Professional psychology and deaf people: The emergence of a discipline.

Abstract

This article depicts obstacles and opportunities that face students and consumers who are deaf and who interface with the profession of psychology. The rapid evolution of scholarship, specialized education and service programs, and related professional endeavors regarding psychology and deaf individuals is described. The emergence of a field of professional psychology and deaf people as a discipline in its own right is posited. Professional standards and ethics in this emerging discipline are discussed, especially those pertaining to fluency in American Sign Language (ASL) and to the accessibility of deaf people to the profession of psychology as well as to the services of the profession. The potential for the American Psychological Association to further or hinder this emerging discipline and the advancement of all psychologists with disabilities are considered.

Treatment of Deaf Clients: Ethical Considerations for Professionals in Psychology

“…According to Pollard (1996), the publication of “A Dictionary of American Sign Language,” by William Stokoe and colleagues in 1976 was the catalyst for bringing deaf/Deaf students and consumers in to contact with professional psychology. This dictionary is considered a “watershed event” given its careful examination of the structural elements of ASL (Pollard, 1993), which brought legitimacy to the Deaf community in the eyes of many hearing persons, including those individuals within the mental health field (Pollard, 1996).…”

“…This dictionary is considered a “watershed event” given its careful examination of the structural elements of ASL (Pollard, 1993), which brought legitimacy to the Deaf community in the eyes of many hearing persons, including those individuals within the mental health field (Pollard, 1996). Since the 1990s, there has been a continued growth in the number of programs offering mental health training for deaf/Deaf people alongside the hearing (Pollard, 1996). However, there has been a long history of lack of training of deaf/Deaf individuals in doctorate level psychology programs as well as a lack of acceptance of trainees into internships and the workforce.…”

“…Glickman and Crump (2013) explain, “Clinicians who do not speak the consumer’s language are at a huge disadvantage in assessing their strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas of psychopathology” (p.128). Further, Pollard (1996) pointed out that understanding ASL and the associated culture is a critical aspect of evaluating psychiatric presentation and symptomatology and that language “is a key element in the accessibility and effectiveness of mental health treatment…” (p. 391). Although it may not always be possible for psychologists to learn ASL, it is possible to gain a more comprehensive understanding or competence related to Deaf culture and the use of ASL in order to ensure ethical assessment, diagnosis, and evaluation.…”

Revisão de literatura sobre o atendimento ao paciente surdo pelos profissionais da saúde

“…Thus, it is urgent to train healthcare professionals to treat these patients. Also, in order to assure access to healthcare, it is advisable to study communication methods, deaf culture, sign language fundamentals, lip reading and how to behave in terms of assistance to deaf people (19,21,23,(27)(28) .…”

Holistic Aural Rehabilitation: a Challenge

“…A number of persons in the groups mentioned above have additional disabilities, such as vision loss (Reiners, Nagel-Wolfrum, Jurgens, Marker & Wolfrum 2006, Nikolopoulos, Lioumi, Stamataki & O'Donoghue 2006, intellectual disabilities (Holt & Kirk 2005) or emotional disturbance (Sinnott & Jones 2005, van Eldik 2005, Pollard 1996, Steinberg, Sullivan & Loew 1998; situations that call for an extended range of skills in order to be able to offer adequate rehabilitation programmes and proper diagnoses.…”