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Support for d/Deaf & Hard of Hearing
Research highlights that d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing community members are at significantly increased risk of child sexual abuse (50% report sexual assault) and experience additional barriers to disclosure and accessing support. Individual isolation and limited knowledge of Auslan, become additional barriers to disclosure, making it difficult for community members to articulate what has happened, who is perpetrating the abuse and obtain assistance.
Access to appropriate information and being connected in with other d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing community members are important protective factors for addressing abuse and trauma and enhancing individual well-being.
This collection of Auslan videos was created in partnership with Deaf Connect (formerly Deaf Services Queensland), to support members of the d/Deaf and hard of hearing communities who have been sexually abused in childhood, and their loved ones.
Auslan videos to assist the community
The below 34 Auslan videos were created to support members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities at the time of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and built upon the Living Well Guide for Men booklet.
Upon their initial launch, Brett Casey CEO of Deaf Connect (Formerly Deaf Services Queensland) said:
“Currently the services and information available in Auslan are nearly non-existent. We hope these resources provide a good start to what will be a long and emotional road to recovery and by no means are the end of our work in the area. There is much to do to ensure deaf people are supported throughout their journey. We hope to work closer with the Royal Commission and partner with other organisations to develop a range of supports to assist our community not only to recover, but also to tell their story to the Commission itself.”
Overview of videos
Videos 1-11
Videos 1-11 focus on general day to day things you can do support your overall wellbeing. You can think of this section as about ‘establishing a solid base’ to work from.
The suggestions included are good for everyone, not just those who are dealing with the legacy of child sexual abuse.
We suggest coming back to elements of this section if a topic is unsettling.
A focus on wellbeing does not make the difficult stuff go away, it does however put you in a better place and frame of mind to deal with it.
Video 1 provides an overview of what is sexual abuse. It is important to acknowledge and recognise that sexual abuse is a crime and that the child who is harmed is never responsible.
Videos 12-34
In videos 12-34, we are communicating specifically about some common difficulties faced by people who have experienced child sexual abuse. Include in the videos are some practical tips on ways to deal with and address difficulties.
Prioritise your wellbeing
In choosing to watch the videos, we encourage you to stay connected and prioritise your wellbeing. It might be that you only watch one or two videos at time.
We recognise that the topics discussed can be confronting – please do take care.
Thanks to Deaf Connect
We hope you have found the videos here useful. We would like to thank Deaf Connect and all those who assisted in developing these Auslan resources.
