Mental Health and Deaf Community

We are committed to supporting the mental health of the deaf community.

Our platform provides accessible resources for deaf individuals across the world.

About Us

Welcome to Deaf Mental Health Matters (DMHM)—a dedicated platform designed to support the mental well-being of individuals with deafness. Despite being one of the most common disabilities worldwide, deaf individuals often face significant barriers due to societal exclusion and a lack of accessible mental health support.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 430 million people worldwide, more than 5% of the global population, experience hearing loss. Deaf individuals are at greater risk of experiencing mental health challenges than the general population, yet they encounter limited access to information and a global shortage of professionals trained to communicate effectively with them.

Our Mission

DMHM aims to bridge these gaps by providing culturally and linguistically tailored digital tools to make mental health support more inclusive and accessible. While we piloted our project in Bangladesh, where 9.6% of the population is deaf or experiences hearing difficulties, our resources can be adapted for use in any setting to meet specific cultural and linguistic needs.

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About Us

What We Offer

Developed through a collaborative co-design process with deaf individuals, sign language interpreters, and mental health professionals, DMHM provides:

  • Electronic flyers with easy-to-understand mental health information
  • Video content featuring sign language explanations
  • A Mental Health Sign Language Bank, clarifying key mental health terms such as stress, depression etc. for deaf individuals

These resources are primarily available in Bangla, with English subtitles to enhance accessibility. However, they can be adapted to different languages and cultural contexts to ensure global impact.

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Project Testimonials

"Working on this project showed me how vital mental health is for everyone. We discovered new terms that never existed in our community's vocabulary—words like depression, which we had never fully understood. Before, we expressed emotions with just four words: sadness, joy, pain, and liking. Through this project, I realized that mental health is far more complex and expansive than we ever imagined."

Md. Abdullah

— Md. Abdullah, deaf community representative

"I hope this project helps my community understand mental health, empowering us to support ourselves and each other with compassion."

Safika

— Safika Abedin Ruhi, deaf community representative

"We co-created new signs with the hearing-impaired community, building a vocabulary that captures nuanced emotions and deepens mental health understanding. Seeing our community grow more aware and empowered, I feel a deep responsibility to spread this knowledge further. Every new sign we create is a step toward liberation."

Arafat Sultana Lata

— Arafat Sultana Lata, Sign Language Interpreter