Advice for Prospective Adoptive Deaf Parents

Maureen shares her Deaf Indian adoption experience and offers two important pieces of advice for prospective adoptive parents.

Communication Access and Medical-Related Issues

Hi, I’m Maureen Behrens. I’d like to share my adoption story, focusing on communication access and medical-related issues. I adopted my daughter about 10 ½ years ago, through the Holt International Adoption Agency based in Oregon. When they told me that I had been matched with my daughter, I was elated and over the moon! My heart was pounding and so full of love at that moment. I was looking forward to it with much anticipation.

Lip-reading Instead of Sign Language

Through the adoption process, I worked closely with my social worker. The Indian agency was required to send me reports every three months, covering any issues related to medical, emotional, behavioral, social, and lipreading. The reports I received would indicate things such as weight gain, height, etc. I noticed that they always mentioned lipreading, so I asked my social worker to let them know that I wanted my daughter to learn to sign because otherwise, she would have no way to communicate with me when we met. She wouldn’t know how to tell me when she needed to go to the bathroom or if she needed a drink of water, for example. Because my speech skills are nonexistent, we’d be at loss for communication.

Foster Family Refused to Teach Sign Language

The foster family, however, refused my request and continued to teach lipreading/speech skills. I argued back and forth with them through my social worker for six months, until finally, with just one week remaining before we were to meet, we got lucky. My daughter was moved to another foster family who lived closer to the building where she could learn ASL. A woman named Ida Thomas – bless her heart – had learned ASL from a Canadian pastor who had gone to India and met her at church. It was our lucky break. Ida taught my daughter for one week, covering signs for colors, plane, chair and so on.

First Encounter Between Deaf Adoptive Parent and Deaf Indian Adopted Child

From the moment when my daughter arrived and we met each other for the very first time, we had an amazingly powerful and instant bond, connecting through our both being Deaf. Interestingly, the same social worker who had advocated on my behalf for my daughter to learn sign, was totally astonished and remarked that she had never before seen such a strong first connection between a parent and adoptive child. To my great appreciation and gratitude, we made a written agreement that from that point on, any Deaf child who was placed through that agency would learn to sign. After we flew home, my daughter continued to learn and pick up more ASL.

Medical Biases Toward Deaf Indian Child/Adoption

Secondly, related to medical issues, in one of the reports I received every three months prior to my daughter’s arrival, I had noticed in one picture that her eye looked a bit out of focus. I asked the social worker to share my concerns about my daughter’s eye, but was told by the Indian agency that everything was fine. In addition to this, the doctor had written that my daughter had “growth retardation”, which meant that she would not grow anymore. Upset, I asked the social worker what that meant, but was told it was nothing. Despite my protests, she continued to say it was nothing. To my relief, right after my daughter arrived, she had a big growth spurt. My instinct about her eye, however, was correct. After seeing a doctor and undergoing a series of tests at the California School for the Blind in Fremont, it was confirmed that she had low vision and a few other diagnoses.

Importance of Asking Questions and Trust Your Instincts

My advice to anyone who may be considering adopting in the future is be sure to ask plenty of questions. Trust your instincts and speak up if you feel something isn’t right or if you notice something. Don’t let the agency do everything without considering your input. When I mentioned my concern about communication access and stood my ground, I was eventually able to get my daughter access to signing, and the same thing was true with my concerns that were related to medical issues. Thank you for watching.

Video description: Maureen is sitting in front of a light-colored all, wearing a black top, and signing her story.

