Making public mental-health services accessible to deaf consumers: Illinois Deaf Services 2000.
Illinois Deaf Services 2000 (IDS2000), a public/private partnership, promotes the creation and implementation of strategies to develop and increase access to mental health services for deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and deaf-blind consumers. IDS2000 has resulted in the establishment of service accessibility standards, a technical support and adherence monitoring system, and the beginnings of a statewide telepsychiatry service. These system modifications have resulted in increase by 60% from baseline survey data in the number of deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and deaf-blind consumers identified in community mental-health agencies in Illinois. Depending on the situation of deaf services staff and infrastructure, much of IDS2000 could be replicated in other states in a mostly budget-neutral manner.
Munro-Ludders
Bruce
B
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Illinois Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health (IDHS-OMH), Chicago, USA.
Simpatico
Thomas
T
Zvetina
Daria
D
D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D008605:Mental Health Services; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities