Mental Health Services for the Deaf: A Focus Group Study in New York’s Capital Region

Improved functioning is typical when deaf mental health consumers are removed from inaccessible programming and placed in accessible environments. Observed gains have long-provided convincing evidence that social interaction (in sign language) is essential to recovery from mental illness. Still, many deaf people reside in psychiatric settings alongside others with whom they cannot communicate. A focus group was convened to investigate services in New York\u27s Capital Region. Identified barriers included lack of deaf clinicians, scarcity of qualified mental health interpreters, and funding restrictions. Grass-root efforts are needed to advocate for increased accessibility and a fuller range of treatment options for deaf consumers