Substance Use Prevention Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Kicking the habit of drugs or any type of addiction is not an easy thing to do. Just ask any person who has overcome a drug addiction and they will tell you how difficult it is. Prevention means addressing the issues before they appear.
Substance Use Prevention Program for the Deaf/hard of Hearing (SUPPD) believes one of the most important things we can teach our youth is the ability to make well-informed and positive choices in their lives (whether it involves drugs or alcohol or not) that support a healthy lifestyle. To this end, SUPPD works in collaboration with public school settings that have clusters of Deaf/hoh students grades 6 – 12. All presentations are conducted in American Sign language and tailored to meet their unique learning styles. With advance notice and planning, SUPPD can provide presentations to Deaf/hoh youth who do not use sign language or have diverse learning styles.
To this end, SUPPD provides presentations on:
- Effect of Alcohol Use
- Effects of THC and Marijuana Use
- Nine Peer Pressure Refusal Strategies
SUPPD incorporates key components from an evidence-based curriculum, “Too Good For Drugs,” into our presentation designs. Its primary focus is to build protective factors needed to support healthy lifestyles and to reduce risk factors that can lead to misusing alcohol and other drugs.
SUPPD also recognizes it is equally as important that parents are educated and empowered with strategies to create healthy lifelong habits to improve their family’s overall wellness. SUPPD is available to provide information and resources to parents and community stakeholders.
We are all in this together!
For more information about SUPPD and/or to schedule a training session, please feel free to contact us at 312-957-4850 (VP) or email MOPDSUPPD@cityofchicago.org.