Fighting Addiction in the Deaf Community
Birnbaum Interpreting Services’ support of accessibility for all walks of life is subsumed by a bigger issue of equal opportunity for all. In part because of the pandemic, the opioid epidemic has dissolved into the background recently. The opioid epidemic is but one of countless public health crises surrounding addiction—a problem that’s persisted for thousands of years without successful intervention. BIS supports the science-based work that supports the notion that addiction, far from a moral failing, is a medical issue that deserves to be treated as such.
That’s why Birnbaum Interpreting Services has teamed with AddictionResource.net, who reached out to us in hopes of spreading awareness about addiction in the Deaf community as well as those with low or no vision. BIS CEO, Brian Birnbaum, has also taken it upon himself to assume more responsibility in this field. “I see this as an issue that, without more attention, will impact us all,” he says.
Other resources for those in the Deaf community afflicted by addiction include:
Deaf Addiction Services at Maryland (DASM)
American Addiction Centers (AAC)
Lydia Callis (Huffington Post essay)
Deborah Guthmann & Vicki Graham (Substance Abuse: A Hidden Problem Within the D/deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities)
Tracy Bell Koster and Debra Guthmann (Substance Abuse & the Deaf/HH Community)
Katherine Clarke (Community Outreach Specialist @ DetoxRehabs)
Our partnership with Addiction Resource is just a beginning. BIS continues to seek ways to provide support for those suffering from addiction within the Deaf and HoH community.