Title

Counseling Issues For Latino Deaf Individuals And Their Families

Abstract

On July 19, 1997, four deaf individuals entered the Queens, New York, police station at midnight with a three-page letter written in Spanish, only to leave nervously without giving it to the police. They reentered the station several times, communicating amongst themselves. Each time, they retreated without communicating with an officer. Their turmoil lasted until 4 o'clock in the morning when they mustered enough courage to submit their letter to the police. At daybreak, they led the police to two crowded apartments equipped with bunk beds, mattresses, and sleeping bags. There the police found a total of 57 Deaf Mexicans including three pregnant woman and 12 young children, all undocumented victims of a smuggling ring who had been forced to work selling trinkets on the streets of New York (Sontag, 1997). The discovery initiated an investigation that led to the arrest of 18 Mexican nationals who were charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens, coercion and harassment, coercion and larceny, and coercion and assault (CNN report, Sept. 3, 1997). According to reports, this investigation led to the discovery of similar operations in Chicago and North Carolina that had started as early as 1988 or 1989 (Gillis & Warner, 1997). The victims, mostly illiterate and poorly educated, had been enticed by ringleaders in Mexico City with the promise of legal papers and a better life in America. The victims were then smuggled over the border by a professional smuggler (called a "coyote") and brought to New York City (Sontag, 1997). Once there, they were stripped of their documents, beaten, probed with electric devices, and forced to work from 10 to 18 hours selling trinkets to avoid being beaten (Sontag). Three young women reported being routinely molested by the boss of the operation. Investigators scrambled to find trilingual interpreters (Spanish-English-American Sign Language [ASL]) to help them communicate with victims who mostly communicated in Mexican Sign Language or a pidgin form of sign language. Counselors were needed to help alleviate some of the trauma endured by these Deaf victims. Communication was crucial to obtain information needed for different processes, including legal follow-up, as well as deportation and immigration status. If you were assigned to one of these cases, would you feel comfortable about providing mental health services? Are you aware of some of the issues involved when working with Latinos? Are you aware of resources in your area that can enhance the quality of care these individuals needed? The likelihood that mental health providers working with deaf persons would encounter Deaf Latino individuals and their families is an increasing possibility given the trends of the population growth in the United States. © 2010 by Gallaudet University. All rights reserved.

Publication Date

12-1-2010

Publication Title

Psychotherapy with Deaf Clients from Diverse Groups: Second Edition

Number of Pages

237-257

Document Type

Article; Book Chapter

Personal Identifier

scopus

Socpus ID

84903117458 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84903117458

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