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LGBTQ+ Resources

Optimizing Access for Deaf Survivors

  • Recorded 06/07/2022; 106 minutes

Join us to learn strategies for optimizing access for Deaf survivors. In this webinar, Aracelia Aguilar and Brian Berlinski from DeafHope will share about the lived experience of Deaf survivors. You will learn specific strategies to implement in your advocacy work that creates meaningful access. 

Through this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Identify key differences between a medical and cultural framing of being Deaf
  • Give specific examples of systemic barriers experienced by Deaf survivors
  • Describe strategies for effective communication with Deaf survivors

Presenters:

Aracelia Aguilar is a Latinx community member who is one of the Empowerment Directors with DeafHope in Oakland, California.  Aracelia focuses on Direct Services, working with Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Survivors in the Deaf Community.  Aracelia dedicates her time to survivors with intersectional experiences, addressing challenges and barriers within the system that prevent healing as a whole also exploring options that provides healing.  Aracelia also focuses on teen dating violence with residential and mainstreamed Deaf Youths.  

Brian Berlinski works as an Empowerment Director at DeafHope, a nonprofit organization that provides services to Deaf survivors of interpersonal and systemic violence. Brian received his B.A. in Fine Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology, and his M.S. in Art Therapy from Nazareth College. Brian is a published author of a book on art therapy with Deaf children, and he has co-authored a journal article on the use of forensic drawings. At DeafHope, Brian provided art therapy to youths who have been affected by violence in the family. In addition to public presentations and trainings, Brian has provided culturally affirmative, trauma-informed services to survivors. Brian has taught American Sign Language and Interpreting Preparation Program courses at a local community college. He has also worked for over ten years as a mindset strategist, providing coaching support to individuals, intimate partners, families, educators, and nonprofit teams. Through the integration of the arts and the tools of mindset transformation with his daily commitment to doing anti-violence and anti-oppression work, Brian delivers on the collective vision of a world that is generative and equitable for all people.

ASL interpretation for this session was provided by Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre.  

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    WARNING!

    If you are being stalked or abused, take steps to keep your abuser from knowing you are looking for help. Please use a safer computer, or call 911, one of Delaware's local hotlines at 302-762-6110 for New Castle County or 302-422-8058 for Kent & Sussex Counties , or the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224.

    EMERGENCY "QUICK ESCAPE" BUTTON

    There is a red Quick Escape button in the lower right-hand corner of every page on this website.
    Click this button if your abuser enters the room while you are viewing this website. It will close this website and redirect your browser to a neutral page.

    Clean up Your Online Path

    Internet Safety

    Everything you do online is recorded. It is IMPOSSIBLE to clear your tracks completely. Your computer stores hundreds of bits of information about everything you do with your computer, including information about which websites you've visited, your passwords, and what your emails say. An abuser can easily track the websites you visit or read your email messages.

    If you suspect your activities are being monitored, they probably are. Abusers are often controlling and want to know your every move. You don’t need to be a computer programmer or have special skills to monitor someone’s computer activities – anyone can do it and there are many ways to monitor your activities - even without having direct access to your computer. Using a separate computer is best, but you can protect yourself at home by familiarizing yourself with processes like private browsing, deleting your browser history, clearing your cache and deleting cookies.

    You can be tracked

    Your abuser can track your online actions – there is nothing you can do to remove your tracks completely. If you try to erase your tracks, your abuser might become suspicious.
    If you think you might be in danger, use a computer at a public library, internet cafe or a trusted friend’s house. If your abuser sends you email, do not open it on those computers.

    If you need help now, call 911 or the
    New Castle County Domestic Violence Hotline: 302-762-6110
    Kent & Sussex County Domestic Violence Hotline: 302-422-8058
    Kent & Sussex County Bi-lingual Domestic Violence Hotline: 302-745-9874
    US National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233
    US National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-4673
    US National Teen Dating Violence Helpline 1-866-331-9474

    Email Safety

    Email is not a safe or confidential way to communicate.

    Sending email is like sending a postcard through the mail. Anyone along the path can read what it says. If you need to talk to someone about the danger or abuse in your life, if possible, please call a hotline instead.

    If you must use email to discuss your situation we suggest you use an account that your abuser doesn't know about. Set up a new account with a free email service like hotmail, yahoo, or gmail.

    Password Safety

    Be smart about passwords to keep your abuser out of your accounts.

    DO NOT use a name or password that contains any identifying information (no names, nicknames, initials, birthdates, zipcodes, etc.) Instead use a name and password that contains a random mix of letters, CAPITAL letters and numbers (for example, HJ3v67Tn) -

    Make sure you can remember the user name and password. If you must write it down somewhere, put it in a place your abuser is unlikely to find it.

    If the computer asks if you would like it to save your password or login information tell it NO.

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