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Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of HearingServing Manatee and Sarasota Counties

The Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) is one of 13 Deaf & Hard of Hearing Service Centers in the State of Florida serving people with hearing loss and their families. The Center is here to help those who need guidance, information, and training.

CCDHH, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, offers a wide range of services and programs for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, late deafened, deaf blind, speech impaired, and hearing individuals to make it possible for all to communicate in the community. In Manatee and Sarasota Counties, the estimated number of deaf and hard of hearing people is over 110,000, joining Tampa Bay as the largest deaf and hard of hearing hub in Florida. CCDHH located in Sarasota with a branch office in Venice serves the residents of Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

This agency provides education on issues faced by deaf and hard of hearing individuals, advocacy, peer support, assistive telecommunication equipment, interpreting, and adult and children support services. The goal of the Center is to bring deaf, hard of hearing, and late-deafened children and adults back into the mainstream of society by improving self-esteem, attitudes, and strengthening relationships with family, friends, and co-workers.

Who We Serve

Language is the key to communication. When you have a hearing loss you experience a breakdown in communication with the hearing world. Communication is challenged in every aspect of life – family, education, employment, and equal access. The complexity of hearing loss can greatly impact the quality of life and ability to advocate for individual rights.

The deaf and hard of hearing community is a very diverse group of individuals.

Deaf from birth using American Sign Language

Deaf or hard of hearing from birth using cochlear implants and spoken language

Hard of hearing children using hearing aids

Workforce age individuals who have lost some or all of their hearing and who may use sign language, hearing aids or cochlear implants (late-deafened)

Senior citizens who have lost their hearing as part of the aging process and who may or may not use hearing technology (hard of hearing or late-deafened)

Deaf-blind, either from birth or over time

Manatee and Sarasota Counties Hearing Loss Statistics

There are over 110,000 deaf and hard of hearing residents in Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

In 2008 and 2009 there were a total of 26 newborns identified with hearing loss in Manatee County hospitals.

Florida Hearing Loss Statistics

Approximately 1 of every 1,000 infants in Florida is born deaf or hard of hearing. (FL Dept. of Health)

An estimated 3 million Florida residents have hearing loss. (2000 Census Data)

National Hearing Loss Statistics

Hearing loss is considered an invisible disability.

One in every 10 Americans has hearing loss.

1 out of 3 people over the age of 65 have some degree of hearing loss. (Center for Hearing and Communication)

It is estimated that over 22 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job. (CDC, NIOSH)

Only 1 out of every 5 people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one. (NIDCD)

There are 3.1 million deaf and hard of hearing residents in Florida (16.1% of our population)

Hearing loss is the reported injury among military veterans. (Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs)

Approximately 5% of American children 18 years of age and younger suffer from a hearing loss. (www.miracle-ear.com/hearinglosschildren)

93% of deaf children are born into hearing families; only 7% are born into deaf families. (NIDCD)

Get Involved

Volunteer opportunities are available and include a variety of tasks from office duties, planning and assisting with social events, workshops, and fundraisers. Qualified volunteers are also needed for teaching sign language classes, speech-reading classes, and assisting the Children & Families coordinator. Background checks are required for some activities.

The Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is a local non-profit organization that offers services to the community that no other agency in this area provides. CCDHH relies on our community to partner with us financially to help make life better for the 110,000 local men, women and children with hearing loss. We need your support to continue our work.

Donations can be sent to:

CCDHH

1750 17th Street, Building F

Sarasota, FL 34234

Children and Family Services

Children & Family Services

Social Skills and Family Support

Parents, caregivers, and other family members participate in monthly workshops facilitated by a Speech Language Specialist.

Sessions emphasize free discussion, exchange of ideas and practical methods, skills and principles concerning the challenges faced by these children and their parents.

Participants are advised on advocacy issues along with other pertinent information to assist them in their efforts to cope with the challenges incurred in their daily activities.

Families initially seeking support become mentors for new participants.

Reading and Language Development

The project offers in-school and/or in-home sessions to teach children and parents principles for successfully sharing books and language enhancement strategies.

The specialist also creates a presence in the local school systems to support deaf and hard of hearing children’s language learning and socialization through imaginative and creative activities.

Communications Strategies

Guidance in speech and language development, socialization skills, and behavior management, are provided by the speech language specialist.

Interaction and relationships in the home are improved by broadening child and parent communication abilities as they go about their daily activities.

Guidance is provided on parenting skills.

