The Orlando Sentinel reports that the National Deaf Academy in Mount Dora has made numerous calls to the local police for help. (The NDA is one of the few residential psychiatric treatment facilities for deaf students.) All these calls have overwhelmed the city's small police force. Not only that, although the Academy has reportedly taken steps to improve things, the nature of the calls that the police continue to receive are a concern for the police. One horrifying example: a deaf teenager wielding a long stick with nails ran after residents and staff.
Sources:
Orlando Sentinel, "Deaf Academy's Troubles Stretch Mount Dora Police Thin"
Orlando Sentinel, "Problems at Natinal Deaf Academy in Mount Dora"
Related on About.com: Mental Health and Deafness
What kind of name for the psychatric center serving the deaf population – National Deaf Academy? That is kinda misleading within the name of academy!
What in the world for the possibility of acquiring wooden stick with nails within pyschatric center? No questions about shoddy security system!
I would be not really surprised that the NDA hire less qualified deaf personnels.
RLM
I don’t know anything about National Deaf Academy, but if it’s a psychiatric treatment facility, wouldn’t it know how to deal with people with serious problems? And it seems like it has (or had) serious security issues.
This is a shame. I’m saddened that the legacy of many eminent ones including a pioneering psychologist involved with this program may or not be tainted.
But, this kind of behavior routinely occurs at state-run deaf schools and their ancillary facilities. The Orlando newspaper had a slow day.
The issues with National Deaf Academy are not new. I’m happy to see that the papers are finally catching on. But children have been hurt there already. Remember the teen who’s injury resulted in an amputation last year? That never made the papers! When they get reviews from Joint Commission, or any other organization, they spend time cleaning up things that could seriosly close them up. The hearing staff are told not to use the intercom and the code for overhead calls assistance are minimized as well (per administration direction)when the facility has representatives auditing them.It’s a peyton place with the nurse manager who is rarely available because he is too busy with his personal endeavors there than the care of the patients/residents. If auditors would come without even slight notice and skip the pretty admin building and go straight to where the cafeteria/nursing department is directly, they would then discover how some of these problems originate. Forget PSI, they don’t want to know, it’s about $$$ with them.The Orlando Sentinel did not have a slow day, they are discovering something that has been covered up way to long and the public would be interested to know if proded further.
I agree whole-heartedly with Goodtoknow’s comment above. It is a terrible place to work!! The residents that live there can act out or get into fights without having to face any kind consequences to their actions. The staff that is hired there has minimal Psych experience if even that. No one ever tries to de-escalate a resident and instead 90% of the time staff makes the situation worse as well as staff also being quick to put a resident in a hold or give an emergency treatment medication. The nurses there are supposed to be in charge but they seem to be over worked and are continually being reprimanded by their nurse manager and the director. As stated from goodtoknow, “the nurse manager is too preoccupied with his own personal affairs” and the director is a liar, a deceiver, as well as a hypocrite because she will say, “don’t do this because it is policy and then she will turn around and do just what she said not to do.” She (the director of the nurses) also teams up with the nurse manager to double team against employees’ “interrogation style” to make employees feel incompetent and like terrible employees. They are too concerned with belittling and reprimanding staff in order to make themselves look good that they don’t do much else around NDA. NDA is full of residents that need direction, rules, discipline and positive reinforcement when they have done well. Does it happen that way? Unfortunately it does not. I’ve seen numerous nurses start and quit and from what I’ve learned over time is that it’s because of the nurse manager and the director. The only nurses who do seem to stay for a while are the night shift and weekend nurses who don’t have to deal with either of them. There is only so much abuse that the nurses/employees can take until they literally get worn out. Also, as goodtoknow said, “the only thing that the people in charge do besides display their power trips in order to condemn employees is to scramble to clean up all the crap that could close them down when anyone important comes to visit.” With all the above said, NDA could be a very nice place to work if they’d rid the controlling people in charge right now and bring in people who actually care about people. The CEO of the company seems to really care about the employees as well as the residents but I feel she is oblivious as to what is happening right under her nose with the nurse manager and director of the nurses running the facility in a manor where they need to sugar coat things to the CEO and then yell at any employee whom even says hi to the CEO without their approval first as if they were hiding things and trying to cover up things from the CEO. I too wish that an investigation would be done or have the auditors like joint commission or any other organization to provide NDA with a surprise inspection so that they could see the true NDA.
