Deaf World Against Violence Everywhere (DWAVE)

05/28/2026

❤️

Healthy Mind Habits 🧠 👇🏽✨

05/25/2026

You Can’t Control Everything — Social Media, Negativity & Trauma

A mixed-race woman with black curly hair styled in an updo sits quietly on a couch, looking thoughtfully at her phone. She wears a soft purple sleeveless top and a simple necklace, creating a relaxed and natural look. The cozy room is filled with colorful pillows and soft purple lighting in the background, giving the scene a calm, reflective, late-night atmosphere. The mood feels emotional, peaceful, and deeply personal — like a quiet moment of healing, thinking, and processing life.”

05/21/2026

DWAVE was honored to co-present with CRIS at the Attorney General’s Two Days in May Conference.
Rose Larson and Laura Downings led a workshop on language justice and shared a toolkit for evaluating the effectiveness of communication tools. Jason Judy also shared some communication tools and strategies that support individuals who are DeafBlind.
We hope these conversations inspire organizations to evaluate their communication practices and ensure they are prepared to provide effective and accessible communication for the people they serve.

Picture id in each pictures.

05/21/2026

We are back with another video from The DeafMed educating us on test strips and NARCAN. If you would like to know more please reach out! Happy Mental Health Awareness Month!

[Transcript:] Last video we talked about Opioids, Fentanyl, and Xylazine. You might not use these drugs, but maybe a family member or friend uses them. Maybe someone attending a Deaf event is taking one of these drugs, even if you’re not aware of it. It’s very important to stay safe. Two important safety resources include. 1. Test Strips or Test Kits. 2. Narcan. To see if what you’re using has been mixed with Fentanyl or Xylazine, testing strips can be used to check what is in the medication. To use these test strips, you will need to mix the medication with water. Then you dip the test strip in the chemical solution for about 30 seconds. After you have waited 30 seconds, you will lay the test down flat and wait roughly 5 minutes. Results will appear after 5 minutes and show if the drug has been mixed with Fentanyl or Xylazine. Doing this, can prevent overdose and possibly death. Suppose you and another individual are taking drugs together. You suspect the other individual might be overdosing what do you do? If you believe someone might be overdosing, call 911. And while you are waiting for first responders try to administer NARCAN or Naloxone to the person overdosing. NARCAN and Naloxone will reduce the effects of the overdose. NARCAN and Naloxone is a nasal spray medication used to temporarily stop the effects of an opioid overdose. When using NARCAN during an overdose, you can restore breathing and prevent further brain Injury. NARCAN is temporary. It will wear off. It’s important you receive medical treatment after it’s been administered. Even if you don’t use drugs, knowing this information is important and can save someone’s life.

[Video Description:] Video opens with a white woman signing. She has blond hair pulled back in a bun. She is wearing glasses and a gray crewneck with letters outlined in orange, yellow, and red spelling, “Nurse”. She is standing in front of a tan wall. Off to the side there is a shelf with plants and photos. Throughout the video on the bottom there are captions. Video ends with an image of DWAVE’s logo and contact information, “DWAVE, Deaf World Against Violence Everywhere. Website: www.DWAVEohio.org. VP: 614.678.5476. Text: 614.887.7233. Email: [email protected].

05/21/2026

DWAVE will be closed May 22nd and May 25th. In the event of an emergency please contact the organizations listed. If it is not an emergency please contact us, leave a message, and we will get back to you when we are back in office on May 26th.

SARNCO Online Chat: https://www.ohiohealth.com/community-health/sarnco

[Flyer Description:] Flyer has a dark purple background. Text reads, "DWAVE Closed May 22nd & 25th, 2026. In the event of an emergency: Deaf Hotline VP: 855-812-1001. SARNCO Voice: 614-267-7020. Online Chat. Deaf Crisis Line VP: 321-800-3323. Contact information is accompanied by logos. Deaf Hotline logo has a hand in green signing "Deaf" and a blue hand signing "Line". OhioHealth SARNCO has two overlapping teal rounded rectangles. Deaf Crisis Line has a camera lens with a person inside. With that one is DeafLead's logo which has Deaf in purple, Lead in teal and white hands over Lead fingerspelling "Lead".

05/20/2026

ATTENTION, CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL OHIO!!!

DSC is looking for positive, independent, community-minded people who are passionate about Deaf empowerment, accessibility, advocacy, and making real connections in the community.

If you’re fluent in ASL, don't mind traveling to Mansfield and surrounding counties, enjoy helping others, and thrive working independently while still being part of a supportive team, we’d love to hear from you.

This is more than a job, it’s an opportunity to create real impact in the Deaf community. Send resumes to [email protected]

Job Description in the comment box.

