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This month Hayley Stokar—who has spent the past year as a social worker specializing with Deaf clients at Barrier Free Living’s (BFL) Freedom House Emergency Shelter—takes a look at the rich and diverse communication practices being used by deaf individuals today and the important role communication plays for survivors of domestic violence.
At Gallaudet University (http://aaweb.gallaudet.edu), the world leader in liberal education and career development for Deaf and hard of hearing students, there is a common saying: “If you know one deaf person, you know…one deaf person.” In other words, no two people are alike, particularly when it comes to hearing and communication.
At Freedom House, BFL’s Emergency Shelter for survivors of domestic violence with disabilities or survivors who have children with disabilities, we are committed to serving the Deaf Community.
During my tenure, I worked with many Deaf and hard-of-hearing survivors. Some use Sign Language; others do not. Some use speech; others use neither speech nor speech-reading (“reading lips”).
English literacy levels vary greatly among Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Adapting to meet the specific needs of Deaf survivors is an important exercise in meeting people where they are instead of making assumptions based on labels.
For Deaf survivors who use technology to communicate, Freedom House has a full range of adaptive devices, including Videophone, VRS relay, TTY, Instant Messenger, Text Message, and email. The hope is that communication technology can create an even playing field for Deaf survivors and service providers who may have different communication styles.
With each Freedom House Deaf or hard-of-hearing resident, the staff work together to determine the best plan to meet that individual’s communication needs. Residents are empowered to teach the staff what works best for them.
One former bi-lingual Deaf resident (American Sign Language and English) used to type back and forth on a computer with the Housing Director to share relevant information for a housing application. Another resident who had lost her hearing later in life could use speech and read lips well, but shied away from writing and typing. Below, Hayley uses ASL to communicate on the job.
Survivor Story:
Lisa, a 31 year old Deaf survivor, came to Freedom House to escape an abusive intimate partner relationship. She was hesitant to come at first due to fears of isolation from the Deaf community. The community is very tight-knit, and Lisa had a large social network in addition to a job working with Deaf clients. Most of all, she feared that she would not get to see her Deaf children, who were residing with their other parent.
Lisa and I developed safety plans together so that she could stay in touch with Deaf family and friends without compromising her safety or violating confidentiality. Additionally, we worked with hearing, non-signing staff on the best practice for communication.
Lisa arranged with her lawyer for a change of location for her court ordered child visitations, and used the Freedom house Videophone to have scheduled “visitations” over video chat with her children. The contact, brokered in American Sign Language, helped her feel more at ease in the shelter while protecting confidentiality and eliminating the need to enter an unsafe area of the city.
Hayley Stokar is a graduate of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. with her Master of Social Work for Deaf Populations. Prior to Freedom House she worked with children and families in an educational context in Fairfax, Virginia and in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Helpful links for Serving Deaf and hard-of-hearing survivors of Domestic Violence:
National DEAF Domestic Violence Hotline
AIM: ADWASHotline
E-mail: ADWAS@NDVH.org
TTY: 1-800-787-3224
D-Link VP Number: 206-787-3224
IP Address: 69.17.111.201
Website: www.adwas.org
ASADV (Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Victims)
Email: ASADVhope@gmail.com
Website: www.asadv.org
DAWN (Deaf Abused Women's Network)
Email: advocate@)deafdawn.org
TTY: (202) 861-0258
24-Hour TTY Hotline: 866-290-DAWN (3296)
Webpage: www.deafdawn.org
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