Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy
Deaf survivors - especially from communities of color - face communication, cultural, and other barriers to accessing hearing victim services that are often insurmountable. “For Deaf, by Deaf” victim services offer a solution for Deaf survivors, but they don’t exist in most communities and there is only one “For Deaf, by Deaf” program for Deaf communities of color nationwide. Activating Change - in partnership with DAWN and DeafHope - is working to increase the availability of these services, while removing barriers in hearing programs.
Systemic Barriers Exist for Deaf Survivors
68% of victim service providers report rarely or never serving Deaf survivors.
1 in 10 victim service providers report using children of survivors as interpreters.
23% of service providers report no sign language interpreters in their area.
25% of victim service organizations identified Deaf and hard of hearing people as underserved.
“For Deaf, By Deaf” Anti-Violence Programs
“For Deaf, by Deaf”programs are a best practice for serving Deaf communities. They are designed and run by members of Deaf communities. They provide services - emergency hotlines, crisis intervention, advocacy, peer support, and community education - in sign language and ProTactile Language. They integrate Deaf cultural values and traditions into all aspects of the organization and programming. And, they leverage strengths in Deaf culture and communities to support Deaf people.
There is a severe shortage of “For Deaf, By Deaf” services in the United States. There are more than 11,000 victim service providers in the United States, but less than 25 of them are “for Deaf, by Deaf.” 71% of states in the United States do not have any of these vital programs available.
The programs that exist lack sufficient funding, often serve an entire state with 2-3 staff, and face systemic barriers in the course of their work caused by audism and racism.
Additionally, there is only one “For Deaf, by Deaf” program specifically designed to serve Deaf communities of color in the entire country.
Availability of Deaf Services in the United States
Our Solutions
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Deaf Action: Capacity Building for Deaf Anti-Violence Programs
Through Deaf Action, we run the first of its kind capacity-building initiative for Deaf victim services organizations. The training, guidance, and resources we provide are in sign language and Protactile Language and led by Deaf experts. We provide everything from 40-hour advocacy training to grant writing support to training on providing culturally responsive services. Our goals are to strengthen individual programs; increase coordination and alignment across programs; and increase the visibility and voice of Deaf advocacy in the broader survivor advocacy movement.
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A National Sign Language Interpretation Service for Victim Service Providers
We operate a nation-wide service that provides remote sign language interpretation to victim service providers who are serving Deaf survivors. Through the National Sign Language Interpretation Service for Deaf Victims, we are filling a significant barrier preventing Deaf survivors from getting life-saving and sustaining support from victim services: a lack of sign language interpretation to bridge cultural and communication barriers between Deaf survivors and hearing programs and systems. This service allows us to provide a short-term fix while we work towards the long-term goal of ensuring that every Deaf survivor receives support from a Deaf advocate. Applications are now open for victim service providers to apply for interpreting services.
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Integrating Language Justice in Victim Services Organizations
We serve as a bridge to hearing organizations and hearing funders. We work with people in these organizations and systems to build their capacity around language justice and serving Deaf communities. We also advocate for systemic changes in policy, practice, and philanthropy to better meet the needs of this community.
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Increasing the Availability and Use of Interpreters of Color
For Deaf and DeafBlind survivors to effectively access systems of support, highly qualified ASL interpreters are critical. Inexperienced or improperly assigned interpreters can cause significant barriers and harm. The harm is even greater for survivors experiencing intersectional oppression and marginalization. Because of a severe shortage of ASL interpreters of color, Deaf survivors of color are most often paired with interpreters who are not deeply familiar with their culture and language and cannot meet their complex and diverse communication needs, creating significant barriers to healing and justice. We create opportunities to support student interpreters of color gain experience; prioritize hiring of interpreters of color; and support the goals of interpreters of color who are building capacity around healing-informed interpreting.
Our Partners
DAWN
DAWN is a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and transformative justice-based agency to provide multi-faced services to the survivors and the community to understand and address power-based violence by providing direct services and education. DAWN’s mission is to promote healthy relationships and reduce abuse in the Deaf community of the Washington DC area.
DeafHope
DeafHope’s mission is to end domestic and sexual violence in Deaf communities through empowerment, education and services. DeafHope works to develop innovative approaches to facilitate change within the Deaf community, to break down the cultural and social systems that perpetuate violence against women, and to empower individuals to work toward a life free of violence.
Explore More
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Anti-Racism and Advocacy
This learning engagement for Deaf advocates - spread over four days - addresses how anti-oppression and anti-racism connect to survivor advocacy work and actions advocates and their programs can take to integrate a racial equity lens in their work. The learning engagement features Najma Johnson from DAWN, Liam Esposito from Activating Change, and Deaf advocates from across the country.
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Supporting Deaf and DeafBlind Survivors
This video series features leaders from Deaf and DeafBlind communities discussing Deaf and DeafBlind culture, best practices for working with Deaf and DeafBlind survivors, and how to find qualified interpreters. There is also a panel discussion highlighting key factors that contributed to a successful partnership between a hearing and Deaf organization.
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State of Deaf Services
Deaf domestic and sexual violence programs are few and far between in comparison to hearing programs. There are only 20 “for Deaf, by Deaf” programs compared to approximately 3,000 programs designed for hearing survivors. What does this mean for Deaf survivors of domestic and sexual violence trying to heal from violence and abuse? A panel of advocates from Deaf domestic and sexual violence programs discussed the state of Deaf services.
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Providing Sign Language Interpretation During Events
This online course is designed to help you provide qualified interpretation during in-person meetings and conferences, as well as live and on-demand virtual trainings, and embed interpretation in video-based resources. Through videos with experts who use and coordinate interpretation services and step-by-step guidance, you will learn everything from how to determine the number of interpreters you need to how to debrief with interpreters after your engagement.
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Culture, Language, and Access
Recent research suggests that Deaf women experience higher rates of sexual and domestic violence than their hearing counterparts, but are often shut off from victim services and supports that are ill-equipped to respond to their unique needs. As a result, they are denied access to services that could help them safely flee from abuse, heal from trauma, and seek justice after they have been harmed. The Culture, Language, and Access: Key Considerations for Serving Deaf Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence policy brief offers practical suggestions for expanding and enhancing Deaf survivors’ access to victim services and other supports.
