The absence of the ability to hear sounds in deaf people is an obstacle to optimal communication in a predominantly hearing world. Emergency situations harbor sufficient challenge for the hearing person and pose even greater barriers for the deaf and hard of hearing. During disasters and emergency situations, deaf people have great difficulty in obtaining and sharing information, increasing their dependence on others. This article focuses on the experience of deaf people during a period of security threat, when missiles from the Gaza strip were aimed at the civilian population in Southern Israel, in 2009. The aim of this article is to illustrate the complexities that deaf citizens experienced, and describe their coping mechanisms. A qualitative study including 15 heterogeneous-background Deaf participants interviewed by a researcher that belongs to the deaf community using a multiple-method facilitated questionnaire. Data was analyzed using grounded theory methodology principles. Main categories that arose from data analysis were communication problems during emergencies, the pager as a questionable warning device about emergencies (due to timing and content/context issues of its use), and the implications of the location of deaf people at time of emergency. Various channels for conveying information should be examined and created in order to maximize the heterogeneous deaf community's ability to receive vital information during an emergency. Professional sign language interpreters are necessary during emergencies, helping to reduce both dependence on informal sources (such as family members, including minors, friends, neighbors, by-standers) and risk. The development of new technologies may bear potential help for deaf persons during emergencies. Being a socio-linguistic minority, it is recommended to ensure these technologies will be accessible to the whole deaf community.
Languages are dynamic and change over the years. Changes in sign languages have been usually initiated to accommodate the needs of the local Deaf community. With the increase in smartphone use, sign languages are influenced not only by the local Deaf community, but also by foreign Deaf people on the other side of the screen, regardless of their location. Smartphones influence the sign language itself and the Deaf community by connecting different communities of Deaf people through messages, shared information and experiences, and news delivery. The popularity of this technology among Deaf communities is a social phenomenon emerging from Deaf people themselves. Smartphones may promote the globalization of sign language, shortening distances between Deaf communities around the world.
preparedness and having children residing in the household were positively associated with community resilience in lower resilience quantiles (Q10, Q25). Age was negatively associated with community resilience in a low quantile (Q25). The results of the linear model failed to reveal the association between the preparedness measure and community resilience, and demonstrated only the association with age and having children in the household. Conclusion: Encouragement to take actions to increase preparedness, could also help raise resilience in an earthquake scenario. Efforts to enhance community resilience should focus on specific population groups such as childless households (often the elderly). Study/Objective: An interdisciplinary social science framework is presented to answer the question: how to anticipate the psychosocial impact of disasters and crises? Background: The scientific knowledge on health effects, and the quality of aftercare in a disaster context is strongly rooted in epidemiology and mental health care research. Although this knowledge base is sufficient to understand the psychosocial impact, conceptualizing an adequate reaction requires a broader approach incorporating less traditional disciplines such as public administration, organization studies, implementation science, sociology and disaster risk reduction. Methods: The starting point for the development of the framework was a model proposed by Alexander (2012), in which the combination of exposure, cultural and historical factors influences the vulnerability of human socioeconomic systems. This "plexus of context and consequences" determines the human consequences of disaster. Recent research findings from different disciplines were combined into a framework focusing on the psychosocial dimension of disasters and crises. Results: The framework contains three domains. Exposure has a direct impact on the well-being, functioning and health of affected people ("health"). Exposure, history and culture directly influence interrelated sets of capacities at the individual, community and society level ("capacity"). Capacity is linked to health, partly in a paradoxical way -as well as, a third domain: psychosocial support provided by professionals and comprehensive inter-organizational programs ("psychosocial support"). The relationship between psychosocial support and health is amply understood. Theoretically, psychosocial support is most effective when capacity is strengthened and utilized. Conclusion: The framework emphasizes two complicated causal attribution issues, and encourages interdisciplinary research into mechanisms linking domains that generally have been studied as isolated topics. Background: 'Mindfulness' is derived from Buddhist meditation practice. Mindfulness programs have been shown to improve clinicians' perceived stress, anxiety and performance in medical practice. Mindfulness, specifically MBSR, an evidence based approach that uses mindfulness meditation, is successfully used for treatment of PTSD in populations such as vete...
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