Baltimore resident Calvin Taylor was addicted to cocaine, but if he had walked into a Narcotics Anonymous meeting he would have found no help ? he is deaf, and interpreters are rarely at meetings.
Instead, Taylor found the Deaf Addiction Services at Maryland, part of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He has been sober for three and a half years.
Based in the Walter P. Carter Center at Maryland?s Baltimore campus, Deaf Addiction Services launched in 2000 and has since provided substance abuse services to deaf people throughout Maryland, which boasts the largest deaf population in the nation.
Although small, all six staff members know American Sign Language, Laurie Yaffe, founder and director said. They provide substance abuse assessments, support groups, anger management, counseling, literacy education and case management
“When you?re trying to have a relationship with a therapist, it?s hard to build up trust if you have to use an interpreter,” Yaffe said. Maryland has the highest per capita deaf population in the country.
Yet many residents are not aware of the challenges facing the deaf and hard of hearing. Even bright hearing-impaired students may become frustrated, unable to understand what the teacher is saying. They may feel isolated and angry at home with parents who do not learn how to sign, Yaffe said.
For those who escape to drugs, finding a physician who offers an interpreter is a challenge, she said.
“The fight is unbelievable,” Yaffe said. “You?re talking about people who?ve been using drugs who may have STDs and don?t have access to doctors.”
With limited funding, staff has worked hard to reach clients across the state. They currently have one case manager, Lisa Blumenthal, who said she spends much of her time driving to different locations.
She helped Taylor find a job and an apartment. Now his children come to visit him.
“Before was awful,” Taylor said. “I was sick and I needed help. I was getting high all the time. Everything is peaceful now that I?m clean.”
