Deaf Survivors

Emotional Impact

Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing communities face the same forms of sexual violence as the hearing community, plus additional risks specifically related to their deafness.  The biological fact of hearing loss does not itself create greater risk, but rather abuse of power over individuals perceived to be disabled creates their vulnerability.  Though deafness is often defined as a disability, many Deaf people do not identify as having a disability but rather as members of a distinct cultural group and linguistic minority. 

Deaf survivors experience many of the same emotional responses as other survivors who have experienced sexual trauma—anger, anxiety, confusion, depression, difficulty with emotional and physical intimacy, dissociation (commonly referred to as “spacing out,” or detaching body awareness from feeling), helplessness, hopelessness, isolation, low self-esteem, self-blame/self-hatred, and shame.