The project will investigate the nature and extent of (il)legal substance use among members of the Flemish Deaf Community. In doing so, we depart from a critical framework which hypothesizes that individuals with disabilities encounter several difficulties that create an increased risk of the prevalence of substance use disorder (Li and Moore, 2001; Moore and Li, 1998). Additionally, deaf individuals possess some more risk factors which are unique to the Deaf Community, e.g. related to culture, language and minority communities (Titus et al, 2008). In contrast to previous research, the strenghth and innovation of this project lays in the proposed quantitative and qualitative research design. This research will add to theoretical insights of the personal and social context of substance use within the Flemish Deaf Community by giving a voice to Flemish Deaf individuals. It can finally also provide us with the needed foundation to write recommendations regarding the treatment of deaf individuals facing substance dependence or a substance use disorder.