2. “The ESMHD Bad Ischl Declaration” Presented by Bob Clowes, Executive Director of ESMHD on behalf of the President of the European Society for Mental Health & Deafness.

3. Aims of ESMHD Respect for culture & language of deaf Europeans Mental health and General health practices that comply with deaf peoples needs and wishes Available and accessible health services Health Education and information must be available in Sign Languages Deaf people trained to provide health services to deaf people. Informed consent to via accessible communication. Trans-national exchanges of good practice

4. Some of the 500 participants, from 23 Countries, who attended the ESMHD Congress in Bad Ischl.

5. Johan Wesemann, Live Vice President of ESMHD, proposing “The Bad Ischl Declaration” to Congress.

6. The text of the “Bad Ischl Declaration,” arrived at the 6 th ESMHD Congress in Bad Ischl Austria on the 24 th May 2003 follows :-

7. “The 6 th ESMHD European Congress on Mental Health and Deafness welcomes the decisions of the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament to recognise that Sign Languages are minority languages in Europe, and calls upon European Union Institutions, Member and Accession states, the Council of Europe and countries worldwide to legally recognise Sign Language(s), and in so doing respect the cultural diversity of the deaf community and the dignity of the individual, and promote the social inclusion of deaf people.

8. This Congress calls upon the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers as well as the Council of Europe to encourage member states to recognise that health information must be made accessible in the deaf patient’s own language, to enable all to fully participate in decisions related to their own health including prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

9. This Congress calls upon the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers as well as the Council of Europe to do all that is possible, to ensure that member states recognise that accessible communication is absolutely essential to obtaining informed consent to all forms of treatment.

10. Informed consent is vital in any situation when an individual may be harmed by losing his/her right to liberty if consent was not obtained in a language accessible to the deaf person, particularly in the case of voluntary or compulsory admission to psychiatric care.

11. This Congress calls upon each country to update their Mental Health legislation, to include mandatory requirements for appropriate and effective communication support to be provided at no expense to the patient at the time of admission or as soon as practicable thereafter within a maximum of 72 hours.” Signed on behalf of all Congress delegates by Dr Alexis Karacostas President of ESMHD

12. At the Health Forum for Europe on the 5.12.05 the “ ESMHD Bad ISCHL Declaration” was presented to Fernand Sauer the representative of the European Commission and Dr Pekka Puska the representative of the World Health Organisation.