MEET OUR GRADUATES: Deaf M.S.W. Student to Become Counselor for the Deaf

One of RIC’s notable graduates this May is M.S.W. major Talia Jackson, a 35-year-old, deaf, single mother of four. Jackson intends to become a licensed clinical social worker, specializing in counseling the deaf and hard of hearing who have mental health or substance use disorders.

“There’s a critical need for mental health and addiction recovery counseling services for the deaf and hard of hearing,” says Jackson, signing through her interpreter. “In Rhode Island there are no services for this demographic.”

She explains that “if you are deaf or hard of hearing and you want to receive counseling in Rhode Island, more than likely you’ll have to bring an interpreter with you because only a handful of therapists can sign.” That poses a problem for some. Therapy sessions are meant to be private. The thought of having an interpreter sit in on your session causes some people to forego therapy altogether. By becoming a counselor who also signs, Jackson will be filling a critical need.

A native of New Jersey, Jackson became deaf at the age of five after a bout of meningitis. She transferred to a school for the deaf, where she learned American Sign Language (ASL) and then mainstreamed into a hearing school. Along the way, she learned to survive in a hearing world by being resourceful and assertive. She admits that for the deaf and hard of hearing, navigating this world is a challenge.

One of the challenges she faced at Rhode Island College was finding an interpreter who had the intellectual capacity to understand graduate-level course work. “If the interpreter doesn’t understand the content, I won't understand it either,” she says. Jackson went through several different interpreters in order to complete her program at RIC. 

She also faced the challenge of translating her English textbooks into ASL. “English is my second language. ASL is my native language. What I found was that a lot of the English words and concepts in my textbooks didn’t have an equivalent in sign language. I’m happy that my professors were willing to sit down with me during office hours to help me understand the content and to make sure I benefited fully from the program. They’ve been very supportive.”

To improve interpreter services in Rhode Island, Jackson volunteered to sit on the Ad-Hoc Interpreter Referral Services Committee at the RI Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. RIC requests interpreters through the commission.

“One of the major problems we cited was a lack of interpreters,” she says. “I’ve missed classes several times because there were no interpreters available. I wound up meeting with the professor outside of class to make up for the days I missed.”

“The commission must also do a better job of educating agencies on how to submit a request for an interpreter,” she says. “Many agencies don’t know how to submit a request. We, as a committee, are trying to develop policies and procedures to educate them.”

The fight for access and services is an everyday fact of life for Jackson and many others in the deaf and hard of hearing community. What motivates her and keeps her going, she says, is her children. “I have four beautiful children. They are ages 11, nine, seven and my youngest is three,” she says.

During her tenure at RIC, Jackson not only carried the heavy responsibilities of a parent but the responsibilities of a student. Each day she would get her kids off to school, take them to soccer practice after school, lay out their clothing in the evening, pack their bookbags with homework and snacks, make sure they were bathed, put them to bed, then clean the house. At around 10 p.m. she would sit down to do her homework, studying until two in the morning.

“It was a struggle, but I did it for my children,” she says. “I want to ensure that they have a better life than I did, and the best way to do that is by completing my degree.”

Jackson’s advice to other students with disabilities: “Know that life presents itself with challenges, but never give up. Regardless of your disability, never give up.”

Talia Jackson is a recipient of the Rose Butler Browne Award, which is given to a graduating student who has demonstrated leadership potential through effective, current performance in a leadership role and through recognition of leadership skills by their peers or supervisors.