Hand to Hand eV.

When deaf or hard-of-hearing people have a worry, a problem, or a crisis, they need people who understand their language.

Hand zu Hand eV offers psychosocial counselling for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, deaf and mixed deaf/hearing families, as well as hearing relatives of deaf adults:

• People from Bremen, the region and the surrounding area can use the service free of charge.
• The counselors can use sign language and are bound by confidentiality.

When faced with challenges and problems, people have the opportunity to remember what they have already accomplished. In the case of previously unknown, challenging life events, a good book can help, a radio program on the topic can provide inspiration, and people in one's personal circle (friends/acquaintances) might have an idea for a solution.

When hearing people feel they can no longer manage their situation alone, they can choose from a wide range of support services. However, the numerous psychosocial counseling and therapy services available to hearing people remain inaccessible to all hearing-impaired individuals who rely on sign language communication.

Since 2006, deaf, hard-of-hearing, and partially or completely deaf people in Bremen have had a point of contact. Whether the death of a loved one, processing experiences of violence, or a growing awareness of substance abuse is impacting their daily lives, deaf and hard-of-hearing people are left to cope with all their problems and crises alone if there is no specialized, accessible counseling and therapy service available to them.

Written language skills:

• Furthermore, deaf people usually have difficulties with reading, as German Sign Language differs significantly in grammar from spoken German.
• It is comparable to the difficulties that hearing people (usually) would have in understanding a French daily newspaper or an English textbook.
• Due to the inability to hear and deficits in written language, deaf people are also almost completely cut off from other ways of obtaining information:
• Deaf people cannot access information through all media. Furthermore, there is no access to crisis intervention or therapy for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, as there are no psychotherapists or doctors in Bremen who are proficient in sign language.