Supplemental materials are prepared and distributed to families that enhance communication and strategies that are aligned with the patterns of the child’s speech and language development.

Specialized instruction to address communication needs and sign language classes are offered to children, families, service providers and professionals.

Summer Activities

Summer activities include play groups for children ages birth to three and a variety of day camp activities for children 0 – 3, 4 – 6, and 7 – 12 which include crafts, field trips, snacks and games, and a parent network.

Community Outreach

Collaboration and consultation with local children and family service providers, educators, and hearing and health professionals are accomplished by regularly scheduled meetings with CCDHH. These sessions cover a multitude of relevant themes which educate and inform all service providers in order to better support the families of deaf and hard of hearing children in Manatee County.

Adult Services

Case Management

This service offers client assistance to deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and deaf-blind individuals and their families who may have difficulty with the multitude of issues surrounding hearing loss.

Through assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of the individual’s needs, staff provides expertise and ongoing support to guide clients through the system to obtain the services needed for independent living. The overall goal of this service is to enhance interpersonal communication skills, social and adaptive skills and community interaction.

Peer Mentoring

The complexity of hearing loss can greatly impact quality of life and an individual’s ability to advocate for his/her needs. Peer mentors work with individuals, audiologists, and others to help meet the diverse needs of individuals with hearing loss. This service creates a mentor/mentee relationship between two people with hearing loss.

(See Peer Mentor Page)

Counseling

Services include individual and group counseling for people with hearing loss. Counseling helps many who lose their hearing later in life who need information, guidance, and coping skills to help them adjust to their new disability. The physical and emotional aspects of losing your hearing can become devastating personally, professionally, and financially, especially when coupled with other mental and physical issues.

CCDHH has access to a licensed mental health counselor who is deaf and has a thorough understanding of hearing loss and the impact it has on individuals.

In Sarasota, we also have access to a professional geriatric care manager who has 35 years of experience in mental health services and the coordination of community resources for clients and families.

Support Groups

This service is available to deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and deaf-blind individuals, seniors, family members and other hearing individuals. The concept behind this mutual aid group is that there is power in sharing with and learning from others.

Sessions will provide information on issues relating to hearing loss, coping skills or communication for individuals with hearing loss, coping skills or communication needs.

Discussion will vary from topics relating to deafness, communication, assistive listening devices, alternative communication skills, awareness, experiences and information in a casual, comfortable atmosphere.

Advocacy

This service provides support for persons with hearing loss and their family members to ensure their legal rights, appropriate accommodations, and access to community services.

Consultation is available to service providers to meet the needs of their deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened or deaf-blind consumers.

Advocates from CCDHH provide a focal point for training activities and monitoring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which legislates equality and accessibility for disabled citizens, including deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

Specialized Equipment

The Center is a designated Regional Distribution Center for the Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc., (FTRI). FTRI offers specialized telecommunication equipment for deaf, hard of hearing, deaf/blind, and speech impaired Florida residents, age 3 and older.

(See FRTI page)

Educational Services

The center offers workshops, classes, and educational seminars to persons with hearing loss on various topics, e.g. finances, telecommunication and assistive listening equipment, mental health issues, literacy, employment, health related, legal issues, etc.

Local emergency services, social service agencies, government entities, medical services and law enforcement agencies receive in-service training on different aspects of deafness; e.g. “How to Improve Service Delivery to Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late Deafened Individuals.”

Staff and board members frequently make presentations to local businesses, service clubs, organizations, etc., informing them of common misconceptions and cultural differences experienced by deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

Sign Language & Communication Strategies

American Sign Language classes are available to the community-at-large on an on-going basis. Classes also include speech reading and hearing loss strategies that assist people with hearing loss and are open to their family members.

Classes are available to the general public, local schools, businesses and agencies that employ deaf people, or who regularly conduct business with non-hearing consumers.

Classes are conducted at the Centers or can be arranged at libraries, businesses and various other locations.

Communication Access

This service provides the community access to highly skilled professional sign language interpreters, Video Relay Service, and CART providers who facilitate communication between deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing individuals and service providers in a variety of situations. This service allows all deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and deaf-blind individuals to participate in community functions.

