Global Deaf Research Institute
The Global Deaf Research Institute is a research organization led by deaf scientists, founded in response to a widespread lack of data on deaf populations. We believe that publishing data documenting deaf peoples’ lived experiences is a powerful way to improve their quality of life. GDRI’s flagship, the Deaf Community Research initiative, is a community-led research and advocacy project. In each deployment, we engage profoundly with the local deaf community and, with their guidance, perform a national needs assessment survey. We synthesize our findings to identify significant gaps in services and develop evidence-based recommendations tailored to the community's needs. We create training modules for local educators and deaf leaders emphasizing inclusive teaching practices and data-based advocacy, and build collective power for the deaf community not only by arming them with research, but by creating a network of deaf researchers and advocates that grows with each country we visit.
We are a 501c(3) educational Deaf and hearing Black collaborative nonprofit. We create educational materials, experiences, and trainings rooted in Black Deaf cultures in solidarity with other Communities of Color to build relationships, increase cultural understanding, promote respect, and create pathways to joy and liberation.
We honor our mission by:
- Creating and publishing Deaf BIPOC educational material and curriculum.
- Developing and facilitating educational and equity based workshops, trainings, and retreats
- Hosting and facilitating restorative justice circles and workshops
- Creating and leading Deaf BIPOC centric cultural trips throughout the United States and Abroad.
- Collaborating with Deaf and hearing community organizations and initiatives.
Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre
Since 1972 the Mission of DHCC has been to advocate for and promote equal communication access, educational service, cultural awareness and economic development to the Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing populations in the greater Philadelphia region and surrounding areas.
The services our organization provides are:
24-hour, 7 day a week interpreting services.
Advocacy Services available to fight for ones right to communication access, and teach self-advocacy.
Education services, providing American Sign Language classes to various parts of the Greater Philadelphia Region.
Special programs such as DeafCounts for emergency preparedness, sensitivity training, domestic violence in Deaf and Disabled, and more.
Community programs and events, hosting local family fun and open events for our community to enjoy.
accesSOS is a national tech nonprofit with a clear mission: saving lives. We provide emergency assistance using our communication tool, that’s easy to use, scalable, and available in multiple languages, making sure that everyone can access help in a system that primarily relies on voice and English. We're not just about providing a tech solution; we advocate for policies that can scale up, filling accessibility gaps and empowering those who need it most.
Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency (DCARA)
DCARA provides a wide-range of services for our community members and their families such as communication access assistance, independent living skills, employment services, peer counseling, information referral, advocacy services, and community education that empower Deaf people to live independent and productive lives with full access to the rights privileges and opportunities available to the general public.
DCARA's Youth & Family Services Department works with Deaf/DeafBlind/DeafDisabled/Hard of Hearing/LateDeafened/hearing parents with Deaf/DeafBlind/DeafDisabled/Hard of Hearing/LateDeafened or hearing children to create and bolster family language, family communication, and family bond. YFS' programs for parents include Family Mentoring, Youth Mentoring, Family ASL, IFSP/IEP/ITP advocacy, Club Saturday, and more. YFS' programs and services center around linguistic and communication needs of the child and family.
DCARA provides service to the 14 following counties in California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, San Francisco, Del Norte, San Mateo, Humboldt, Solano, Mendocino, Lake, Marin, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and Sanoma.
HEARD is a cross-disability abolitionist organization that unites across identities, communities, movements, and borders to end ableism, racism, capitalism, and all other forms of oppression and violence. HEARD supports disabled people and others who experience ableism by rejecting disability hierarchies and rigid definitions of disability, and by recognizing deaf people as part of disability communities. HEARD works to increase our collective capacity to identify, understand, and challenge oppression through grassroots advocacy, community organizing, peer support, mutual aid, education, and research.
Mission: To inspire and showcase Deaf Culture and Sign Languages through the arts.
Deaf Spotlight (DS) emerged from the first Seattle Deaf Film Festival in 2012 created by community members in response to the cultural debt in entertainment in the Pacific Northwest.
Programming has since expanded to include theater productions, curated visual art exhibitions and workshops for Deaf artists.
DS is a nationally recognized leader in Deaf arts. Our events feature both local and national artists who tell original stories about the Deaf experience. In April 2021, we celebrated our 10th anniversary producing events by and for the Deaf Deaf-Blind Deaf Disabled and Hard of Hearing (DDBDDHH) community.
DS believes in creating an equitable and creative space where DDBDDHH artists can thrive.
The Deaf Organizations Fund (DOF) seeks to strengthen organizations working with deaf communities by providing accessible grants and resources. In doing so, DOF envisions a future in which deaf communities have access to a wide array of services provided by thriving, well-resourced organizations.
We call on other funders to join our work by collaborating on funding opportunities and elevating accessibility standards.