The state of mental health care for deaf people is approximately 40 years behind that of the hearing world in quantity and quality of services. One of the biggest barriers to overcome is attitudinal. Deafness is often seen as an illness itself, or as an undesirable condition to be treated. Due to this mindset, many deaf and hard of hearing people have struggled to have their mental health needs supported without becoming subjected to prejudice, and the barriers that come with lack of knowledge about Deaf culture, diverse communication modes, and the intersectional identities of members of deaf communities. Existing policies supporting equitable access for deaf people have proven to be tough to enforce, and will likely continue to be if attitudes are not changed. 

Signed By Stories strives to create a community where deaf and hard of hearing people can join together and share their mental health stories, receiving validation for their experiences while learning how to better support their own and the larger community’s mental health needs. We want this to be a platform where both deaf and hearing people feel empowered with the appropriate knowledge and tools to take action to improve the current state of mental health care for deaf people.