(See Communication Access Page)

Communication Access

Sign language interpreting is a highly specialized field; simply knowing both sign language and English does not qualify a person as an interpreter. The professional sign language interpreter is able to adjust to a broad range of deaf consumer preferences and/or need for interpretation. Some deaf individuals use American Sign Language while others prefer a form of signing that more closely follows the grammar and structure of spoken English. The professional interpreter is expected to work comfortably along this wide spectrum. Sometimes it is necessary to have two or more interpreters working simultaneously in order to satisfy the preferences and needs of a varied audience. On occasion, one of the interpreters may be a deaf individual (CDI – certified deaf interpreter) or a person fluent in a language other than English or American Sign Language.

Video Relay Service (VRS) – VRS allows deaf and hard of hearing individuals to make and receive telephone calls to/from any hearing person. Using a real-time video connection to an interpreter (through a TV or a PC), a deaf or hard of hearing individual uses the interpreter to relay the conversation between themselves and the hearing person on the other end of the call. The interpreter is involved in real—time and in complete confidence for the entire call. Deaf individuals can call the doctor, a neighbor, order pizza, call the plumber, call the family…call any hearing person using VRS – and have any hearing person call them.

CART (Communication Access Real Time Translation) -- Real-time captions are created as an event takes place. A CART provider (often trained as a CART provider or stenographer) uses a stenotype machine with a phonetic keyboard and special software. A computer translates the phonetic symbols into English captions almost instantaneously. The slight delay is based on the provider’s need to hear the word and on the computer processing time. Real-time captioning can be used for programs that have no script; live events, including governmental proceedings; news programs; and non-broadcast meetings.

To facilitate communication in these various situations, an interpreter/CART provider ensures that information is delivered in an accurate, effective, confidential, and efficient manner to enhance understanding between deaf, hard of hearing and hearing persons.

Telephones

FTRI

Specialized Equipment

Since 1991 the Center has served as a designated Regional Distribution Center for the Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc., (FTRI) which offers specialized telecommunication equipment for deaf, hard of hearing, deaf/blind, and speech impaired Florida residents, age 3 and older.

Amplified and Captioned Telephones are provided at no charge to

Hard of Hearing and Deaf Florida residents.

Equipment is distributed from several different locations in Sarasota, South Sarasota and Manatee.

The Center has two offices:

1750 17th Street Bldg. F 628 Cypress Ave

Sarasota, FL. 34234 Venice, Fl. 34285

Phone: (941) 366-0260 V/TTY Phone: (941) 488-5709

Fax: (941) 366-0295

Videophone: (941) 209-1108 Videophone: (941) 244-5029

Videophone: (941) 209-1117

Appointments are preferred due to completion of required paperwork and provision of training; however, we do accept walk-ins.

Peer Mentoring

Peer Mentor Program

The complexity of hearing loss can greatly impact quality of life and an individual’s ability to advocate for his/her needs. Joan Haber, CCDHH Peer Mentor, works with individuals, audiologists, and others to help meet the diverse needs of individuals with hearing loss. This service creates a mentor/mentee relationship between two people with hearing loss.

A peer mentor is a deaf or hard of hearing person trained to support deaf and hard of hearing individuals who need information, teaching, and/or advocacy. This support can help the deaf and hard of hearing develop strategies for coping with their hearing loss and improve communication skills.

Joan Haber – Peer Mentor

Joan’s life experiences have inspired her to help others manage the challenges of hearing loss. Coping with a profound hearing loss which began 25 years ago, Joan has experienced denial of hearing loss, anger, isolation, loss of her job, and challenges with personal relationships and communication issues. She wore hearing aids for 20 years and is now a recipient of bilateral cochlear implants. She utilizes a variety of technologies and assistive listening devices.

Joan served six years on the Florida Coordinating Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She has BA and MS degrees in Sociology, Gerontology and Demography. She is a Certified Hearing Loss Support Specialist from the American Academy of Hearing Loss Support Specialists and a Certified Peer Mentor from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

Joan answers questions about hearing loss and available technology through one-on-one meetings and workshops. Upcoming workshops are on the calendar page.

Joan Haber

Pill

Testimonials

Children & Families:

"Hi, I’m a mother of two, one HH and the other with an auditory processing disability. Having the CCDHH in our lives has been a big turning point for us. Through the CCDHH we have built a support network with other families like our own. We are especially grateful to have met Rachel Kendzior. She has been an invaluable resource to me personally. She relates to my concerns as a mother and specialist. She has been teaching our family ASL for the last few months. Now both of my children understand ASL quite fluently my HH daughter at 10 months began using two sign sentences as well as transformed my son who was still only communicating one word sentences at 3 years old to full sentences and knowing over 100 signs. Because of the CCDHH I can communicate with both of my children, and understand their wants and needs.

