Tag: Mental Health Awareness

How the Mental Health Reshapes in the Deaf Community

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How the Coronavirus pandemic is reshaping the mental health in the Deaf community. Important to focus on “reshaping” and understand. May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

American Sign Language (ASL) is the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Rights are important. Why? ASL is the form of ‘speech’ of the Deaf. Communication, information, and knowledge by accessing to ASL in counseling. That is your right. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

When the COVID-19 crisis affects Deaf people’s well-being, mental health–they would seek Deaf-centered counseling. The quality of Deaf counseling is the greatest tool to decompress any kind of stress. The gain of the mental health reminds of Paddy Ladd, the Deaf author, Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood, writes:

“It has become clear, too, that the rapid growth of this contact, combined with the quality rapid growth in unexamined use of the Deaf culture concept, has created a situation in which Deaf cultural research is needed as a matter of maximum urgency.”

Deaf-centered counseling is truly a dedication, they are the front line helpers. Many solutions can help Deaf citizens to feel stress-free. When counseling is being deprived of this pandemic, in a hearing world, where Deaf people often fall under a wrong agenda, struggling with language deprivation.

The mental health awareness in the human welfare of the Deaf, seek for better guidance through Deaf-centered counseling to provide resources, should not be simply a struggle of the human mind, body, and spirit.

Mental health awareness also should not be a struck in human struggle, but to serve the public awareness as possible for the Deaf community to have a valid reason why Deaf-centered counseling on the front lines of this pandemic is forever in debt to provide every Deaf person.

Please visit:

Deaf Counseling Center

Much grateful,

-Jason “JT” Tozier

 

National Deaf Therapy: Misrepresenting Mental Health

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When Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) & National Deaf Therapy (NDT) continues their silence and still stand with this:

‘HATE IS NOT A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE’

Did they just gaslight the Deaf community? Communication Service for the Deaf and National Deaf Therapy, are both attempting at the framing of the way Deaf people think; Both carry the same idea: without necessary and proper exposure to change, deficit thinking is necessary, and ignorance is the direct problem of the human brain.

How humans are afraid of change and what they do not know, in which the Deaf community shall live in the ‘dark figure’ cave. The Deaf community is chained so that they only can see the wall, and that was the goal.

Communication Service for the Deaf & National Deaf Therapy has yet to begin where Deaf people are because they claimed that hate is not a mental health issue in the Deaf community. To date, it has failed miserably.

The experience of National Deaf Therapy in the instruction of the Deaf has shown in great concerns that also exists in mental and physical conditions, and incapacity for truth, censorship is nothing new. Censorship is one of the highest forms of oppression in the Deaf space and limiting valuable access even though it fosters thinking critically, expression, and advocating ideas effectively for the Deaf community.

Deaf people do experience hate (crime, speech, literature, et al) because they are public figures in the Deaf community, for instance, we, as the country, are much too extreme and have let the media feed people’s fears far too long. How would we prepare to do something to help minimize this cycle of social injustice? Why should the Deaf community continue to be penalized by this very society that is unforgiving and hypocritical?

Deaf people remain as a scapegoat for fear, hatred, and ignorance.

‘Hate is not Mental Health Issue’: violates the Eighth (8th) Amendment of the United States Constitution that prohibits imposing cruel and unusual punishment. It is cruel to punish Deaf people for life when they experience hate. Often the path of explanation and clarification is easily connected to denials. The lack of power in the Deaf community.

A leading cause of stress is a change; Acknowledging that there is more that needs education, training, and embarking on a journey that requires courage, due to mental health field, and learn how to stop the nature of fear. Individuals who currently oppose hate as a mental health issue mirror the truth dwellers, and the term, ‘Deaf’ had been exposed to a form of hate where they face dangers every day. Communication Service for the Deaf and National Deaf Therapy needs to be honest about it.

This kind of realization that is critical that we must not lose access to the material. It is diametrically opposed to the American Dream and the future of democracy for the Deaf community. There is a lot of difficult things in the foundation of this country.

This powerful ideology puts a human face of the Deaf, who survives hate crime across the country. That is what happens when it comes to a Deaf person in America where they do not exist. It is a scar of knowledge, to the “mental health professional” like National Deaf Therapy, which is the symbol of power by the oppressive society.

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I highly recommend this book to read. As I wrote in my older post (December 8, 2017, Understanding Stigma about Deaf People:

“One of the most difficult issues for the survivors of stigma is thinking how widespread the stigma is. As bad as stigma in Deaf community may be, where is the direction of making some effort, through community help, to reduce stigma about Deaf people and increase awareness for Deaf people?”

-JT
Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier
This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.

 

 

 

 

Christopher Soukup: CEO, Communication Service for the Deaf

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“In the collective mind the intellectual aptitudes of the individuals, and consequence their individuality are weakened.”–Gustav Le Bon, La Psycholgie des Foules, 1895

Dear Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) CEO Christopher Soukup:

Since you are the Mighty Chief of CSD Social Venture Fund (SFV) and the majority stakeholder for National Deaf Therapy (NDT) to invest in business owned by members of the Deaf community, you control the information, using misinformation to shield, and in consequence, as you wrote in June 2016:

“As a not for profit organization, we remain committed to pushing out our resources into the community—in the form of tangible action and new products, programs, and services that make our world a better place for everyone. Careful and responsible management of our resources is an absolute reflection of our integrity and our commitment to you.”

