheltering at home for Covid-19 can
negatively impact those in recovery.

These videos use signs for Drug and Alcohol related information using some different
registers/styles of language (consultative, casual, intimate).

This is an online portal where you can administer various screeners and assessments in American
Sign Language related to mental health, substance, and career.

Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing face a number of barriers when seeking help and support for a substance abuse problem. A number of factors, some of which are listed
below, can make it difficult for a person who is deaf or hard of hearing to access treatment services and to maintain a sober lifestyle upon completion of treatment.

This is an American Sign Language (ASL) version of the Fourth Edition of the Big Book,
which is the basic text for Alcoholics Anonymous. This version of the Big Book in ASL is
signed by Deaf individuals. A.A. members maintain personal anonymity at the level of public
media. Any person appearing in this video is not an A.A. member.

Numerous barriers exist when attempting to provide culturally-appropriate substance use disorder (SUD) treatment to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing (deaf). These include a lack
of accessible community-based treatment providers, a low geographic census of deaf persons who are referred to treatment at any given time, difficulties in maintaining anonymity for deaf individuals in treatment, minimal alternatives for accessible self-help support groups, and a general lack of information about SUD and deafness by SUD treatment and deaf service
providers (Feldman & Gum, 2007; Guthmann & Blozis, 2001; Moore et al., 2009; Moore & McAweeney, 2006; Pereira & Fortes, 2010; Scheier, 2009; Wilson & Wells, 2009). (See article)

Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor

Persons who are deaf face a number of challenges with regard to vulnerability for substance use disorders. Moreover, accessible treatment for this condition can be difficult to establish and maintain. The Deaf community may be one of the most disenfranchised groups in America in regard to appropriate access to substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment services. This article reviews findings related to substance use disorder and treatment for this condition among persons who are deaf. It also reviews a promising approach for addressing treatment needs via e-therapy, and it highlights the challenges and concerns regarding e-therapy for this population. (See article)

The purpose of this study was to determine which of a variety of demographic, attitudinal and other background variables impacted upon desired treatment outcomes among Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons who had completed treatment at The Minnesota Chemical Dependency Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals (MCDPDHHI). The MCDPDHHI is a model inpatient treatment program which is hospital based and has received federal funding from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Office for Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. The program represents a unique approach to the study of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals who have completed alcohol and/or drug treatment. (See article)

Based on nationwide hearing examination data for youth aged 12-17 (www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm), an estimated 1% of children in this age category have at least moderate hearing loss in one or both ears. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that between 2% and 6% of children with moderate or greater hearing loss are identified with a developmental disability of some type, and 27% of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) individuals aged 6-19 years have additional disabilities (Gallaudet Research Institute, 2008). Hearing loss or deafness may be related to cytomegalovirus, meningitis, or a congenital anomaly, conditions that are known to present a greater risk for the evolution of other conditions such as... (see article)

The M Health Substance Use Disorder Program is an intensive outpatient chemical dependency program located within the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, at the Riverside campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Program is committed to serving Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deafblind clients embedded within the larger Hearing population.

Our network of crisis centers offers many services for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, including veterans.

This video, produced by Gallaudet University, highlights the potential consequences of deciding
to drive while intoxicated in a skit performed by students. Additionally, students are interviewed
about their experiences with drugs and alcohol in college.

This video is in ASL and captioned and was developed by Peer Health Advocates at Gallaudet
University.

The video is geared towards college students and shows different situations that can happen
when "partying" and if a student plans to engage in this behavior, how to do so in a more
responsible manner

With an increasingly diverse population, disparities in health are a growing concern for individuals from medically underserved groups, including the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH)
population. Health disparities limit quality healthcare improvements that affect members of underrepresented race, ethnicity, socioeconomic, gender, sexual orientation, and disability
groups (Ubri & Artiga, 2016). A subgroup of Deaf individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL) is understudied in health research and underserved in health care (Kuenburg, Fellinger, & Fellinger, 2016). The national prevalence of alcohol use among Deaf individuals remains largely unknown.

The development and field-testing of the Satisfaction With Life Scale was funded by a National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) grant # 90DP0067. The Satisfaction With Life Scale is copyrighted by the developers of the scale, Ed Diener, Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen and Sharon Griffin, as noted in the 1985 article in the Journal of Personality Assessment. It is free for use by all professionals (researchers and practitioners).

Readings, speaker stories, workshops and more on video for our friends in the Deaf recovery
community. The audio is the speakers voice, and the video is the ASL interpreter. Both AA and
Al-Anon speakers

This Social Distance Challenge video by the Deaf Recovery Community celebrates members of
the community while social distancing during the Covid-19 outbreak.

This video shows two Deaf people in recovery and their challenges of staying sober during
COVID and how the community can be more mindful about what is shared and posted. Thank
you to James McGowan and Sheena Cobb for sharing their hearts with us

Deaf recovery stories are a great way for Deaf people in recovery to learn about the experiences
of others and are also voice interpreted for members of the hearing community.

Individuals in need of social-behavioral assessments benefit from having access to a wide range of measures in their native language. This access is compromised for many deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals due to a lack of available assessments that are linguistically and culturally appropriate and normed for this population (Guthmann & Blozis, 2001; Guthmann & Graham, 2004; Guthmann & Moore, 2007; Sligar, Cawthon, Morere, & Moxley, 2013; Titus & Guthmann, 2010). Assessments are usually administered to DHH individuals in English, which is not a primary language for many. Some service providers may attempt to interpret instruments into American Sign Language (ASL) themselves and adapt questions, but... (see article)

Electronic cigarette use has become epidemic among American youth. Little is known about the extent of use among d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) youth or prevention programming for this population. In a qualitative study with d/Dhh youth and school staff and administrators serving them, four focus groups were conducted with middle school students (n = 19) and four with high school students (n = 15) to assess their knowledge of and experiences with e-cigarettes and other tobacco products and exposure to prevention programming. Key informant interviews were conducted with seven school staff and administrators. Considerable awareness of and curiosity about e-cigarettes were found, and many misconceptions about vaping. (See article)

Several barriers can frustrate a deaf individual's intention to enter a substance abuse treatment program. Because few specialized programs work with the Deaf, it is difficult to determine the factors that influence a deaf individual's desire to maintain sobriety following completion of a residential treatment program. A sample of 100 individuals was drawn from the Minnesota Chemical Dependency Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals, a model hospital-based inpatient treatment program. The study participants were asked to complete pretreatment and posttreatment surveys upon admission and discharge, respectively, in addition to a follow-up survey, to help determine which background factors might be associated with... (see article)