Resources:

https://deafcounseling.com/adoption-a-deaf-adoptive-parent-kyms-story/

https://adoption.org/know-adopting-deaf-child

https://deafcounseling.com/deaf-adoption-unwanted-medical-advice-story/

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Transcript: #whyisign This is actually about why we sign here at Deaf Counseling Center. All of us are Deaf and we work with Deaf people from all over the US. We believe that every Deaf person should have access to direct communication in counseling. Going to counseling and having an interpreter witness intimate discussions is not comfortable. Neither is having to explain to a hearing non-signing counselor about Deaf culture and Deaf-related things like Gallaudet University, which can waste time in sessions and detract from your reason for going to counseling. Direct client-counselor communication using ASL is better. It helps people feel better, improve their lives and progress in healthy directions. This is why we sign.

http://www.whyisign.com

https://deafcounseling.com/deafhood/

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In 2016, an inmate in Corcoran, California, faced a dilemma. The parole board wanted to know whether he’d completed any self-help programs during his incarceration, a sign that he’d rehabilitated and could be trusted to go home. The inmate, whose name has been withheld for privacy reasons, said yes: At the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF), a state-run correctional center, he’d signed up for a group for people serving life sentences. The problem, he admitted, was that he was deaf, and his hearing impairment prevented him from understanding what went on during meetings. “I guess they’re waiting to get an interpreter for that group,” he explained to the board, referring to a sign language interpreter. “But I’ve been going,” he added. “I’m showing up.”

It wasn’t enough for the parole board, which denied him release. “I understand you have limitations,” one of the commissioners said, according to court documents. The commissioner scolded him for not participating in more programs. He would have to wait five years before applying for another hearing.

“With limited access to programs, deaf class members run the risk of serving longer prison sentences,” wrote attorneys at the Prison Law Office.
Under federal law, all prisons are required to provide qualified interpreters for deaf inmates to help them participate in education and self-help classes and communicate with guards. But at SATF, where most of California’s deaf inmates are housed, hard-of-hearing prisoners are regularly denied access to interpreters, according to recent court filings in a long-running disability rights case known as Armstrong v. Brown. “With limited access to programs, deaf class members run the risk of serving longer prison sentences,” wrote attorneys at the Prison Law Office in a statement filed with the court in May. Inmates say the facility has failed to offer interpreters for some Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, lifer groups, religious services, and educational and vocational programming.

In California, deaf inmates’ fight for equal rights stretches back decades. In the 1990s, the state corrections department admitted that deaf prisoners were generally expected to communicate through a combination of written notes, lip-reading, gesturing, and sometimes an informal staff or inmate interpreter. But as the corrections department acknowledged, even the best lip-readers can only understand a fraction of spoken words, and many people who rely on American Sign Language never learn to read or write English. “They are wholly different languages,” says Talila Lewis, director of the nonprofit group HEARD, which notes that ASL uses its own syntax and grammar, and that the average deaf prisoner’s reading comprehension is at about a second-grade level.

In a series of orders from 1996 to 2002, the US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in Armstrong that the state’s treatment of prisoners with disabilities, including deaf inmates, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. In 2013 the court found that while the situation had improved, SATF was still failing to provide interpreters at about a quarter of classes for which interpreters were needed—a level, Judge Claudia Wilken noted, that “simply does not constitute making a reasonable effort to comply with the court’s prior orders.” She told the facility to provide a qualified interpreter for any educational or vocational class that enrolled an inmate who communicated through sign language.

One inmate at SATF complained he was removed from an Alcohol Anonymous class without explanation after requesting an interpreter in 2016.
Five years later, that still hasn’t happened, the Prison Law Office told the court in its May filing. When deaf inmates try to enroll in programs, some believe they are rejected because of their special needs. One inmate at SATF complained he was removed from an Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous class without explanation after requesting an interpreter in 2016. Another inmate in the building maintenance vocational program said he struggled to understand the instructor during conversations about safety and proper equipment. “Most of the time, no sign language interpreter is provided for the safety meetings, and he relies on an incarcerated person to attempt to finger spell the instructions,” the attorneys noted. They argue that the need for interpreters increased after California voters passed a ballot initiative in 2016 that allocated more funding for rehabilitation programs in prisons and gave inmates more opportunities to earn time off their sentences by participating in them.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which hired more full-time interpreters for SATF after the 2013 order, told the court in May that its use of staff interpreters, contract in-person interpreters, and video remote interpretation provided inmates with reasonable access to programs and complied with the Americans with Disabilities Act. “We are committed to ensuring hearing impaired inmates are provided equal access to program assignments and will continue to work to provide services to hearing impaired parolees,” a spokeswoman for the department told Mother Jones. The warden at SATF last month directed his staff to draft a new policy memo for sign language interpreters and to implement training, according to Prison Law Office attorney Rita Lomio. “I am cautiously optimistic,” she says, adding that if the situation does not improve soon, her office will consider whether to seek court intervention.

