Advocacy Plan
I was fortunate to be able to attend a meeting of the Deaf-Hearing Club at The Ohio State University (DHOSU). This club has members with a range of different hearing abilities, from some who are Deaf to others who are fully hearing. The club has voices-off meetings to encourage the use and learning of American Sign Language, and the club also puts on educational seminars for those who are curious about the d/Deaf community and culture. I think that a way to employ servant leadership would be to become more involved with this club. Doing this, I would be able to volunteer to help put on or publicize events that help to educate the public about the d/Deaf community, especially because I have skills from prior organizations regarding event planning. Additionally, joining this club or attending more meetings would help me to learn more about d/Deaf culture and American Sign Language as well. In doing this, I may come upon more opportunities for servant leadership, as well.
Servant Leadership
I was fortunate to be able to attend a meeting of the Deaf-Hearing Club at The Ohio State University (DHOSU). This club has members with a range of different hearing abilities, from some who are Deaf to others who are fully hearing. The club has voices-off meetings to encourage the use and learning of American Sign Language, and the club also puts on educational seminars for those who are curious about the d/Deaf community and culture. I think that a way to employ servant leadership would be to become more involved with this club. Doing this, I would be able to volunteer to help put on or publicize events that help to educate the public about the d/Deaf community, especially because I have skills from prior organizations regarding event planning. Additionally, joining this club or attending more meetings would help me to learn more about d/Deaf culture and American Sign Language as well. In doing this, I may come upon more opportunities for servant leadership, as well.
Strengths-Based Needs
One of the needs of the d/Deaf community is to be seen not as disabled or lacking, but to be seen as differently abled and as a culture (Wright & Reese, 2005). This is a need not only within the general population, but also within the counseling community. I think that this picture seems to embody how the d/Deaf community is rising to meet this need. There is a sense of pride within their community and culture. Many organizations (even some on Ohio State’s campus, such as the Deaf-Hearing Club), aim to raise awareness for the d/Deaf community and their needs, as well as to give those who are d/Deaf the opportunity to meet others within the d/Deaf community.
Systemic Challenges
There are many challenges those in the d/Deaf community may face systemically. According to Fusick (2008), members of the d/Deaf community may feel forced to fit in with the hearing community, leading them to a lack of self-identity. They may also feel isolated or set apart in different settings, such as in the workplace, educational settings, or even at home. Those who are d/Deaf may also be misdiagnosed or mislabeled as low-functioning in educational and mental health settings. For me, this image represents these challenges and the theme of isolation that appears to be present throughout. It evokes the feeling of being on the edge of something, a part of a larger society but also apart from that same society, and to me this seems to fit with what I have read about the challenges those in the d/Deaf community may face systemically.
Annotated Bibliography
Fusick, L. (2008). Serving clients with hearing loss: best practices in mental health counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 86,102-110. Retrieved from http://osu.worldcat.org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/title/serving-clients-with-hearing-loss-best-practices-in-mental-health-counseling/oclc/5156111127
This article was a position paper that primarily focused on how counselors can better serve clients who are part of the d/Deaf community. The author gave background information on the challenges members of the d/Deaf community face educationally and systemically, and also provided information on therapy models and interventions that have been shown to be effective. The literature at the beginning of the article discussed the risk factors of those who are d/Deaf, though a lot of the resources seemed to be somewhat dated. The main conclusion of the article was a call for counselors to become knowledgeable of the d/Deaf community and the challenges they face. It also called for counselors to recognize d/Deaf culture and to see where they (the counselors) can be advocates for this group. This article was meaningful for my current purposes because it detailed a lot of the systemic challenges that members of the d/Deaf community can face, and it also provided resources for counselors to better serve this group in many different ways. However, although the article calls for counselors to become knowledgeable about the d/Deaf culture, there is not much discussion of the actual culture or resources that could be of use in this area.