The reflection of integrity and commitment is nothing to replace better than this. Since you put (NDT) in your power, misleading the Deaf community that the message: “Hate is not a mental health issue” is greatly problematic. The hardest part what you wrote: “Careful and responsible management”

There are plenty of valid-proven academic articles by well-versed professors and experts that hate is a mental health issue. Unlock the power of hate and action. For one, NDT argue that it is not a mental health issue differs from, and Deaf citizens punished more severely; because it betrays the expression of ignorance.

On the surface, this appears to be a problematic with significance: Deaf citizens do experience hate, derives from truth, in the same manner as all of us. The language deprivation of “hate”, although intentional, is no less truth.

Deaf people has a deep-longing to live as powerful people, to share their stories within our Deaf community and to make connections because they have suffered an inordinate amount of language deprivation that has left them deeply wounded.

“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.”–Maya Angelou

Hate: Crime, speech, literature and culture. For example:

Dr. Merzenich in his own reference with the print from American Psychological Association: “The simple fact is that if [American Deaf culture] could be reliably wiped out, it would be a good thing to wipe out. (Fischer & Lane, 1993)

As wiping out the culture, language, souls, and stories is very much part of hate in the broadest sense of mental health issue. The deprivation of truth will affect Deaf people’s usability, life security, and stability, would also affect in higher education. It would take the high road–boldness and healing.

The denial of hate leads to a societal taboo that would reject Deaf people in general. The sociological and punishment as punishing hate articles have plenty of merit that hate is indeed, recognized as mental health issue.

The rule of law whether it lacks the most where it represents the moral view of the Deaf community, is it accurate enough for NDT under your leadership to formally announce that hate is not a mental health issue as it is powerfully damaged, misleading the information and seeing the statement in print is even more painful.

Deaf citizens illustrates the fact they struggle in their own values or liberty that cannot easily reconcile with the community and becomes a difficult time to value their own individualism and self-constructed to begin their journey as survivors of dealing with hate, whether the forms of hate, through self-destructive in attempting to grasp its own path to escape oppressive judgement of systematic oppression to curb their struggles.

Being told by NDT in the direction of your leadership such as careful and responsible management, Mr. Soukup, the only freedom Deaf survivors of hate could reasonably negotiate in their lives was suffering enough pain. The denial of hate as a mental health issue abides by the society customs for the refusal, or flippancy towards, the mental state is severe enough.

Yet, you approved the idea that hate is not a mental health issue clearly a decision making table and decide the best for the Deaf community is questionably concerned lacking compassion and leave the results on the benefits of politics and power. As to put this:

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”-Jedi Master Yoda

-Jason “JT” Tozier

Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including copyright message.

 

 

Is Hate a Mental Health Issue in the Deaf Community?

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Written English transcript:

 

This is a video response for National Deaf Therapy (NDT)—

Hate is a form of oppression that a countless number of Deaf people encounter. Normally, we think of “hate” is referred to, even invisible number of Deaf people are being swept under the rug.

However, National Deaf Therapy claimed that ‘Hate is not mental health issue.”

The forms of hate can be found in: bullying, Audism, discrimination, taunting, making offensive comments, judging, power of abuse, public shaming and forth where Deaf people experience every day. Can we admit the truth that there are lots of Deaf people has experienced some type of bullying? Compassion? The chain reaction of shaming, could bullying lead to hate? Will National Deaf Therapy resist this?

Is there some kind of close connection between the right to stand up against hate and separation from power-struggle in the spirit of Deaf people?

Behind it all, of course, was most neglected problem Deaf people face that was thought to be under attack and why it would allow this to happen.

The American Psychological Association (APA) and The Psychology of Hate Crimes at APA Public Interest Government Relations Office in 2017 has stated:

“Hate crimes are a public mental health issue.” Will National Deaf Therapy agree with APA?

In 2016, Huff Post published a powerful article: Hate Is a Mental Health Issue by Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen writes:

“We need to recognize this type of hatred for what it is, a sign of severe emotional disturbance. And we need to take more responsibility for those around us who seem to be suffering—before their pain becomes unbearable and is turned inward against themselves or outward……. This type of overwhelming, all-consuming hatred cannot exist within an emotionally healthy human being.”

“Further tragedies can be prevented if we pay attention to the signs of emotional suffering—in ourselves and those we love—and, if we take responsibility for reaching out to those in need, to those who are falling through cracks.” In 2018, James M. Shultz, Tanya L. Zakrison, Sandro Galea in Hate and the Health of Populations,

“Against this backdrop, there should be little question at this point that hate is a powerful motivator of harm against others. The direct consequences of hate—including violence, discrimination, and marginalization of out-groups—are associated with poor health. Apart from the direct physical harm they inflict, hate-induced actions are associated with substantial mental illness effects.”—

“Recognizing that hate is a determinant of health puts the issue squarely within the remit of the population health community, pushing us to consider what we can do to address hate.”—Shultz, Zakrison, Galea.

