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WHEREAS, Domestic Violence is no respecter of gender, race, class, ability or any other label and its traumatic effects are only compounded within the Deaf community because of the communication gap; and,
WHEREAS, in order to bridge the communication gap, The Behavioral Health Task Force for Persons who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing of Allegheny County and the website they sponsor called Healthbridges was formed; and,
WHEREAS, this task force is a partnership between the Department of Human Services and community providers with a mission to make behavioral health, wellness, and advocacy resources more available to persons who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind, or Hard of Hearing and thereby increasing effective communication between healthcare providers and the patients they serve; and,
WHEREAS, The Behavioral Health Task Force for Persons who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing of Allegheny County is comprised of 25 members consisting of advocates, consumers, educators, healthcare providers, audiologists, interpreters and representatives from county and state government to raise awareness about the unique needs of this population; and,
WHEREAS, subgroups of the task force were formed to deal with specific issues such as Domestic Violence, which organizes outreach lectures to identify and intervene to better protect the rights and welfare of this vulnerable population in order to enhance the website with educational videos, articles and source links using English and American Sign Language; and,
WHEREAS, by educating providers and patients about disability rights and cultural diversity, the task force hopes to help accommodate a Deaf victim's unique needs; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize the commendable work that The Behavioral Health Task Force for Persons who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing of Allegheny County does for the hearing imp...
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