DEaf Abuse Free service

For deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing women living in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire who are experiencing or have experienced abuse, we provide a range of free services:

• One-to-one support service
• Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy
• Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy (Derby/shire only)
• Community outreach
• Court work
• Workshops
• One-to-one sessions (Freedom Programme) on types of abusers and their behaviours. Learn how to protect yourself for future relationships
• Provision of free safety equipment, for e.g. Video doorbell.  (Eligibility criteria applies. Please contact us first)

Who is this for?

Women who are:

• Deaf, whose first language is BSL
• deaf
• hard of hearing
• deafblind
• experiencing acquired hearing loss
• BaHa / Cochlear Implant users.

This also includes those who:

• LGBT+
• Black and Minority Ethnic
• Have disabilities and/or health conditions.

All support sessions and workshops are inclusive with having BSL interpreters, and captions.

Different types of abuse in BSL

Please visit Spring Derbyshire – Supporting you to make changes to find out more about the different types of abuse.

Case Study

“I was physical, mental, coercive, and emotional abused by my former partner for a few years. When I fled with my child to a refuge, I was lost and I didn’t know what to do. When my advocate came to the refuge, it’s lifesaving: she helped me with signposting, talking to my employer, talking to social workers and supported me through everything like the courts progress. I was the only deaf woman in the refuge, and I was isolated from the deaf communities, because my former partner was also deaf – so her visits also helped in that sense, to have someone to communicate in my language in a safe space. My advocate also taught me the Freedom Programme which I learnt so much and the most importantly, that the abuse is not my fault at all. I used to be a broken woman, but I came out a bit more confident, stronger and more empowered – all thanks to Deaf Abuse Free and Deafinitely Women”.

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