Do you struggle to accept that you are deaf? Or maybe your parents/carers struggle to accept you being deaf? This can impact negatively on your identity and your mental health.
Accepting that you are deaf can be a huge process. It can involve a sense of loss or grief for you and your family. But accepting your deaf identity can help to improve your mental health, self-esteem, and outlook on life. Deaf people can have a really good fulfilling life!
Positive attitudes about deafness from other people can have a positive impact on your deaf identity and your mental health wellbeing.
If people show negative attitudes to you being deaf, it can impact on how you feel, and this is important to talk about.
It will help to accept yourself for who you are.
Our deaf staff have created some guidelines for deaf children and young people to work towards accepting themselves as who they are and to build a positive deaf identity:
If you are struggling to accept your deaf identity and feel that it is having a negative impact on your mental health, please contact our team for further advice.