Wow I am happy to see that karma is occurring. its true that the deaf academy lets the residents run wild and then absolutely does NOT hold the residents accountable to ANYTHING they do. Ive witnessed numerous times the clients breaking the buildings windows, damaging vehicles in the parking lot, getting into dangerous altercations with their peers punching the snot out of eachother as well as starting riots by ganging up with one another to attack another peer. They most definitely search out the surrounding area of the facility for sharp or hard objects that they can use as weapons against staff and other peers. These residents know what they are doing and no kind of punishment or reprimand is ever given to the them (other than possibly losing their pass to visit someone “ha ha ha-big flippin whoop”) so in turn, they do it again and again and again. It’s rediculous! I’m not surprised there were so many 911 calls and I’m glad it got out to the public. By the way, soooooooooooooooooooo true about the charge nurses and their lack of leadership with condemnation towards the staff as if all other staff were beneath them. hmmmm, I was always taught that every position was important regardless of stature because one position builds off of the other and without the underdog the upperdog is really not all that. In any case, I just came accross these comments and got excited because I know that my feelings toward the academy are not unaccompanied
I’m shocked. I thought having a job at the deaf academy would be so awesome but unfortunately I was WRONG!!! I just quit from there about a week or so ago and let me tell you; the staff are evil and in it for THEMSELVES only. I cared about each and every one of the kids and adults (though it can be trying at times) but the staff just didn’t seem to care at all! The nurses incharge are demanding and always on everyone’s case. I don’t understanding how it can be so one sided. I also don’t understand how the nurses are incharge. I feel like it is a Mental Health facility and so Mental Health should have a little more say in what goes on. Also, it seems like the deaf employees have these big heads where they think that “this is their world” which shows in their interactions with the hearing. I am hearing and I tried my best to sign and communicate with them and would they give me the time of day? “NO!!!” That’s just sad, and it’s not like they have a well running facility to be proud of either. The clients are TOTALLY out of control and none of the employees are even slightly knowledgeable on how to stop it. Seems they make it worse and then they want to blame the reaction of the kid to either their meds not working or being aggressive when in all reality it is just the staff that provoked them to start with. If the staff actually gave a damn about the clients it would make a world of difference. Sometimes that is all they need is a little reassurance that they are worth something and important. We all feel like that time to time and I can’t imagine having to move across the country to stay at a residential facility to just be given tons of rules and I’m not to xpress myself that I miss my family or are upset or that I just wanted a little attention from time to time to let me know that I’m cared about. I really feel sorry for these clients and even understand why they act out. If I was told I have to go to stop crying or being upset because I miss my family or am going through a difficult time and to follow the schedule to a T because they have no staff available to talk to me, then I’d act up too. These clients already have difficulty expressing themselves, why would a facility make it harder for them to do that? It breaks my heart and I wish things would change but unfortunately I know how life is and more than likely it’ll stay the same sad way as long as they make everything look “good” when the auditors are making their rounds there.
I am a person who had my nephew at this place for years and they wanted to put him in a mental Ins. before he be came 21 yrs. old with the help of dhr in Ala. my sister took him out before then that may have been wrong but they left her no choice I feel that every child should be with their family if they are able for years they have kept this child from his family he was not allowed to come home not for his grandfather nor for his grand-mother buriedly they just kept telling him that he would go home this time and that time but everytime it came they had a reason why he could not go I think that it is a shame how the children is being treated there all children are not throw always where I come from we take care are our own please call me @ 209-339-4940
I am somewhat glad people are becoming aware of the fascilities issues… My son now 15 went there for quite a few months until it was quite clear he was sooo mistreated it is public knowledge but, there is some serious issues that they need to fix there… Do sum googling on this fascility and u will find out they are seriously hurting and not helping some of those children….
My son is 12 profound deaf, MR( IQ-62), PDD (autism)and severe mental illness. I have been working with NDA and the state of Kansas to get him help at the facility. After reading these comments, it is alarming. I thought this was a great facility? I wanted him to go for a short term stay just to help him become stable. I will keep researching. We are looking at moving to Texas in order to gain some resources and help that is not offered in Kansas.
This is the first time I have read this about NDA. My son has been there for almost 8 yrs. The staff has done a phenominal job. If you have a child who is deaf and mentally challenged and maybe learning issues then this is the right placement. The staff is skillfully trained to handle tough issues. My son was classic Bipolar as a kid and as I realize it escalates when they go through puberty. He is 18 now and is Schizzophrenia. With the help of the psychiatrist he is doing well on his meds. We are working on him coming home. It’s tough being a parent and having to send your child away but it’s the best for them to learn to function properly. If your child is aggressive and acts out how do you want staff to treat your child? The staff is trained on certain holds to help deescallate the behavior. They definitely have consequences, colors they earn and levels to move up and have less restrictions as they move up to become more independent. They don’t want for anything. Everything is there. Sometimes I think when I read this stuff that parents just don’t want to let go and let staff and professionals do their job. We have very intense kids who need serious intervention. When we stand in the way of that then our child never grows up.They continue blows up, no control, and we become scared that our kid is going to hurt us or others and end up in a far worse situation. I chose this place cuz I went to a group with many parents who had severe problems with their kids and the older ones the parents were scared that they were going to hurt them. That’s what made me send my son to a special school. No way was I going to be in fear of my child and the way he was going I would have. I have no fear of him now. Great job to NDA!
I hope that this place is better now, my child is there at this time. I hated taking my child there but it was something that had to be done.
Well to make a long story short my son was at this place and lets just say I wouldnt let my dog stay there..He was treated horible and have police reports to prove it, nothing im saying cannot be proved…Please Please if you love your children do some real research, my son went throught sooo much and didnt even know at first, until it was too late did get him out but couldnt contact any other parents because they make sure you have no contact with others….Please keep your children away from there…
This place is horrible do not believe the hype My son was emotionally and physically and sexually abused there…They messed up his medications, put him in a facedown restraint which is against the law….I cant imagine what these parents would do if they saw my 3 ring binder of everything that goes on there…I f you need to know call 615-473-3853 Please do not put your children there….If you love them dont leave them, there anyways…