Ramas McRae

I am a deaf sign language user in the fortunate circumstance of having deaf parents. From birth, I was provided with language and experienced an immediate sense of belonging, unlike most deaf children, who have hearing parents who usually do not know how to sign.

My birthplace was Lithuania, where the Communist regime was dominant until I was 10. Systems designed to reinforce commonality were ubiquitous. Deafness was viewed as different, so systems controlled many aspects of our lives, including schooling. My schoolmates were all deaf like me. After school finished, a deaf classmate won a university scholarship. A few months after he started university, he died by suicide. This ignited my desire to improve mental health outcomes for deaf people.

When the borders opened after the fall of Communism, I accessed opportunities previously not available. This included a bachelor’s degree alongside hearing students. I began travelling the world and completed my master’s degree in the United Kingdom.

Since arriving in Australia in 2012, I have worked in education, training, interpreting, and deaf arts, focusing on bridging communication and fostering inclusion. My voluntary work involves mentoring deaf youth and fundraising for deaf indigenous people and Mongolians including training and facilitating deaf leadership.

A second turning point was the realisation that systemic change required robust evidence. This inspired me to undertake a PhD, where my Australian first research examines the interplay between deafness, language acquisition, and mental health.

Australia has no deaf-specific mental health service unlike well-established models abroad. Through the fellowship, I want to see international mental health best practice firsthand as my goal is to establish an Australian centre of excellence focused on deaf mental health. My ultimate vision is a future where every deaf person grows up with full language access, cultural affirmation, and the opportunity to thrive.