Dr. Stephanie Logan is the CEO of DeafLEAD, a Columbia-based group that advocates for and supports the Deaf and hard of hearing community.
DeafLEAD is of the two providers in the country for a new video phone service that will offer crisis counseling and American Sign Language through 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. She spoke about why offering crisis services in a Deaf person's native language is important.
Missouri Health Talks gathers Missourians’ stories of access to healthcare in their own words.
Stephanie Logan: It's a huge difference. Number one, it's accessible for Deaf people who use ASL, are Deaf, hard of hearing – like the whole group of people that identify as a person with a hearing loss or use ASL as their first language to communicate or want to use ASL to communicate in a crisis.
ASL – American sign language – is not English. It's a separate language of its own. [It] has its own grammar, syntax, structure, everything.
And so, one of the struggles that people have is – if you meet a person that's Spanish – using Spanish as their first language and you have an interpreter who's interpreting into English – you don't assume that Spanish is English just because the interpreter is interpreting what they say into English.
You know, you've learned that Spanish is a separate language from English.
So, we have Spanish 988 access for people to do with chat, text and phone, because we know it's a separate language.
ASL is a separate language and so, recognizing that and providing this line is – it's just incredible. It's really recognizing the need to provide a separate crisis line for the Deaf community, and I'm thrilled.
It's that connection, it's that connection that you feel when – there's a sign where it – in sign language – where it's like, I understand and you understand, we get it, like we get it, and we connect.
And when I'm talking about something that relates to my experience as a Deaf person and the other person is Deaf too and understands, you know, that experience as a Deaf person – there's a connection that no other person that's not had that experience that you can really relate too, right?
"We need that connection with someone who understands our experience."Dr. Stephanie Logan
I'll say another thing, you know, my 20 year-old-son passed away last year, in March, and it was, it was devastating. It was the worst possible thing – to fentanyl poisoning, and I will tell you, that the people that I connected with the most were mothers that had lost their sons, you know, they really understood, there was this mutual understanding.
And so, the grief support that I've received through this last year and a half – I have wonderful friends and wonderful family, but the best support that I've received is through that connection with other mothers who have lost their children.
So, I'll say that in the Deaf community, we need that connection with someone who understands our experience.
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Si tú o alguien que conoces necesita apoyo, llama al 988.
