Signs of Change - Designing Hope for Deaf Mental Health

Deaf mental health remains a neglected area globally, especially in low-resource settings. This participatory PhD project co-designed Bangladesh’s first Digital Mental Health Sign Language Bank and produced a series of accessible educational videos and e-flyers to empower Deaf individuals. The approach offers a replicable model for inclusive, community-led digital mental health resources in similar contexts.

Transcript:

Signs of Change: Designing Hope for Deaf Mental Health

Abdullah is 26, Deaf, and from Bangladesh. In my first PhD workshop, I asked him, “Do you know the signs of depression?” He replied, “Words like that don’t exist in our language. No one’s ever asked about my mental health.” He said they use just four signs to express emotions: sadness, joy, pain, and liking.

That moment changed everything.

It made me think of the 466 million Deaf people worldwide—many who can’t express emotions simply because the signs don’t exist—and how that absence of language creates a barrier to care. That’s exactly what my PhD is working to change.

We’re co-creating the first Bangla Mental Health Sign Language Bank—adding signs for anxiety, grief, and hope among many. We’ve built digital flyers and videos—designed with Deaf people, for Deaf people.

This is more than research.
It’s a call to listen to those we’ve never truly heard.