Hate is indeed, a mental health issue. It is normal for Deaf individuals like yourself to have this kind of reaction, and it is important to understand that hate is not a joke. Yet, National Deaf Therapy questions the cause and effect to describe Deaf people not to experience hate, as a mental health issue is questionable.

In 2007: My essay was written for hate crimes and bias class,
Negative Perceptions of Deaf Individuals in Relation to Knowledge of American Sign Language:

“Yet this most stigmatized group is not often viewed through the lens of compassion and understanding, only modern forms of old ignorance. The Deaf community has gone through considerable evolution, but hate crime remains invisible in face of society.” (Tozier, 2007)

“As I have been told again and again, the experience of Deaf victims of hate crime has been traumatic. Life has been hard for them. Deaf people have toiled and fought on behalf of the society that has violated their human rights, dealing with manipulation, ignorance, denial of basic civil and language rights, among many other injustices. Deaf people struggled with the land and the lawless nature of American society. Hate crimes against them have been largely under-reported, under-investigated, and under-prosecuted.” (Tozier, 2007)

Either pin down truth or denial. In those experiences, hate incidents that truly happened, like the making final decision of hate, as non-mental health issue is questionable. As the Deaf community become objective in their own experience, they separate it from themselves.

Yes, hate should be a mental health issue in the Deaf community. There is no place for hate in the Deaf community. Should hate as emotionally, psychologically, and sociologically denial for the Deaf community? Why or Why not?

Please visit jasontozier.net

-JT

Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including copyright message.

REFERENCES:

Hate and the Health of Populations

https://www.psychologynj.org/njpa-s-public-statement-on-acts-of-hate-and-violence

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hate-is-a-mental-health-i_b_7653430

The Hidden Shadows of Stigma

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What is stigma and why is it important to be educated about the term, ‘stigma’ that impacts the Deaf community today and tomorrow? Everybody is fighting his or her own personal battles that you know nothing about. Stigma is a huge part of mental health.

The Power of CSD: Managing Information in Deaf Community

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The information must free itself from the old known. To the Deaf community and the media everywhere in the world through social media—the only freedom lies in the unknown because whatever is known cannot be ignored from the past. Whatever the media learns the facts from Communications Service for the Deaf (CSD) about whoever the Deaf-owned organization were bounded, as soon as it put words around Deaf people’s experiences, it might affect them as state of being Deaf getting lost.

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness is an important learning experience for adequate mental health services in Deaf community. Deaf Counseling Center (DCC)–the first-Deaf owned counseling by Deaf women since 2001 has been the pioneers of mental health services with web-based platforms through Videophone (VP), FaceTime, Zoom, all the available platforms as long as I can remember back to year 2010 when I first learned about DCC through my Deaf friends from several states in America whom themselves been helpful thanks to web-based platforms.

It is the strongest proof that DCC had been the first-ever counseling organization to stay ahead even in technological wonders. It is a marvel invention!

Mental health awareness, may be challenging to slip what little remains of the Deaf community that limits Deaf people seek for help, and DCC takes a bold step, justifies empowerment whatever it takes to help Deaf people since year 2001 in a growing movement in both human interaction and web-based platforms to address a variety of social and life skills.

Sure, there are many Deaf communities around the world, for so long Deaf people have defined themselves in opposition to how the general society has viewed Deaf people, and they have defined themselves, and been defined, by that which seemed to be in them as most different, but their struggles alone in Deaf community with lack of access to mental health, not its difference from the society defining who Deaf people are, and the access to mental health services makes them better.

CSD’s website: Challenging Misconceptions Since 1975.

“For over 40 years, Communications Service for the Deaf has been working hard to create opportunities that allows each Deaf person to discover their gift that they bring to the world.” 

For almost 20 years, Deaf Counseling Center has been working hard to create healthy mental health services that allow each Deaf people to empower their well being that they can make all the difference available in Deaf community. It is no easy feat, and they deserve all the hard work.

However, the pioneer by Deaf counseling through web-based platforms who been labeled on the wrong side had been approved by CSD not to recognize DCC as the first Deaf women owned counseling to offer web-based platforms is biggest mistake. DCC is the primary source for its first ideas in American Sign Language (ASL), and nowhere else are intense intellectual debates in ASL a common part of DCC’s mission values. When DCC is silenced, Deaf community is silenced.

It is not the first time CSD had neglected pioneers in Deaf community claiming that they have the right information because of the enumerated powers forging their homework done by CSD researchers or decision makers–yet, 18 years later, CSD said that DCC is not the first Deaf women owned counseling organization to offer web-based platforms is a flagrantly neglected, to CSD’s advantage and give National Deaf Therapy (NDT) the honours that they claim they were the first Deaf women owned therapy organization to offer web-based platforms whom just created baby steps just a year ago (2018)–It is something CSD needs to challenge its own misconceptions.

-JT

Copyright © 2019 Jason Tozier

This text may be freely copied in its entirely only, including this copyright message.