Image description:
A bold black, white, and green hiring flyer for Deaf Services Center (DSC). The background features oversized black polka dots framing a clean white center panel with thick black borders separating sections. At the top left is the green-and-gray DSC logo. Large dramatic black text reads “WE ARE HIRING!” followed by “DEAF / HOH SUPPORT SPECIALISTS.” The flyer is divided into three sections titled “ABOUT THE ROLE,” “QUALIFICATIONS,” and “ABOUT DSC” in bold stylized lettering. The position advertised is a part-time Deaf/Hard of Hearing Support Specialist for the Mansfield/Richland area. Bullet points list ASL fluency, Deaf culture knowledge, transportation, Microsoft Office/Zoom experience, and independent work skills. About DSC DSC is the largest provider of services for the Deaf, and HoH in Ohio. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit center, all departments work to drive positive change and provide support in the communities we serve. If you’re excited about the opportunity to make community connections in a fun and welcoming environment with the DSC family, submit your resume to [email protected]

05/19/2026

Mental Health Awareness ❤️

“Where do I dump all this?"

BABY. IN YOUR JOURNAL

Because carrying around:
🚩 overthinking
🚩 anger
🚩 heartbreak
🚩 resentment
🚩 self sabotage
🚩 stress
🚩 everybody else’s nonsense

…like it’s a designer handbag is exactly why you’re exhausted

And no…bottling everything up, pretending you’re “fine,” then randomly crying while washing dishes is NOT a coping mechanism.

WRITE. IT. DOWN.

Your journal is literally sitting there collecting dust while your thoughts are outside doing cartwheels in your head

Dump the anger.
Dump the fear.
Dump the confusion.
Dump the grief.
Dump the truth you keep avoiding.

Because your journal will:
✨ listen
✨ hold space for you
✨ help you process
✨ help you breathe
✨ never judge you

Sometimes healing starts with finally being honest on paper

05/15/2026

Mental Health awareness, @selfcare

05/15/2026

One of our own Camilla graduated from Gallaudet University! Let’s “hand wave” and share congratulations to her great achievement. Congratulations to class 2026!!!!

ID: white woman standing outside in front of Gallaudet University (GU) facing camera smiling and wearing sunglasses holding diploma. She has brown hair and is wearing graduation gown and cap (black and blue) with black graduation scarf with gold trim.

05/13/2026

05/12/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. DWAVE has collaborated with The DeafMed to provide education around Opioids, Fentanyl, and Xyalzine. If you would like more information please reach out.

[Transcript:] Opioids, Fentanyl & Xyalzine.
Text on Screen: Opioids, Fentanyl & Xyalzine.
Signer: Opioids are a type of drug used for pain relief, but when misused, can become addictive.
Text on Screen: Fentanyl.
Signer: For example, Fentanyl. Fentanyl is a drug that can be prescribed by a doctor for pain relief, or it can be mixed into pills or injectable drugs. Fentanyl affects your brain and nervous system, blocking pain signals and causing “euphoric” feelings. For example, you have a tooth ache but can’t go to the doctor, but your friend offers to give you some of their medication. Because you didn’t get this medication from the pharmacy, it’s possible the pills have Fentanyl mixed into them. If Fentanyl is in this drug, you could overdose. This could look like you are drowsy, disoriented, can’t wake up, and stop breathing. Is Fentanyl the only thing mixed into drugs? No! Now, we are seeing new medications mixed into drugs.
Text on Screen: Xylazine.
Signer: This medication is called Xylazine or tranquilizer. This medication is used by veterinarians to sedate animals. It is not meant for people. When people take this medication, it impacts our nervous system and causes extreme sedation. People will mix this medication in with things like Fentanyl, to make the “euphoric” feelings last longer. If Xyalzine is injected, it can prevent your body from healing and cause tissue/skin to die, making large holes/sores in the body. Not everyone uses drugs, but sometimes people we love might. It’s important to understand what the dangers are. To know more about what you can do to support someone who uses drugs, keep an eye out for our next video!

[Video Description:] Video opens with a white woman signing. She has blond hair pulled back in a bun. She is wearing glasses and a gray crewneck with letters outlined in orange, yellow, and red spelling, “Nurse”. Video cuts to a black screen with white text, “Opioids, Fentanyl & Xyalzine”. Woman continues signing with two black screen with white text reading, “Fentanyl” and “Xylazine”. The woman is standing in front of a tan wall. Off to the side there is a shelf with plants and photos. Throughout the video on the bottom there are captions. Video ends with an image of DWAVE’s logo and contact information, “DWAVE, Deaf World Against Violence Everywhere. Website: www.DWAVEohio.org. VP: 614.678.5476. Text: 614.887.7233. Email: [email protected].