Deaf4Deaf

25/03/2026

What a powerful turnout for Mental Health Knows No Rules at the Royal College of Nursing.

An evening that felt raw, creative, and deeply human — where poetry, music, and lived experience brought forward the realities of Deaf mental health in ways no clinical framework alone ever could.

Richard D France, through his work including Deaf Noise, held the space with honesty and courage. His storytelling confronts stigma and gives voice to the emotional cost of being unheard — while also creating connection, reflection, and hope.

Alongside him, Victoria Nelson shared the ongoing work of building Deaf-led, Deaf-centred therapy. Through Deaf4Deaf and in collaboration with organisations such as BSMHD, Signs of Hope, and Deafinitely Women, this is not just service delivery — it is system change. A future where Deaf-centred frameworks are essential, not optional.

Herbert Klein brought a lifetime of contribution — spanning NHS services, international collaboration, and leadership across ESMHD and BSMHD. His work continues to emphasise visibility, partnership, and strengthening Deaf mental health globally.

What stood out was the shared thread between them:
• Advocacy grounded in lived experience
• Deaf-led innovation and leadership
• A long-standing commitment to change

Different journeys — but a common vision:
A mental health system that truly works for Deaf people.

This wasn’t just an event.
It was a reminder that change is already happening — through collective voice, courage, and action.

19/03/2026

Mental health knows no limits.
But access still does.

Too often, Deaf people are told therapy is “accessible” — as long as it’s through an interpreter.

But therapy is not just communication.
It is connection, language, and being fully understood.

Victoria Nelson, Director and Founder of Deaf4Deaf, will be speaking at the Mental Health Knows No Rules event hosted by the Royal College of Nursing.

https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/events/mental-health-know-no-rules

📅 24th March
⏰ 6pm

Victoria will explore why Deaf-centred mental health frameworks are urgently needed — and why interpreter-only access is not enough.

This work is supported by organisations including the British Deaf Mental Health Society, Deafinitely women and Signs of Hope.

Because equality is not access through an interpreter.
Equality is being understood in your own language.



Thanks to Richard D France from DeafNoise who is leading the conference. You need to book a ticket to join. See you there.

04/03/2026

Mental health impacts aren't always visible, making PIP applications difficult.

A specialist report from DisabilityPlus offers detailed insight into how your condition affects daily living, mobility, and fluctuating needs, providing crucial validation for your claim.

Expert evidence for your PIP review. 👇 https://www.disabilityplus.co.uk/personal-independence-assessment-report/



Image Description: "A promotional image featuring a professional woman in a power wheelchair sitting at a desk in a bright office. She is holding a pen and taking notes on a notepad while conducting an online video call. Her large computer monitor shows a man in a manual wheelchair gesturing as he speaks to her from his living room.

In the top left corner, a blue banner reads: 'Support Your PIP Claim with a Specialist Mental Health Report'.

In the bottom right corner is the 'DisabilityPlus' logo with the tagline underneath: 'Changing Futures for the Better with Accessible Psychotherapies'.

25/02/2026

Justine, one of our D4D therapists with her video on "why we need counselling?"

Captioned video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5TOxisyiUs

https://www.disabilityplus.co.uk/bsl-counselling-psychotherapy/ for links to self-funded private counselling/therapy or NHS funded (in some regions of the UK) counselling/therapy.

20/02/2026

I fully support this message.

As AI continues to develop — including AI therapy platforms and even AI-generated sign models — we need to remain thoughtful and cautious.

Technology can increase access. It can support information-sharing. It can reduce barriers.
But it cannot replace the depth of human connection, lived experience, cultural attunement, and relational accountability that sits at the heart of therapy.

For those of us working within Deaf communities, this is especially important. Language, identity, oppression, trauma, and power dynamics are not data points. They are lived, embodied realities. A trained human therapist brings ethical responsibility, relational presence, and the capacity for repair — things no algorithm can truly replicate.

AI may assist.
It must not replace.

Human connection is not optional in therapy. It is the work.

New guidance on the safe use of mental health apps has been published, a welcome and timely step as more people turn to digital tools for support.

We welcome clear standards that will help protect users, strengthen data security and promote evidence-based care in a fast-growing market. However, safeguards must keep pace with innovation so people can trust the support they’re accessing.

Read more here 👉 https://orlo.uk/AkOxm

06/01/2026

Different deaf people need different kinds of support — and we should be able to choose what helps.

Deaf mental health must be plural, not binary.

Views?

