Signed By Stories - the vodcast

About Signed By Me

Signed By Stories is led by individuals who understand how frustrating it is navigate therapy and general mental health support as a deaf person. Especially, when most of the options available to us were created by and for hearing people.

The point of this vodcast, a video-accessible podcast, is to educate hearing people about us. We share our stories to demonstrate we are not isolated in dealing with the challenges we go through every day. Our community does not have the same number and quality of mental health resources and support that the hearing community has. We also don’t have the same level of education, language support, and family support that most hearing people do. This makes things very tough for the mental health of our community. We are in crisis.

During these episodes we share with you our deaf experiences, culture, community, language, identities, how we communicate, our challenges and our Deaf pride. We hope these episodes will help hearing people understand how to better serve and work with us. Because each of us deserves to be well and to be cared for in the language we use.

Who can be a guest?

Signed By Me welcomes all deaf people, inclusive of those who have struggled with their mental health and those who have not. The latter may be people who have offer some type of behavioral health or wellness support to deaf people. We also welcome those who are working on cool, innovative ideas to better meet the mental health access and communication needs of deaf people, for the purpose of supporting our community’s mental health and wellness. Hearing or deaf! For example we may feature community organizers, interpreters, CODAs, GODAs, hearing service providers working in deaf programs, hearing people developing mental health support for deaf people, and others!

These conversations are here so our community can be better understood, feel less alone, and have the opportunity to share healing practices centered in Deaf culture which support us being our whole selves. At the same time, Signed By Me aims to spotlight the stories of those struggling to find support while highlighting the options already out there. Signed By Stories hopes this vodcast will amplify our community and the ideas that we have for our own healing - ones that ensure we are taking the lead in our healing journeys.

Do you want to come on the vodcast? Contact us!

Episode 1

Signed By John Turner

John shares his story because he knows it is important to love yourself and to believe in the strength of your spirit. John fell down hard but he got back up and it was nothing easy. He wants everyone to understand more about themselves. John shares that the gift of the spirit, which he believes he got from God, has helped to save his life. He wants you to know about it and to help others love themselves again.

*This video was originally recorded as a conversation between John and Founder, Emma Hunt. Only John is pictured.

Signed By, John

John Turner w CC.mp4

ID: An opening title card appears. The card has a dark blue background with white text in the center [WARNING: The following video contains material and/or language which may be triggering and upsetting. Topics include gang violence, gun violence, and abuse. Please continue at your own discretion.] John Turner is a Black man with dark black skin. In the video he is wearing a navy blue and light blue striped button down shirt. He is sitting in a library and there are shelves of books visible behind him, as well as brown curved ceiling rafters.

Link to Transcript

Episode 2

Signed By Corey Burrell

Corey shares his story because he wants people to know that there are others in the deaf community who are struggling. Like what his favorite Star Wars character says, "The galaxy is wider than anyone's prejudices". He hopes that others in the deaf community who are struggling know they aren't alone in their fight to find opportunities, acceptance, and understanding. We can come together to overcome marginalization and prejudice in order to achieve our destinies in life.

Signed By, Corey

ID: The video displays two individuals [left to right]. Emma Hunt is a White woman with long, blonde, curly hair. She is wearing a red sweater. In the background behind her are purple walls and a white sliding door. To her right on-screen is Corey Burrell. Corey is a mixed race man wearing a gray hoodie with a graphic of Star Wars character Aayla Secura on the front. He is also wearing a hickory-striped railroad conductor’s hat. Corey is sitting in a black chair with green stripes. In the background behind him is a view of some bedroom furniture, gray walls, and a window. In the background of the video screen at the top right corner is the Signed By Stories logo. The Signed By Stories logo is also enlarged in the footer beneath Emma and Corey’s screens. Their names and pronouns are displayed on each screen, respectively.

Link to Transcript

Episode 3

Signed By Keene Shank

Just because someone is from a Deaf family doesn’t mean that person automatically has the same experiences as all other Deaf people. In this video, Keene Shank shares the many different experiences within his immediate family, including his own. He emphasizes that having a Deaf identity can mean different things for everyone. He also encourages hearing people to listen and learn from deaf people, so both communities can better collaborate with each other.

Signed By, Keene

ID: The title card at the beginning is dark blue with red, light blue, and teal graphics at the top and bottom. There is dark blue text set against a yellow background running horizontally across the page - [Signed By Keene Shank]. The Signed By Stories logo is in white beneath the title. The video shows Keene Shank in the top half of the screen and Emma Hunt in the bottom half of the screen. Both individual’s names and pronouns are displayed in dark blue text against a white background at the bottom left corners. The Signed By Stories logo is in the top left corner of Emma’s screen. The captions run horizontally between both screens, displayed in yellow against a dark blue background. There are teal, green, and red graphics at the top and bottom of the page. The background of the end card is all white with the Signed By Stories logo in the middle. Beneath it is text in dark blue.

Link to Transcript

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