California, because of its size, has more deaf inmates requiring sign language interpreters than most other states—about 75 at SATF alone, according to the corrections department. And the fact that so many are clustered at one institution creates problems, according to prisoners rights advocates, because SATF is located in a remote part of California’s Central Valley, far from the biggest pools of interpreters in metropolitan areas like San Francisco and Los Angeles. “Not all of them want to drive two hours to go to a prison to translate when they could go to a school or hospital down the street from their home,” says Corene Kendrick, another attorney at the Prison Law Office.

Over the past few years, deaf inmates across the country have sued for better treatment and access to programs. In 2016, a deaf man in Washington, DC, was awarded $70,000 in damages after he was jailed for two months without an interpreter. Maryland, Kentucky, and South Carolina have also reached legal settlements to improve access to interpreter services in prisons. “Nearly all state prisons and the entire federal prison system are in violation of federal law with respect to providing [for] deaf and hard-of-hearing inmates and parolees,” writes Howard Rosenblum, CEO and director of legal services for the National Association of the Deaf.

“It’s the utmost violation of due process I can think of,” says attorney Gay Crosthwait Grunfield.
When deaf inmates leave the prison, some also struggle to access interpreters for parole meetings, especially if they live in remote areas. Between August and December 2017, for example, one deaf parolee in California allegedly did not have access to an interpreter for four out of five parole-mandated mental health appointments. He was soon rearrested, according to Gay Crosthwait Grunfeld, a partner at the law firm Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld who argues the lack of interpretation services prevented him from fully taking advantage of his treatment program and may have contributed to his recidivism. “It’s the utmost violation of due process I can think of,” she says.

In the May filing, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation argued interpretation services are not required for every parole encounter. The department’s attorneys wrote that the use of in-person interpreters could also present safety and security issues, though they did not elaborate. They noted that the parole division was exploring ways of providing interpretation services over cellphones or tablets, and that the corrections department was recently authorized to hire another interpreter at its headquarters to help parole officers in the field.

“We are not discounting how challenging it is,” says Grunfeld. “We are just saying we need to try harder.”

Reference:

https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2018/06/without-interpreters-californias-deaf-prisoners-are-getting-stuck-behind-bars/

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Counseling Deaf Clients, It’s not for everyone by Shannon Ruana

I’ve been counseling deaf and hard of hearing individuals for more than 10 years. The majority of that counseling was done in a state rehabilitation agency and the rest as an individual counselor in private practice. I’ve heard my fair share of horror stories of what deaf clients sometimes face when seeking counseling – some so remarkable I had to shake my head and wonder if the client wasn’t pulling my leg as I do have an exaggerated shock affect. Unfortunately, these are true and ripe for your reading and (hopefully) learning.

A deaf client who communicated exclusively in American Sign Language (ASL) contacted her insurance company and requested to be linked to a counselor who could sign. She was seeking counseling services to handle a very involved familial conflict. The insurance was able to locate a provider claiming to be fluent in ASL, but really was only able to (barely) sign the alphabet in sign language. The client went to her initial intake interview and was expected to finger spell (slowly as the provider was not handy in deciphering the signed alphabet) all of the answers to the intake questions. Just picture it with me for a minute, imagine you’re distraught and finally seek counseling only to arrive at your first appointment and find not only does the provider not communicate in your language, but you have to put all of your time and energy into expressing your feelings letter by letter. Seriously, “M Y N A M E I S.” style of communication. One would ask, even though it’s also a wrong approach, why the provider had not allowed the client to simply write out responses. The answer – wait for it – the provider was excited to ‘practice’ the alphabet as he was learning it from a book!

