A psychiatric program for deaf patients.
The following article describes the growing awareness of the need for mental health services for deaf patients, the evolution of a well-defined treatment program and the complexities of implementing a program for the deaf. The initial naivete resulting in misconceptions about program needs are addressed and the attempts to rectify them are presented. Finally, there is a detailed presentation of our first pilot year of functioning and the attendant successes and problems, as well as a description of our first formal year of operation and a critique of our present status.
D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D003638:Deafness / Q000523:psychology*; D006744:Hospital Bed Capacity, 100 to 299; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D015143:Philadelphia; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012813:Sign Language