Among the one in five Alabamians who will need mental
health services in their lifetimes are more than 39,000
people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Because deafness or
hearing loss poses unique challenges in coping with stresses
of daily life and with accessing and receiving treatment
services, the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental
Retardation has established an Office of Deaf Services to
better serve deaf and hard of hearing Alabamians.
CULTURALLY AFFIRMATIVE SERVICES
People who are deaf or hard of hearing have difficulty
finding services that are linguistically accessible to them.
When they do find services where someone “signs,” often
those services do not take into account the special cultural
considerations that often make the difference between
successful treatment and relapse and recidivism. Our
programs will be designed by people who are deaf to not only
be linguistically accessible but also culturally
affirmative, giving the consumer every opportunity to make
progress to recovery.
Programs
Regionally based
coordinators
The heart of Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental
Retardation’s deaf services program is a network of
regionally based coordinators who specialize in working with
people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Based in community
mental health centers, these coordinators are the first
point of contact for services.
The Deaf In-Patient
Unit
A specialized inpatient unit will be at Greil Hospital in
Montgomery. It will have 10 beds, with two beds designated
as statewide crisis beds. It will be designed to be a
culturally affirmative program with signing staff who are
trained to work with people who are mentally ill and deaf.
This program will be a leader in providing culturally
affirmative services utilizing a co-occurring disorders
approach.
The unit will be designed to serve people who are deaf or
hard of hearing and who mental illness and/or substance
abuse issues.
The Vera House
Located in Birmingham, the Vera House will be restructured
to serve as an “intermediate care” program, helping people
who are ready to leave the Deaf Unit but not ready to live
independently in the community. Admission to the Vera House
will be coordinated by the regional coordinators.
Training
Mental Health Interpreter
Training
We have established a special training for interpreters to
help them work better in mental health settings. This
training will lead to a special certification as a qualified
mental health interpreter. Alabama is the first state in the
nation to specifically define what skills and knowledge are
needed to work effectively as an interpreter in mental
health settings. These standards are part of the Code of
Alabama.
Clinical Training
Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation
is committed to developing the BEST program for people with
hearing loss in the country. We will also be working to
develop:
• Teaching deaf and hard of hearing people about mental
illness and substance abuse, emphasizing the potential for
recovery.
• Training for facilities and providers to help them
understand the importance of culturally and linguistically
appropriate services.
• Intense and focused training for clinicians who work with
clients who are deaf.
• A special program to train psychiatrists to work with deaf
or hard of hearing people.
• A training program to teach deaf and hard of hearing
people to work as clinical professionals in our system.
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