Another unfortunate occurrence was with a deaf woman who saw her therapist using an ASL interpreter for the sessions. In the very beginning, all parties agreed to make every effort to keep the same interpreter for each session and they would plan their schedules accordingly. This, for all intents and purposes, makes perfect sense as it would allow everyone to become comfortable with one another and also for the interpreter and client to grow accustomed with each other’s unique signing styles. What started out as a good thing quickly backfired. The therapist and interpreter seemingly became a united front and the client would observe them exchanging knowing glances and often making remarks to one another during the session, appearing to be discussing the client – yet leaving her out of the communication. As you can imagine, trust was quickly lost in the counseling relationship. The client stopped attending sessions altogether. This isn’t to say that sign language interpreters habitually do this.

They’re bound by a code of ethics just as we counselors are. I know many spectacular interpreters who always remain in their role and handle situations with both professionalism and integrity. There are; however; some knuckleheads in the bunch – just like with counselors featured here.

Another scenario was of a deaf gentleman receiving services from a deaf counselor. This was going great, until their social lives began to collide as they often mixed within the same social groups within the deaf community. While they attempted to maintain a strict professional boundary, it became evident over time they were unable to work together as they had too many mutual friends. Consequently, gossip leaked within the deaf community about the client was traced back to the counselor. More than likely it wasn’t the deaf counselor who shared information, but the trust had already been damaged and the counseling relationship ended not on the best of terms.

Deaf and hard of hearing individuals have the right to seek and provide counseling just like everyone else. They also have the right to be able to communicate with ease in the therapeutic setting and be able to work with their counselor in developing mutual trust. I have the utmost respect for counselors who are undergoing training to learn ASL and have a desire to work with individuals with hearing loss. The important thing is for people to be honest and conscious of their skill level – if they’re still struggling with finding signs for simple words to engage in basic communication, they are nowhere near ready to begin utilizing the language in a therapeutic setting. Enlisting the assistance of a professionally trained and certified sign language interpreter to facilitate communicate in the sessions is one way to go – and I have seen this work out remarkably well in many circumstances. Similarly there are many great counselors who are deaf and hard of hearing themselves who can readily separate the professional from the social. The key factor is really what the client prefers and is comfortable with – so leave ‘The Joy of Signing ‘at home and help the client link to a more appropriate referral source or explore alternative communication options whenever possible if your skills aren’t exactly up to par. While it’s not always easy to find an abundance of counselors who are fluent in ASL or who are deaf themselves – they’re out there and I’m proud to be one of them.

https://www.counseling.org/news/aca-blogs/aca-member-blogs/aca-member-blogs/2012/02/22/counseling-deaf-clients-it-s-not-for-everyone

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Sheli Barber: So many of us share the common experience of cultural and language deprivation, audism and identity trauma. This all begins in the hospital. On the day we were born, our parents held us and looked at us with loving gazes. Then the doctor entered the room and announced, “I am sorry, your baby is Deaf.”

A referral to the audiologist followed. The audiologist conducted a test and confirmed, “Yes, your baby is definitely Deaf. I am sorry.” Next was the referral to the cochlear implant surgeon, who said, “Yes, your baby is Deaf. To ensure the best chance in this world for a normal life, I strongly recommend a cochlear implant or a hearing aid. I recommend using speech and simultaneous communication. I recommend your child is mainstreamed with other Deaf students, or alone. Your child needs to interact with hearing peers and hearing family members. Then your child will grow up to be normal.”

