HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR DEAF SURVIVORS

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline – Deaf Services
    • Get help 24/7 by calling 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) or 1-855-812-1001 (Video Phone)
    • nationaldeafhotline@adwas.org
    • We have partnered with the Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services (ADWAS) to ensure Deaf advocates are available to respond through email, Instant Messenger, and video phone to those seeking help.
  • DeafHope
    • Our mission at DeafHope is to end domestic and sexual violence in Deaf communities through empowerment, education and services.
  • Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services
    • Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services empowers Deaf and DeafBlind survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment to transform their lives, while striving to change the beliefs and behaviors that foster and perpetuate violence.
  • National Association of the Deaf
    • The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is the nation’s premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America.
  • Deaf Community Advocacy Network
    • DEAF C.A.N.! offers direct client services to individuals and families, as well as community education and information for professional groups.
  • Ignite
    • IGNITE’s main goal is to support the needs of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence.

QUICK STATISTICS

(Source: VAWnet.org)

  • Deaf-specific research on domestic violence is just beginning to emerge.
  • Data from an eight-year survey of college students at Rochester Institute of Technology indicates that Deaf and hard of hearing individuals are 1.5 times more likely to be victims of relationship violence including sexual harassment, sexual assault, psychological abuse and physical abuse in their lifetime.
  • Data regarding emotional abuse identify it as the form of intimate partner violence most frequently reported by deaf persons, with lifetime rates exceeding 25%.
  • Reports of physical abuse appear to be at least as common among the deaf samples, if not slightly more so, as in the general population.
  • Results suggest that sexual violence is much more frequently experienced by deaf persons, consistent with previous research.

DEAF POWER AND CONTROL WHEEL

UNIQUE BARRIERS WITHIN THE DEAF COMMUNITY

(Source: TheHotline.org)

Several barriers exist to addressing intimate partner violence in the Deaf community. These include:

  • Information can travel quickly within a Deaf, DeafBlind or hard of hearing community, compromising confidentiality and the victim’s safety.
  • Law enforcement and shelters are often not skilled at communicating with Deaf, DeafBlind or hard of hearing individuals and often do not have interpreters.
  • Their abusive partners may take away their communication devices.
  • Their abusive partners may give false information to the victim to make them believe they have fewer options.
  • The victim may be isolated from family, friends, services, resources and options.