Thank you for taking the time to share about your family’s experience in dealing with the lack of accessible services from a psychiatric hospital. I am sorry that you had to experience that. There is nothing worse than trying to get help and finding yourself oppressed and treated without much respect.

Sadly, although things have improved in some places, there are still many psychiatric hospitals in the US that continue to be inaccessible for Deaf patients. I am hopeful that as the number of Deaf professionals in the mental health field increases, so will their presence in such hospitals lead to positive changes for Deaf people who may need psychiatric treatment one day.

Candace

Just ONCE, I saw fit to see a mental health counselor that is connected with my health insurance program. I had an interpreter, he did a good job, everything went well.

However about a year later I ran into this same interpreter but in a social setting and he came over and asked me “how everything turned out”. I thought this was highly inappropriate and I hope he noticed my discomfort!