| 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.
2006 Interpreter Institute Information Here:
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.
To contact the office,
click here.
Please report errors or omissions to
click here.
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