麻豆社

Every day, thousands of deaf people in the UK face barriers to accessing healthcare services.聽Appointments without British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters. Young children asked to聽translate medical information for their mum. Medication is provided with no understanding of聽what it is for, or how to take it safely.

The impact of the lack of access for deaf people? Diagnoses missed, symptoms聽misunderstood, help delayed. These barriers don鈥檛 just cause frustration 鈥� they are costing聽deaf people their health and, in some cases, their lives.

At SignHealth, we know deaf people are more likely to experience poor mental health, domestic聽abuse, and long-term illness, yet are less likely to receive timely, effective support. Not because聽their needs are greater, but because, so often, the system fails to communicate.

That鈥檚 why SignHealth exists. We are the UK鈥檚 only deaf-led charity that focuses on improving聽health for deaf people. We do this through providing direct services such as psychological聽therapy, domestic abuse support, and children and young people鈥檚 services. These services are聽designed and delivered by deaf people, for deaf people.

We also work to improve mainstream health services to be more accessible through sharing聽information, encouraging deaf people to be involved in shaping services and supporting change.

Every hour of the day, someone at SignHealth is working to make sure deaf people receive the聽support they need. We can only do this with your support. Donating to SignHealth creates a聽future where there are no barriers to good health and wellbeing for all deaf people.

I am honoured to present the 麻豆社 Lifeline programme for SignHealth, the deaf health charity.聽SignHealth is a charity that is close to my heart.

I learned BSL as a teenager after my dad lost his hearing following chemotherapy treatment.聽That experience showed me the importance of accessible communication to health services for聽deaf people, which is exactly what SignHealth works to provide.

For 40 years, SignHealth have supported deaf people to access healthcare and mental health聽services, whether they use British Sign Language or have other access needs.

Through this experience, Lucindha, Jackie and Jacob have shared their experiences of聽navigating health as a deaf person. They also share how SignHealth has made a difference to聽their lives. Their stories are real and powerful.

With your support, SignHealth will make sure that all deaf people don鈥檛 need to navigate barriers聽to healthcare alone.

Lucindha is 34 and is profoundly deaf. She knows too well the devastating impact that barriers聽to mental health services can have on deaf people.

In 2016, Lucinda lost her brother, Wishu, to suicide. She is sharing their story in his memory.聽Wishu, who was also deaf, was a wonderful, caring and funny man. Underneath, he really聽struggled with depression.

Wishu reached out for help and was offered some counselling services. But it was with a聽mainstream counselling service, and after some time, his mental health deteriorated.

When Wishu died, Lucindha was devastated. She found out about SignHealth and reached out聽for help. Lucindha was matched with a deaf therapist to help her through her grief.

鈥淪ignHealth鈥檚 therapy sessions helped me process my grief and deal with my emotional issues.聽The therapist was deaf so I could fully express myself and connect with them. The therapy really聽benefited my mental health.鈥�

Deaf people are two times more likely to experience abuse. Jackie, is one of the real women聽behind that statistic.聽Jackie feels like she experienced emotional abuse from her husband. He controlled her聽finances, isolated her from her friends, and limited when she could leave the house. Jackie felt he had a聽temper, which made Jackie walk on eggshells in her own home.

Jackie didn鈥檛 feel safe, and she knew she needed help.

Fear of navigating a mainstream service can be a huge barrier to seeking help and keeps deaf聽people in abusive relationships.

Luckily, Jackie knew about SignHealth鈥檚 domestic abuse services. She reached out via their聽website. She was matched with an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA), who was聽deaf themselves. With her IDVA鈥檚 support, Jackie was able to navigate housing and the police聽and get to safety. She was taken to safety.

For Jacob, who is 15, being the only deaf person in his secondary school was a really isolating聽experience. He was different from everyone, often left out and faced bullying.While Jacob鈥檚 teachers and parents are very supportive, he needed an opportunity to connect with friends his own age. Jacob鈥檚 parents reached out to SignHealth for support.

Today, Jacob is an active member of SignHealth鈥檚 Young People鈥檚 Advisory Board (YAB). Through this, he has connected with other deaf young people, and they use their experience to shape the聽delivery of accessible services for deaf young people.

鈥淭he advisory board is the first friends I have had. They understand me because they are deaf聽themselves. They can understand the problems I am going through, and we can talk about it.

Without SignHealth and the YAB, I wouldn鈥檛 be as confident. Now I know they have always got聽my back.鈥