Deaf4Deaf

30/12/2025

Thanks to 'Being the Other' for the quotes and reflections in 2025. As we approach 2026, this quote matters.

We became accidental activists not through anger,
but through years of being unheard.

Deaf4Deaf is our refusal to be quiet, compliant, or perfect.

In a world that rewards speed and sameness,
we choose presence, difference, and care.

Silence does not protect us.
Community does

21/12/2025

20/12/2025

My Xmas message to you all.
For all Deaf4Deaf clients — past and present — and for our wider Deaf community, friends, family, and allies: we hold you in our thoughts.

Dinner Table Syndrome (DTS) can be painful. To sit at a table, surrounded by voices and laughter, yet feel alone, unseen, or left outside of the moment — that touches something deep. It can stir sadness, anger, shame, exhaustion, or old memories, especially at this time of year when the world expects us to be merry.

If you find yourself needing space, that is not failure — that is care.
It is okay to step away, to breathe, to move, to draw, to wash dishes, to do a puzzle, to feel the weight of your body in the chair, to ground yourself in what feels safe and real.

Your reactions make sense. Your feelings are valid. Your body is speaking truth.

And please remember: you are not alone in this experience. For so many Deaf people raised in hearing families, this scene is familiar. The isolation is not yours to carry alone — it belongs to a wider pattern, a systemic reality.

Tonight, and every night and day, may you feel seen, held in compassion, and connected to a community that understands.

Sending warmth, solidarity, and gentleness.

Happy Xmas and Happy Holidays.

20/12/2025

My Xmas message to you all.
For all Deaf4Deaf clients — past and present — and for our wider Deaf community, friends, family, and allies: we hold you in our thoughts.

Dinner Table Syndrome (DTS) can be painful. To sit at a table, surrounded by voices and laughter, yet feel alone, unseen, or left outside of the moment — that touches something deep. It can stir sadness, anger, shame, exhaustion, or old memories, especially at this time of year when the world expects us to be merry.

If you find yourself needing space, that is not failure — that is care.
It is okay to step away, to breathe, to move, to draw, to wash dishes, to do a puzzle, to feel the weight of your body in the chair, to ground yourself in what feels safe and real.

Your reactions make sense. Your feelings are valid. Your body is speaking truth.

And please remember: you are not alone in this experience. For so many Deaf people raised in hearing families, this scene is familiar. The isolation is not yours to carry alone — it belongs to a wider pattern, a systemic reality.

Tonight, and every night and day, may you feel seen, held in compassion, and connected to a community that understands.

Sending warmth, solidarity, and gentleness.

Happy Xmas and Happy Holidays.

P.S if you want to have therapy/ counselling, self- paid or NHS you can go to this link: https://disabilityplusforms.com/deaf-focused-referral/

17/12/2025

Workshop on Emotion Recognition
A great session with a fantastic group — interactive, engaging, and full of thoughtful reflection.

Participant feedback included:
Solidarity • Powerful • Worthy • Happy • Satisfied

Thank you to everyone who joined us.
We’re really looking forward to delivering more D4D workshops in 2026.



Pictures show examples of slides shown.

16/12/2025

Christmas can bring joy, but it can also bring loneliness, grief, and difficult memories.
We’re thinking of everyone in our community who may be finding this time tough. 💙

16/12/2025

Survive the holiday period.
Tips below:

12/12/2025

For self- referral for counselling/ therapy-

Self- Funded
NHS funded
Employment support funded
Etc…

this is the link:

Visit the post for more.

02/12/2025

Join our new monthly signing-safe space for Deaf mental health.

Online via google meet (video platform similar to zoom)

01/12/2025

Going no contact or low contact with your family can be a necessary step for your safety and wellbeing. 💚

No one would ever choose to do this without a strong reason. Setting boundaries is a valid and important way to protect yourself.

You are allowed to prioritise your safety and mental health.

01/12/2025

Who gets you?
It’s the relationship that heals.
❤️

Who in your life really gets you?

Feeling truly understood by someone else is a powerful part of the human connection. It’s these relationships that help us feel seen and supported.

30/11/2025

Locked Out.
That’s the title of the new UK Government report exposing the continuing exclusion of Deaf and Deafblind BSL users from health and social care across the UK.

Its findings are powerful — and painful:
• BSL users are still unable to book GP appointments
• Interpreters are still refused or unavailable
• Deaf people continue to be misdiagnosed or discharged without informed consent
• Access to mental health support remains inconsistent and often inaccessible

For many in our community, this is not surprising.
It simply names what we have lived.

And it is exactly why Deaf4Deaf exists.

As we approach 10 years of providing therapy by Deaf therapists, for Deaf clients, this report reinforces what we have known all along:

Deaf people need — and deserve — culturally competent, BSL-accessible, trauma-informed mental health care.

Mainstream services still struggle to meet these needs.
Deaf4Deaf was created to close that gap.

For nearly a decade, we have provided:
• Direct BSL therapy and supervision
• Deaf-centred clinical models
• Trauma-informed, culturally grounded practice
• A safe space where Deaf experiences do not need to be explained or justified
• Support that recognises the impact of systemic audism, exclusion, and moral injury

The Locked Out report is not just evidence — it is a call to action.

Deaf-led mental health services are not an optional extra.
They are essential, effective, and life-saving.

As Deaf4Deaf moves into its next decade, we remain committed to:
• Challenging systemic exclusion
• Providing accessible therapeutic support
• Training clinicians to work ethically with Deaf clients
• Developing Deaf-led supervision and clinical models
• Advocating for long-overdue structural change

Deaf4Deaf exists because our community deserves better.
And we will continue leading the way.

InclusiveHealthcare TraumaInformedCare DeafCommunity HealthInequality DeafLed

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bsl-user-experience-of-health-and-social-care-in-uk/locked-out-exclusion-of-deaf-and-deafblind-bsl-users-from-health-and-social-care-in-the-uk-full-report-bsl-and-english-versions