Cultural Implications for Mental Health Professionals Working with Deaf Individuals

  • Adriana E Sgroi William James College
  • Samuel Justin Sinclair William James College

Abstract

The current paper reviews the history of oppression, education, and mental health treatment of Deaf and Hard of Hearing clients, as well as the clinical and cultural implications of working with these populations in different settings. The impact of specific world events (e.g., World War II) and other important controversies (e.g., the cochlear implant debate) are explored initially, particularly in terms of how they informed the eventual development of ethically and culturally sensitive approaches to mental health care for Deaf clients. The paper concludes with specific recommendations for clinicians working with Deaf clients, which include the need for a greater understanding of the norms and values held by the community, communication needs on an individual basis, barriers to access, and the psychosocial effects of widespread oppression.

Keywords: Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Culture, Cultural implications, mental health

Author Biographies

Adriana E Sgroi, William James College
Adriana E. Sgroi is a student in the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience (CFAR) concentration in the Clinical Psychology program at William James College (formerly Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology).
Samuel Justin Sinclair, William James College
Samuel Justin Sinclair, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at William James College.

References

American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved July 3, 2017 from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/

Askar, Y. (2013). Assessing the growing demand for sign language interpreters. UANews. Retrieved July 23, 2017 from https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/addressing-the-growing-demand-for-sign-language-interpreters

Axner, M. (2017). Section 5: Learning to be an ally for people from diverse groups and backgrounds. Retrieved July 15, 2017 from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/be-an-ally/main

Babad, E. Y., Inbar, J., & Rosenthal, R. (1982). Pygmalion, galatea, and the golem: Investigations of biased and unbiased teachers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74(4), 459-474.

Bienvenu, M. J. (1989). Disabled: Who? TBC News, 13, 47.

Bienvenu, M. J. (1992). The “well-adjusted” deaf person. TBC News, 43, 51-52.

Boston Children’s Hospital Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program (BCH DHHP). (2005-2017). Deaf and hard of hearing program: Overview. Retrieved October 25, 2016 from http://www.childrenshospital.org/centers-and-services/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-program

Bradford, B. B. (1990). Peer groups and peer cultures. In S. S. Feldman & G. R. Elliott (Eds.), At the threshold: The developing adolescent. (pp. 171-196). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Carver, R. J. & Doe, T. (1989). Rehabilitation or oppression? Options for the humanization of the deaf. In C. J. Erting (Ed.), The deaf way, (pp. 846-853). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.

Clark, T. (2003). Psychological evaluation of deaf children. In N. S. Glickman & S. Gulati (Eds.), Mental health care of deaf people: A culturally affirmative approach. (pp. 109-144). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Cohen, N. L. & Hoffman, R. A. (1991). Complications of cochlear implant surgery in adults and children. Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology, 100(9), 708-711.

Cohn, M. (2016, January 25). Court rules Hopkins wrongfully rescinded job offer to deaf nurse. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 1, 2017 from http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-hs-deaf-nurse-20160121-story.html

CREEC Law. (2016). The national association of the deaf et al. v. Harvard, MIT. CREECblog. Retrieved August 1, 2017 from https://creeclaw.org/online-content-lawsuit-harvard-mit/

Crouch, R. A. (1997). Letting the deaf be deaf: Reconsidering the use of cochlear implants in prelingually deaf children. Hastings Center Report, 27, 14-21.

Deaf Action Center. (2010). Legal services. Retrieved October 14, 2016 from http://www.deafactioncenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59:legal-services&catid=41:services&Itemid=57

DeafArt.org. (1989). What is deaf art? Retrieved October 14, 2016 from http://www.deafart.org/Deaf_Art_/deaf_art_.html

Deaf Jam (2006). ASL timeline. Retrieved October 14, 2017 from www.deafjam.org/timeline/html.

Doe, T. (1989). Multiple minorities: Communities within the deaf community. In C. J. Erting (Ed.), The deaf way, (pp. 464-469). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.

Executive Office of Health and Human Services. (2017). TTY overview. Retrieved June 2, 2017 from http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/mcdhh/programs/hearing-dogs/tty-overview.html

Gallaudet University Library. (2014). Local and regional deaf populations. Retrieved August 1, 2017 from http://libguides.gallaudet.edu/content.php?pid=119476&sid=1029190

Georgia Tech Research Institute. (2007). Deafness and hard of hearing fact sheet. Retrieved October 14, 2016 from http://accessibility.gtri.gatech.edu/assistant/acc_info/factsheet_deaf_hoh.php

Gonnerman, J. (2014, December 19). A lawsuit to end abuse at Rikers. The New Yorker. Retrieved August 1, 2017 from http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/lawsuit-end-abuse-rikers

Grosjean, F. (2001). The right of the deaf child to grow up bilingual. Sign Language Studies, 1(2), 110-114.

Hannum, H. (1989). Human rights and the deaf. In C. J. Erting (Ed.), The deaf way, (pp. 776-789). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.

House, W. F. (1976). Cochlear implants. Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology, 85(3).

Institute of Medicine. (2008). Noise and military service: Implications for hearing loss and tinnitus. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Johnson, R. E., Liddell, S. K., & Erting, C. J. (1989). A brief overview of “unlocking the curriculum”. In C. J. Erting (Ed.), The deaf way, (pp. 593-598). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.

Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH). (2017). Sign language history. Retrieved October 15, 2016 from https://www.kcdhh.ky.gov/ois/signhist.html

Lane, H. (1992). The mask of benevolence: Disabling the deaf community. New York: DawnSign Press.

Lane, H. (1998). Do deaf people have a disability? Sign Language Studies, 2(4), 356-379.

Lane, H. (2005). Ethnicity, ethics, and the deaf-world. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 10(3), 291-310.

Lane, H. & Grodin M. (1997). Ethical issues in cochlear implant surgery. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 231-251

Lane, H., Hoffmeister, R., Bahan, B. (1996). A journey into the deaf-world. San Diego, CA: DawnSign Press.

Leigh, I. W. (2017). Deaf people and society: Psychological, sociological, and educational perspectives. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

Levine, E. S. (1981). The ecology of early deafness: Guides to fashioning environments and psychological assessments. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Lin, F., Niparko, J., & Ferrucci, L. (2011). Hearing loss prevalence in the United States. Archives of Internal Medicine, 171(20), 1851.

Malzkuhn, M. C. (1989). The human rights of the deaf. In C. J. Erting (Ed.), The deaf way, (pp. 780-785). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.

McKee, R. (2014). Breaking news: Sign language interpreters on television during natural disasters. Interpreting, (16)1, 107-130.

McIlroy, G. W. & Storbeck, C. (2011). Development of deaf identity: An ethnographic study. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 6, 494-511.

Moore, B. N. & Bruder, K. (1999). Philosophy: The power of ideas. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Moores, D. F. (1987). Educating the deaf: Psychology, principles, and practices. Boston, MA: Houghton

National Association of the Deaf (NAD). (2017a). Community and culture: Frequently asked questions. Retrieved October 15, 2016 from https://www.nad.org/resources/american-sign-language/community-and-culture-frequently-asked-questions/

National Association of the Deaf (NAD). (2017b). NAD position statement on health care access for deaf patients. Retrieved October 14, 2016 from https://nad.org/issues/health-care/position-statement-health-care-access-deaf-patients

National Association of the Deaf (NAD). (2017c). Lawyers and legal services. Retrieved October 14, 2017 from https://www.nad.org/resources/justice/lawyers-and-legal-services/

National Association of the Deaf (NAD). (2006). Position statement on cochlear implants. Retrieved October 14, 2016 from https://www.nad.org/about-us/position-statements/position-statement-on-cochlear-implants/

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). (2016a). Cochlear implants. Retrieved October 21, 2016 from https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/cochlear-implants

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). (2016b). Quick statistics about hearing. Retrieved October 21, 2016 from https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing

Nielsen, K.E. (2012). A disability history of the united states. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Padden, C. (1980). The deaf community and the culture of deaf people. In C. Baker-Shenk & R. Battison (Eds.), Sign language and deaf community: Essays in honor of William C. Stokoe, (pp. 1-16). Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf.

Padden, C. & Humphries, T. (1988). Deaf in America: Voices from a culture. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Pintner, R. & Patterson, D. G. (1915). The Binet scale and the deaf child. Journal of Educational Psychology, 6, 201-210.

Pintner, R. & Patterson, D. G. (1916). A measurement of the language of deaf children. Psychological Review, 23, 413-436.

Pintner, R. & Patterson, D. G. (1917). Psychological tests for deaf children. Volta Review, 19, 661-667.

Pintner, R. & Patterson, D. G. (1921). Learning tasks for deaf children. Psychological Monographs, 29(132).

Pollard, R. Q. (1994). Public mental health service and diagnostic trends regarding individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Rehabilitation Psychology, 39, 147-160.

Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). (2015). Certification overview. Retrieved June 2, 2017 from http://rid.org/rid-certification-overview/

Ridgeway, J. (2009, October 2). The secret world of deaf prisoners. Mother Jones. Retrieved August 1, 2017 from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the classroom: Teacher expectation and pupils' intellectual development. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

Smith, R. et al. (1999). Deafness and hereditary hearing loss overview. GeneReviews. Retrieved October 12, 2016 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1434/

Snyder, C. R. & Lopez, S. J. (2002). Handbook of positive psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Starr, C. D. (1994). Deaf students in the mainstream: A school counselor’s journal. Deaf Life, 180-188.

Sue, S., Ka, J., Cheng, Y., Saad, C.S., & Chu, J.P. (2012) Asian American mental health: A call to action. American Psychologist, 67, 532-544.

Supalla, S. (1989). Equality in educational opportunities: The deaf version. In C. J. Erting (Ed.), The deaf way, (pp. 553-555). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.

Thomas, R. (1989). Bringing up our children to be bilingual and bicultural: A three-part presentation. In C. J. Erting (Ed.), The deaf way, (pp. 584-592). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.

U.S. Department of Education. (1994). The individuals with disabilities education act. (P.L.101-476). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Justice. (1990). ADA standards for accessible design. (CFR 28-36). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Justice. (2001). Enforcing the ADA: A status report from the department of justice. Retrieved October 12, 2016 from https://www.ada.gov/octdec01.htm

Wood, J. B. (1984). Protecting deaf suspects’ right to understand criminal proceedings. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 75(1), 166-197.

World Health Organization. (2014). Deafness and hearing loss. Retrieved October 12, 2016 from www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs300/en/

Published
2018-05-25
Section
Articles