Miss-Delectable
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Mental health services for deaf are needed | News-Leader.com | Springfield News-Leader
This is in regards to "What'll we do now"?
I am a member of the deaf community and a citizen of the state of Missouri for 15 years. I am well aware of these personal stories from many people across the state and from those mentioned specifically in Springfield. To say that these things are not happening and "simply not true" is an insult to the deaf community and again outright oppressive disregard for deaf and hard-of-hearing people needing mental health services.
Although there are some good interpreters in this state, a majority of the deaf community prefer talking with a deaf professional one on one with regards to their personal information, recovery and ultimately enhancing their quality of life. If Burrell CEO/President Todd Schaible is so concerned with the deaf population, why did this agency turn down several professional deaf mental health workers that have applied to this agency? Why have so many current clients from Burrell left the agency in anger, hopelessness and dismay? I know this to be true because I was one of those professionals that Burrell turned down for a social work internship position. My offer to Burrell was that I would provide them a graduate-level social work internship of 680 hours that would have cost them nothing. I was willing to work for them for free, and yet I was told no.
In many other states such as South Carolina, Illinois, New York, California, Ohio, Maryland, Florida, Massachusetts and the list goes on, their representatives recognize the need for mental health services for the deaf. Their agencies utilize and employ deaf professionals because it is the culturally competent action to do and they save money instead of spending the funds on interpreters. I challenge you to put yourself in a situation in which you are talking to a professional who speaks in a foreign language. Not only that, you find that you are provided a foreign language interpreter to discuss your issues. The intimate details of your life are shared between an interpreter and a professional. In your next appointment, you will typically find that will receive a different interpreter and it is entirely possibly that you as a client may be misunderstood in this process or for the next appointment, there may be no interpreter available.
The complex issues of the deaf community have been with us for many years and prevalent particularly in the state of Missouri. A hearing person is afforded the ability and flexibility to choose their own doctor, counselor, alcohol recovery group, lawyer and the list goes on. For the deaf community, this opportunity is not there. I cannot even go through the drive-through of a restaurant without being given a dirty look or sloppy service because I am not able to speak verbally.
My hope for tomorrow and for the sake of future deaf and hard-of-hearing children is that people like Todd Schaible, state representatives and the citizens of Missouri will become more aware of necessary mental health services for the deaf that is culturally competent. Providing deaf professionals who have the skills of providing counseling in sign language for individual and group therapy sessions, especially in the hospital setting such as Burrell Behavioral Health, is the preferred method over the use of interpreters.
This is in regards to "What'll we do now"?
I am a member of the deaf community and a citizen of the state of Missouri for 15 years. I am well aware of these personal stories from many people across the state and from those mentioned specifically in Springfield. To say that these things are not happening and "simply not true" is an insult to the deaf community and again outright oppressive disregard for deaf and hard-of-hearing people needing mental health services.
Although there are some good interpreters in this state, a majority of the deaf community prefer talking with a deaf professional one on one with regards to their personal information, recovery and ultimately enhancing their quality of life. If Burrell CEO/President Todd Schaible is so concerned with the deaf population, why did this agency turn down several professional deaf mental health workers that have applied to this agency? Why have so many current clients from Burrell left the agency in anger, hopelessness and dismay? I know this to be true because I was one of those professionals that Burrell turned down for a social work internship position. My offer to Burrell was that I would provide them a graduate-level social work internship of 680 hours that would have cost them nothing. I was willing to work for them for free, and yet I was told no.
In many other states such as South Carolina, Illinois, New York, California, Ohio, Maryland, Florida, Massachusetts and the list goes on, their representatives recognize the need for mental health services for the deaf. Their agencies utilize and employ deaf professionals because it is the culturally competent action to do and they save money instead of spending the funds on interpreters. I challenge you to put yourself in a situation in which you are talking to a professional who speaks in a foreign language. Not only that, you find that you are provided a foreign language interpreter to discuss your issues. The intimate details of your life are shared between an interpreter and a professional. In your next appointment, you will typically find that will receive a different interpreter and it is entirely possibly that you as a client may be misunderstood in this process or for the next appointment, there may be no interpreter available.
The complex issues of the deaf community have been with us for many years and prevalent particularly in the state of Missouri. A hearing person is afforded the ability and flexibility to choose their own doctor, counselor, alcohol recovery group, lawyer and the list goes on. For the deaf community, this opportunity is not there. I cannot even go through the drive-through of a restaurant without being given a dirty look or sloppy service because I am not able to speak verbally.
My hope for tomorrow and for the sake of future deaf and hard-of-hearing children is that people like Todd Schaible, state representatives and the citizens of Missouri will become more aware of necessary mental health services for the deaf that is culturally competent. Providing deaf professionals who have the skills of providing counseling in sign language for individual and group therapy sessions, especially in the hospital setting such as Burrell Behavioral Health, is the preferred method over the use of interpreters.