Vulnerability of Deaf Children to Abuse
According to the defunct U.K. website Deaf Children and Child Protection, a 1989 study showed deaf children were "five times" as likely to be abused as hearing children. Because of their communication difficulties, deaf children are especially vulnerable to being abused.Where Deaf Children Have Been Abused
Abuse takes place in families, and at schools for the deaf. The abuse at schools is usually but not always sexual in nature. More information is in the About Deafness article on Sexual Abuse of Deaf Students in Schools.Treatment Programs for Deaf Abused Children
Specialized clinics and organizations aid or advocate for abused deaf children. One is the Advocacy Council for Abused Deaf Children in Los Angeles, California led by Five Acres. Additional examples are the Rochester, New York Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Victims, and DOVE in Colorado. More treatment programs are mentioned in the About Deafness article on mental health. In the U.K. there is A Voice for Deaf Children and informational services to educate about the problem of abuse of deaf children.Articles on Abuse of Deaf Children
Marge Elder's essay, "Abused Because of Deafness?", in Moving Forward Newsjournal, vol. 2 number 5, September 1993, examines the communication issue and refers to professionals. A longer article by Elder, "Deaf Survivors of Sexual Abuse", in Moving Forward Newsjournal, vol. 2 number 5, Sept. 1993, looks at available statistics, at how the "smallness" of the deaf world inhibits deaf adults from discussing abuse, how abuse affects residential schools, and the difficulty of obtaining treatment.Additional articles include:
- Sullivan, P.M., & Knutson, J.F. (1998). Maltreatment and behavioral characteristics of youth who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. Sexuality and Disability,, 16(4), 295-319, Winter 1998.
- Sullivan, Patricia M., Brookhouser, Patrick, and Scanlan, Michael. Maltreatment of deaf and hard of hearing children. In: Hindley, Peter / Kitson, Nick (eds): Mental health and deafness. London : Whurr Publishers Ltd. (2000), pp. 149-184 .
- Sullivan, Patricia M., Vernon, McCay, and Scanlan, J.M. Sexual abuse of deaf youth. In: American Annals of the Deaf 132: 4 (1987) - pp. 256-262
- Deaf Life magazine (June 1995, number 12) - cover story, "The Ordeal of Benita Venegas," about an abused deaf teen.
- Several more publications and resources can be found through the International Bibliography of Sign Language, keyword "sexual abuse."
Library Resources on Deaf Child Abuse
Resources found in the Gallaudet Library catalog:- An abuse prevention program for deaf & hard of hearing children , by Judith L. Mounty and Rebecca J. Fetterman. Paper presented at a convention of the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf in 1989.
- The Abused deaf child: the role of the social worker with deaf people, paper presented at a British conference, around 1991.
- Child abuse and the deaf clinical population: reported prevalence and associated factors, doctoral thesis at the University of Arkansas, 1991.
Educational Materials on Abuse of Deaf Children
The captioned media program has videos on child abuse, such as:- Child Abuse Prevention: A Guide for Adults
- Eternal Scars: Physical and Emotional Child Abuse (also available as a streamed web video)
Conference Presentations on Abuse of Deaf Children
Additional professionals have presented at conferences. For example, Richard Embry, a former Columbia University professor of social work, had listed these on his website:- "An Examination of Risk Factors for the Abuse of Deaf Children," Society for Social Work and Research, 2000.
- "An Examination of Risk Factors for the Abuse of Deaf Children," Research in Education of Individuals with Disabilities, 1999.
- "Child Abuse and the Deaf Child," Inter-University Consortium, Training to Los Angeles County Department of Children's and Family Services Workers. 1994.
- "Child Abuse and the Deaf Community: A Community Response," 6th National Conference on Abuse of Persons with Disabilities, 1993.
- "Special Services for Abused Deaf Children: Private/Public Bridges to Culturally Competent Services," 10th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1993.
Were you abused as a deaf child? You can share your story anonymously with About Deafness/HOH for inclusion in this article.
Related About.com site: Special Children