Johnston-McCabe, P., Levi-Minzi, M., Van Hasselt, V. B., & Vanderbeek, A. (2010). Domestic violence and social support in a clinical sample of deaf and hard of hearing women. Journal of Family Violence, 26, 63-69. doi: 10.1007/s10896-010-9342-4
This was a research article that aimed to look at domestic violence among women who are hard of hearing or deaf and their perceived social support. Much of the literature cited by the authors focused on the feelings of social isolation that those who are deaf or hard of hearing may face. However, the authors noted the lack of literature on the prevalence of domestic violence among women who are hard of hearing or deaf. For this study, the authors gave questionnaires measuring domestic abuse and social support to females who identified as hard of hearing or deaf and who were also receiving mental health treatment. The authors concluded from their results that the prevalence of domestic abuse is higher for women who are hard of hearing or deaf than the hearing population, but they found no difference in perceived social support between women who were hard of hearing or deaf who had experienced domestic violence and those who had not. The most meaningful points that I took away from this were the study of the intersectionality of gender and hearing ability and the fact that this specific population has a higher risk of experiencing domestic violence compared to the hearing population. I also find it interesting that there is not much research on this. In terms of limitations, the authors noted that some measures may not have been normed to the d/Deaf community, but they call for future research with measures that have been. I also think it would be interesting to look at deaf or hard of hearing women in a different context than a mental health clinic in order to get a better look at the prevalence of domestic violence.
Marschark, M., Zettler, I., & Dammeyer, J. (2017). Social dominance orientation, language orientation, and deaf identity. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 22(3), 269-277. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=5042e450-952c-455a-92ae-fbfb92f08d79%40sessionmgr4008
This article was a study that focused on the perceptions of those in the d/Deaf community of others within their community in the realm of social dominance orientation. The literature provided by the authors was very interesting because a lot of it discussed the differences within the d/Deaf community in terms of what form of communication people within this community use and how much they identify themselves as part of the community. For the research, the authors gathered participants who were either deaf or hearing and gave them questionnaires that measured social dominance orientation in regards to cultural identity. The main conclusion was that the deaf participants tended to be more egalitarian than hearing participants, and those who were deaf and strongly tied to the d/Deaf community were more egalitarian than deaf participants who were not. The most meaningful information from this article for my purposes was the examination of the differences of perceptions of others within the d/Deaf community and the descriptions what these differences may be. I do not think the study was flawed, but it was the first to examine social dominance orientation within the d/Deaf community. In the future, it would perhaps be beneficial to replicate this study in different areas (i.e., not just a college campus).
Whyte, A. K. & Guiffrida, D. A. (2008). Counseling deaf college students: the case of Shea. Journal of College Counseling, 11, 184-192. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=b6c057db-3b12-4d55-a2c4-8131cfc8766e%40pdc-v-sessmgr03
This was a case study that focused on the counseling process for a deaf college student working with a deaf counselor. The purpose was to highlight the counseling process and strategies used as well as to educate counselors who may work with deaf clients. The literature at the beginning of the article highlights the challenges that deaf college students may face as they attend college, especially hearing colleges, in terms of self-identity, developmental challenges, and relationship challenges. The literature was a mix of references that were current when the article was written and more dated references. This case study detailed the successful intervention of one Deaf college student working with a deaf counselor, and it highlights the interventions used by the counselor and the cultural considerations used when administering assessments. The authors concluded that deaf college students face many unique challenges, and that counselors should be knowledgeable of d/Deaf culture and these potential challenges in order to better serve their clients. This study is meaningful for my current purposed because it explains some of the challenges that those in the d/Deaf community may face, especially in regards to attending college. Because this was a case study, the interventions used and the success of the intervention may not be generalizable.
Wright, G. W. & Reese, R. J. (2015). Strengthening cultural sensitivity in mental health counseling for deaf clients. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 43, 275-287. doi: 10.1002/jmcd.12021
This article was a position paper focused on educating hearing counselors on the d/Deaf culture so as to strengthen their cultural sensitivity and to highlight the need for counselors to be trained in working with the d/Deaf community. The literature at the beginning of the article discussed the problematic view of deafness as a disability, and rather suggests that deafness be viewed as a culture. It also highlighted the general lack of training and knowledge that counselors receive in working with the d/Deaf community. The main conclusion of the article was a call for deafness to be viewed as a culture rather than a disability, and for more counselors to become knowledgeable about this culture. Regarding my current purposes, this article was useful in its description of the d/Deaf culture and how it varies from the hearing culture. I think this article was very useful for its intended purpose.