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Resilience in Deaf People: the Case for "for Deaf, by Deaf' Victim Services <br />"Resilience is understood as a dynamic process of interactions based on factors between the <br />individual's assets and external resources allowing one to persevere in the context of <br />stressors."[49] A 2018 study of mental health providers serving Deaf individuals in the United <br />States identified crucial protective factors in resilience processes for Deaf individuals who <br />have experienced trauma. While some of these factors are similar to resilience factors for all <br />people, some are unique to Deaf individuals. In addition to factors within an individual, the <br />study identified four protective factors for Deaf individuals and those factors are linked to <br />Deaf identity and culture, community, and language: <br />• Identity development: seeing oneself as a member of a cultural and linguistic group and <br />having a positive association with Deaf identity; <br />• Access to language and communication: being able to communicate with a trusted person <br />and discuss trauma efficiently through a shared language; <br />• Access to information, especially through sign language, expands knowledge and breaks <br />isolation; and <br />• Supportive networks: consistent access to people for information sharing, support, and <br />solidarity. <br />The Deaf community and signing peers were both identified as central components of these <br />networks and strengths that Deaf individuals experiencing trauma draw from. This study further <br />supports the "for Deaf, by Deaf" victim services model, as "for Deaf, by Deaf" programs are <br />based on these protective factors and reinforce them within the survivors they serve.[50] <br />26 <br />