What are Che experiences of Deaf and hard-of-hearing students in applying for predoclora! internships in professional psychology? Are internship programs aware of accessibility issues in regard to these applicants? Federal laws, accreditation guidelines of the American Psychological Association, and rules of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers require that internship training programs provide access for interns with disabilities. Compliance with these requirements is still evolving, however. Several recent examples of violations are outlined, and specific laws and ethical issues involved are discussed. Internship training centers must have information on their obligations regarding the provision of accessible services to Deaf and hard-of-heaiing trainees, the adverse impact on applicants of certain interview questions and comments, and ways to provide equal access to training for qualified Deaf and hard-of-hearing students.Internship is a required part of any clinical psychology training program. Without approved internship training, it is impossible to obtain a doctoral degree from an accredited program or to gain entry to state licensing examinations and become licensed as a clinical psychologist. The fact that the internship application process has been described as an arduous experience for any clinical psychology student is well documented (e.g., Oehlert, Lopez, &
The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 mandates that psychologists provide equal access to services for persons with disabilities. Disabled individuals, including deaf and hard of hearing persons, form an important part of the diversity spectrum. Deafness and hearing loss significantly affect life experiences, development, and the ability to obtain and use services. Psychologists must develop awareness of the implications thereof in order to provide appropriate services in an ethical manner to such clients. This article presents core knowledge about deafness and hearing loss in an effort to enhance this necessary awareness for practitioners not specializing in this area.' The term deaf is used throughout this article to denote individuals whose hearing is disabled to an extent that precludes the understanding of speech through the ear alone, with or without the use of a hearing aid.
Ethical problems encountered by mental health practitioners working with deaf clients are often complex and involve issues not fully addressed in professional codes of ethics. A principles-based ethical reasoning process can assist in resolving many of these ethical concerns. Principles such as beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, fairness, integrity, and respect are found in the ethical codes of many disciplines; these can also create a common language or reference point when professionals from different fields attempt to deal with shared problems. This article discusses some applications of these principles in working with deaf individuals and proposes an ethical decision-making process that can provide a framework for ethical reasoning in thinking through complex problems.
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