The parents believe the doctor knows what is best, so they place the child in a hearing school. The child is wearing tiny new hearing aids or implants, which many of us disliked and insisted on removing. We dreaded and rebelled against having to go to endless and pointless speech therapy sessions. We received praise at school only if we succeeded in passing and behaving exactly like hearing people. If we behaved like we were Deaf, we were criticized harshly. As Deaf children, we learned that it was better to act like we were hearing and do our best to fit into that world. We struggled many times in different social situations, outdoor recess, lunchtime, in classrooms, with our families, at Thanksgiving. We always felt left out and uncomfortable.

It was not until we became adults, that we were finally exposed for the first time to the Deaf community, ASL and Deaf culture, perhaps through college, or the community or work. We were thrilled and excited to meet other Deaf people and finally discover our identity. At the same time, we experienced feelings of resentment about all the years of audism we had experienced.

Many of us went to counseling to unpack the effects of audism, to reclaim and heal ourselves, so we could feel whole again as Deaf adults. Now, with Early Healthy Deaf Identity, we can transform the process by which medical providers approach parents at the hospital. We should celebrate the life of each child. Remember that moment when parents are holding their newborn for the first time? The doctor should come in and say, “Congratulations! Your child is healthy and Deaf! Here are all the information and resources that will help your child grow up to lead a very healthy life as a Deaf person.”

Please know that for more information, you can contact Deaf Counseling Center: www.deafcounseling.com.

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Addiction Treatment Options for Deaf People: For Deaf people who are dealing with addiction (alcohol, meth, opioid, cocaine, etc.), the biggest and most common challenge, aside from asking for help, is the struggle to find accessible treatment programs where staff are fluent in ASL and knowledgeable about Deaf people and Deaf culture. With only a handful of inpatient and residential substance abuse programs available nationally, that are specifically focused on working with Deaf clients, the majority of Deaf people seeking support with addiction end up in hearing-centered programs where access is provided via interpreters.

Challenges in Treatment: In addition to Deaf patients having to deal with the mental, emotional and physical stresses that are typical aspects of the treatment and rehabilitation process, they must also deal with invisible stressors related to audism and oppression. The list of barriers to treatment for Deaf people is long and overwhelming. It can include the treatment program’s initial resistance to providing ASL interpreters; the energy and time expended on fighting for communication accessibility; having to work with counselors, social workers, psychologists and medical staff who are unfamiliar with Deaf people and who may exhibit audist behaviors toward the Deaf patient, whether intentional or not; having to live with, socialize with, and participate in group therapy and other activities with hearing patients who, like the staff, usually have no knowledge of or experience with interacting with Deaf people; constantly having to explain Deaf culture and norms to hearing clinicians, staff, and fellow patients (i.e., appropriate and inappropriate ways to get the Deaf patient’s attention, refraining from asking the Deaf patient to speak with voice); having to advocate for accommodations, including captions on videos and television and light flasher for room door; and limited options for rehabilitation support in the Deaf patient’s home community following discharge from inpatient treatment.

Ongoing Support with Recovery: Each of the challenges listed above adds additional stress to the already difficult and complicated recovery process. Dealing with the isolation of treatment can be traumatic for Deaf people whose lives may have been characterized by constant isolation if they were the only Deaf member of a non-signing hearing family or even if they came from a Deaf family but attended mainstream school programs without Deaf peers. Rehabilitation programs, while essential to recovery, can also trigger emotional wounds, making the recovery process even more complicated. To provide support, Deaf Counseling Center offers outpatient individual and family counseling with Deaf counselors and therapists who are fluent in ASL and experienced in working with Deaf clients. Please feel free to contact us at info@deafcounseling.com for more information.

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A disproportionate amount of attention is given to the perceived “benefits” of speaking and hearing, no matter how perfectly or imperfectly the Deaf child is able to do this. Very little attention is given to the social, emotional, psychological, and educational harms that occur when Deaf children are denied access to ASL. These deserve attention.

Anyone invested in Deaf children’s well-being should be aware of the costs incurred when teaching spoken English comes at the expense of healthy development in other areas.

