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Australas Psychiatry. 2007;15 Suppl 1:85-9.



Enhancing the accessibility of public mental health services in
Queensland to meet the needs of deaf people from an Indigenous
Australian or culturally and linguistically diverse background.



Denman L.





Objective: The aim of this paper was to identify the accessibility
barriers that deaf people from an Indigenous Australian or culturally
and linguistically diverse background encounter when attempting to
access public mental health services in Queensland.



Method: Consultation with key stakeholders was undertaken.



Results: Many of the barriers that deter deaf Indigenous Australians
from accessing public mental health services in Queensland, in addition
to preventing them from having access to the same continuum of care
available to hearing English-speaking people were identified.



Conclusions: Deaf Indigenous Australians encounter significant barriers
when they seek to access public mental health services in Queensland. If
these barriers are to be dissolved to ensure access to the same
continuum of mental health care available to hearing English-speaking
then a series of education and training, research and resource
strategies need to be further addressed.





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