When I read Sally Austen’s article on The Limping Chicken about deaf mental health services, I found myself nodding along. She’s absolutely right: the system we have doesn’t make sense. In some pla…

06/01/2026

Looking forward to this workshop.



Led by Victoria Nelson

This workshop will look at what healthy relationships really mean, focusing on boundaries and patterns for clearer, less tiring relationships.

🌿 FREE Healthy Relationships workshop - BOOK NOW 🌿

For all women with hearing loss in Mansfield - Join a friendly and welcoming group of women with hearing loss to learn, laugh, and relax together!

💬💗 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Healthy Relationships workshop - Explore how to communicate clearly, set boundaries without guilt, and repair relationships after conflict. Learn how to stay calm under pressure, feel heard, and build healthier connections at home, work, and in the community. Facilitated by Victoria Nelson - psychotherapist, and director of Deaf4Deaf

📅 Friday 16 January
⏰ 11:00am – 2:00pm
📍 Education Room, Mansfield Museum
Leeming Street, Mansfield, NG18 1NG

🚗 Parking nearby (£1 per hour): ♿ FREE parking for Blue Badge holders

Toothill Road – NG18 1NW
Toothill Lane – NG18 1NN
Handley Arcade – NG18 1NJ

♿ FREE parking for Blue Badge holders

We look forward to welcoming you to this supportive and engaging workshop 💜

Book now via Eventbrite https://zurl.co/Grn8o

📲NGT/Text Relay 18001 01773 828233 Text: 07421 827162
✉️info@deafinitelywomen.org.uk

30/12/2025

Thanks to 'Being the Other' for the quotes and reflections in 2025. As we approach 2026, this quote matters.

We became accidental activists not through anger,
but through years of being unheard.

Deaf4Deaf is our refusal to be quiet, compliant, or perfect.

In a world that rewards speed and sameness,
we choose presence, difference, and care.

Silence does not protect us.
Community does

21/12/2025

20/12/2025

My Xmas message to you all.
For all Deaf4Deaf clients — past and present — and for our wider Deaf community, friends, family, and allies: we hold you in our thoughts.

Dinner Table Syndrome (DTS) can be painful. To sit at a table, surrounded by voices and laughter, yet feel alone, unseen, or left outside of the moment — that touches something deep. It can stir sadness, anger, shame, exhaustion, or old memories, especially at this time of year when the world expects us to be merry.

If you find yourself needing space, that is not failure — that is care.
It is okay to step away, to breathe, to move, to draw, to wash dishes, to do a puzzle, to feel the weight of your body in the chair, to ground yourself in what feels safe and real.

Your reactions make sense. Your feelings are valid. Your body is speaking truth.

And please remember: you are not alone in this experience. For so many Deaf people raised in hearing families, this scene is familiar. The isolation is not yours to carry alone — it belongs to a wider pattern, a systemic reality.

Tonight, and every night and day, may you feel seen, held in compassion, and connected to a community that understands.

Sending warmth, solidarity, and gentleness.

Happy Xmas and Happy Holidays.

20/12/2025

My Xmas message to you all.
For all Deaf4Deaf clients — past and present — and for our wider Deaf community, friends, family, and allies: we hold you in our thoughts.

Dinner Table Syndrome (DTS) can be painful. To sit at a table, surrounded by voices and laughter, yet feel alone, unseen, or left outside of the moment — that touches something deep. It can stir sadness, anger, shame, exhaustion, or old memories, especially at this time of year when the world expects us to be merry.

If you find yourself needing space, that is not failure — that is care.
It is okay to step away, to breathe, to move, to draw, to wash dishes, to do a puzzle, to feel the weight of your body in the chair, to ground yourself in what feels safe and real.

Your reactions make sense. Your feelings are valid. Your body is speaking truth.

And please remember: you are not alone in this experience. For so many Deaf people raised in hearing families, this scene is familiar. The isolation is not yours to carry alone — it belongs to a wider pattern, a systemic reality.

Tonight, and every night and day, may you feel seen, held in compassion, and connected to a community that understands.

Sending warmth, solidarity, and gentleness.

Happy Xmas and Happy Holidays.

P.S if you want to have therapy/ counselling, self- paid or NHS you can go to this link: https://disabilityplusforms.com/deaf-focused-referral/

17/12/2025

Workshop on Emotion Recognition
A great session with a fantastic group — interactive, engaging, and full of thoughtful reflection.

Participant feedback included:
Solidarity • Powerful • Worthy • Happy • Satisfied

Thank you to everyone who joined us.
We’re really looking forward to delivering more D4D workshops in 2026.



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