To read more about the psychological impact of oralism, see below for a link to an article co-authored by Sharon Duchesneau and the letter writer.

http://sk.sagepub.com/reference/download/the-sage-deaf-studies-encyclopedia/i3490.pdf

Dr. Candace A. McCullough, CEO
Deaf Counseling Center

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Discrimination-induced Trauma: Situations like this one happen far more frequently to Deaf people than many of us realize. They trigger acute stress disorder (ASD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. This is a perfect example of the domino effect of trauma. First, the Deaf person is traumatized by the prison experience, then by the difficulties involved in finding ASL-accessible and Deaf-friendly legal help, and then by the frustrating process of finding accessible counseling and psychological services. This is all on top of a lifetime of enduring the effects of oppression and discrimination. HEARD (Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf) is one organization that is working to promote equal access to the legal/justice system for individuals who are Deaf and for people with disabilities.

Outdated Equipment: Too many hearing-run institutions and organizations remain clueless about the fact that TTYs – teletypewriters that allow typed communication by phone – are obsolete. Major David Kidwell, the director of the Arlington County jail that wrongly imprisoned the Deaf man, stated that the jail’s TTY machines are used by Deaf inmates with great success. In 2015, when videophones, emails, and text communication have replaced the old-fashioned TTY, it is distressing to think just how many more uneducated people out there are still championing TTY use and calling it equal access. How is it equal access, when 95% of Deaf people do not even own or use a TTY in this day and age? In our Deaf-centered counseling practice, no TTY has graced our desktops for more than a decade. On a serious note, we need to push for educational trainings not only for prisons, but for all hospitals, agencies, and other organizations.

To cite: Duchesneau, S. & McCullough, C. (2015, March 19). Deaf Man’s Trauma in Virginia Prison. Deaf Counseling Today. Retrieved (date retrieved), from https://deafcounseling.com/deaf-mans-trauma-in-virginia-prison/

Related articles:

Jails and Prisons

Rights of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Inmates

Deaf Prisoners in Florida Face Abuse and Solitary Confinement

Trauma in the Deaf Population by Deaf National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors

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Take action against discrimination:

1.  Document every situation involving discrimination. If you need help writing, ask a family member or friend, or get professional services from a Deaf-friendly business such as T.S. Writing.

2. Discuss the problem and your needs with your supervisor. Look for solutions such as reasonable accommodations (interpreters, assistants, etc.).

3. Talk to your EEO or HR department. They may be able to work with your supervisor and come up with accommodations.

4. File an ADA complaint online . Use this link: Americans with Disabilities Act Discrimination Complaint Form.

5. File an EEOC complaint. See this link: How to File a Charge of Employment Discrimination.

6. Get legal advice from an employment law firm or lawyer specializing in employment law. If possible, find a Deaf lawyer who may be more familiar with your issues and able to communicate easily with you.

7. Get support from  Deaf Counseling Center. When appropriate, your counselor can write letters attesting to the negative impact of workplace discrimination on your mental health. These can help strengthen any formal complaint or lawsuit you may file. Our counselors can work with you to develop strategies for coping with workplace discrimination and its emotional impact.

8. As a last resort, do your best to find another job.  Consider taking the self-employment route and starting your own business where you can be your own boss. More and more Deaf people are running their own businesses and finding success (i.e. Mozzeria). Connect with your local Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR/DORS) for support.

To cite: Duchesneau, S. & McCullough, C. (2015, March 5).Deaf Employees and Workplace Discrimination. Deaf Counseling Today. Retrieved (date retrieved), from https://deafcounseling.com/deaf-employees-and-workplace-discrimination

Related articles:

Deaf Customers Sue Starbucks for Discrimination

EEOC Sues FedEx for Not Accommodating Deaf Workers

Toys R’ Us Discriminated Against Deaf Job Applicant

Gallaudet Intern Sues NPR, Alleging Employment Discrimination

People with Invisible Disabilities Fight for Understanding

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