Abstract
<p>Providing mental health services to deaf people is usually a formidable task. Given the movement to more "ecological" perspective on mental health issues in deaf people, it seems that two important features of successful mental health service delivery to deaf people would include in-depth understanding of experiential and cultural differences among people in the deaf community and development of a sturdy "bridge" between the mental health service provider community and the deaf community. This paper will describe the evolution of attempts in Washington State, from 1984 to 1987, to provide more adequate mental health services for deaf people. On the basis of these efforts, a deaf leader liaison model was developed and is being proposed here as a cost-effective means of meeting the mental health needs of a deaf community.</p>
