Accessibility of Substance Use Disorder Services for the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community

The d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing (d/D/HH) community faces considerable barriers to public services, including medical care. Research relevant to this population across several domains still needs to be explored. What is available is seriously outdated, with very little new research published in the past decade. A review of available studies suggests that this population experiences a high prevalence of risk factors for increased health concerns, including mental health and severe substance use disorders (SUDs). Given the elevated prevalence within the d/D/HH population of childhood maltreatment, trauma, depression, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the links between these negative experiences and disorders with SUDs, it is not a leap to conclude that the d/D/HH may have a significant need for SUD services. However, the d/D/HH population has several unique needs that must be met. Few SUD providers offer specialized services for the d/D/HH community, and standard SUD service providers are generally unprepared to meet their specialized needs. These include cultural sensitivity and linguistic accommodations across all services, from screening and assessment, detox, and inpatient services to recovery support programs. This pilot study will explore the need for SUD services within the d/D/HH population and their barriers to accessing them. Previous research and self-interviews of d/D/HH individuals who have received SUD services within the past two years conducted as part of this study will be reviewed and analyzed to determine the degree of accessibility offered by SUD service providers and the need for further research into this issue. Because of the lack of d/D/HH voices in the development of policies affecting this population, I felt it was imperative to use self-interviews relating to lived experiences of receiving SUD services from d/D/HH participants to collect the data vs. surveying facilities' accommodation readiness.