THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND DEAFNESS
Haarlem, The Netherlands
The European Society for Mental Health and Deafness (ESMHD) convened in Haarlem, The Netherlands, from February 7th to 9th, and renewed its commitment to the Belfast Statement, a declaration of rights drafted and edited by Professor Schwartz, which calls on governments, non-government organizations, mental health care providers and other interested stakeholders to do the following for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late Deafened, and Deaf-Blind people:
Prioritize and promote their right to receive recognition of their linguistic and cultural identity as early as possible to preserve and protect their mental health;
Prioritize and promote the accessibility of mental health services;
Prioritize and promote their right to effective communication access in the mental health care setting from an early age;
Develop evidence-based standards in mental health care practice and early intervention;
Develop demonstration projects in the provision of mental health care services planned and directed by Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late Deafened, and Deaf-Blind people;
Encourage the sharing of best practices in mental health care services for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late Deafened and Deaf-Blind people;
Repeal laws that discriminate against people with mental health needs by allowing only people with physical health needs to refuse treatment; and
Promote the development of specialist mental health care services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate and accessible for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late Deafened and Deaf-Blind people.
See https://tinyurl.com/BFSesmhdstmt.
At the Haarlem conference Professor Schwartz addressed the issue of why the Belfast Statement drafted in 2014 remained vital and necessary. He pointed out that a truism about communication modality in mental health care is that what works for one Deaf person may not work for another, and that the mental health care system needs maximum flexibility in identifying the Deaf person’s communication need and providing effective access to therapy. For example, some people prefer an interpreter, some people prefer reading lips and speaking for themselves.
Hence the importance of the Belfast Statement.
The Statement relies on international law to support greater investment of resources toward two goals: one, training Deaf people and children of Deaf adults (CODA) fluent in sign language to serve as therapists providing direct one-on-one communication in the therapist’s office, and two, training trauma-informed qualified sign language interpreters for the facilitation of effective communication between hearing therapists and Deaf patients in the therapist’s office.
Based on the maxim of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, “Deaf rights are human rights,” the Statement is as relevant now as it was when drafted in 2014. In the words of Irish President Mary McAleese, herself a Belfast native and former Pro Vice Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast, “Access to mental health and well-being [for the Deaf community] is their right. The Belfast Statement insists on the fullest vindication of that right.”
Professor Schwartz identified the goal going forward is the translation of the Belfast Statement into a range of sign languages around the world. This goal motivated Adam McCormick, a local Belfast man, to create three sign language versions of the Belfast Statement: one in British Sign Language, one in Irish Sign Language, and one in American Sign Language. https://tinyurl.com/BelfastStatement. (An International Sign Language version was also created). Professor Schwartz and the ESMHD heartily applauded McCormick in starting the process of creating the Deaf-led Belfast Statement with a global reach.
Professor Schwartz concluded his message: “Let’s get the word out that the Belfast Statement is a beacon of hope for greater access to mental health care for Deaf and hard of hearing people around the world!”
Jody Barney, a Deaf First Nations representative from Australia, Professor Brent Elder, and Professor Michael Schwartz are standing in front of Lanyon Hall, the iconic structure of Queen's University Belfast. The three of us served on a panel focusing on the experiences of people with disabilities in the criminal justice system in both Northern Ireland (Global North) and Australia (Global South) at a Queen's conference in March, 2024.