Thank you CCDHH for helping me be the best mother I can be."

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"My granddaughter at age one was a recipient of cochlear implants and has been working with the Center’s speech language specialist. In the beginning I thought how in the world am I going to learn sign language and teach it to my granddaughter. I love her positive attitude and the way she works with us. The past month my granddaughter has not been able to have her normal sessions but by us going with the speech specialist’s recommendations for tools to continue working with her it is amazing how many signs she now knows. We are truly blessed to have this service."

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Telephone Testimonials:

"I am extremely grateful for this telephone since it has enabled me to expand my scope of communication."

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"I am very pleased with the new phone. This phone is a complete blessing to me because I cannot see or hear that well. Thank you for your service."

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"My phone has improved my life and I am grateful. My wife hears better than I do, but she loves to use the phone. Thank you!"

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Client Assistance:

"I have found the Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing to be of great service to me as I continue to lose my hearing. I am learning sign language. Staff are steering me in the right direction with their programs and are readying me for the deaf world that I will soon become a part. The Center has become my life line!"

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Peer Mentor:

"I thought I would go crazy trying to deal with my husband’s hearing loss by myself. I felt so alone and helpless. Nobody understood me and my husband just kept getting angrier and angrier. Upon spending one hour with the Peer Mentor, I felt like I could breathe again. I have learned so much about hearing loss, my husband’s reactions and my reactions to him. I have hope for once."

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"I just cry every time I see the Center’s peer mentor because she understands what I am going through. She makes me realize I can be brave too. She is helping me so much with understanding how to buy my hearing aids and what to look for. I couldn’t do it without her."

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"I am a widow and feel so alone. My hearing loss is making my life a living hell. I read an article in a local newspaper about the peer mentor program and I made an appointment to see her. I finally have someone who understands my situation. I know I need hearing aids but I am so afraid of being taken advantage of and I don’t know what I need. She has been working with me to figure it all out and I feel like I know a little bit more about what I am doing. This is a wonderful service that the Center is offering and Joan is a gem."

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Workshop:

"The Living with Hearing Loss workshop at Lakewood Ranch has the best information that I have ever received elsewhere. The presenter had so many ideas about what to do about hearing loss and so much positive energy that it seems like I can overcome all these challenges. I never knew about the telecoil or looping or CART or captioned movies before she told me. My wife and I struggled with communication. We learned things that we can do to ease this struggle. We can’t thank you enough.

The best thing about the workshop was connection among community people focusing on bettering options. It was an awesome networking opportunity."

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Presentation:

"Really useful information. I learned a lot. I am going to tell my mother about this service because she needs it."

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Assistive Devices:

"I absolutely love my new pocket talker which I learned about from the Center. I can hear at my bridge group again and playing better because of it!"

Board of Directors and Staff

Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

2011-2012 Board of Directors

Staff

Mary Morris, President

Executive Director, Venice Art Center

Benjamin L. Mills, Vice President

Shipping Advisor/DC Logistics

Tropicana Products Inc.

Alexis Martin, Treasurer

Director of Finance & Operations

B. Joe Fernandez, Secretary

Manager of Palletizing Operations and Maintenance

Tropicana Products - Bradenton

Melissa M. Cherry

Paralegal, Shumaker Loop & Kendrick

Donna Cohen

Family Resource Specialist

James Ellis, DDS

Dentist

Joanna Hoskins

Teacher for the Deaf/Interpreter

Kathy Salemi, Board Member

Coordinator, Division of Blind Services

Lizabeth Smith

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office

Fingerprint Examiner

Ann Whealton, Board Member

Lab Clinician

Donna Carlton

Executive Director

Joan Haber

Peer Mentor

Certified Hearing Loss Specialist

Rachel Kendzoir

Speech Language Pathologist

Diane Vessels

Specialized Equipment Program Coordinator

Donna Jones

Specialized Equipment Specialist

Photos

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628 Cypress Ave

Venice, Fl. 34285

Phone: (941) 488-5709

Videophone: (941) 244-5029

1750 17th Street Bldg F

Sarasota, FL. 34234

Phone: (941) 366-0260 V/TTY

Fax: (941) 366-0295

Videophone: (941) 209-1108

Videophone: (941) 209-1117

Shiny Edge

For more information email us at:

Links

Who We Are

Who We Serve

Get Involved

Children and Family Services

Adult Services

Communication Access

Telephones

Peer Mentoring

Testimonials

Board of Directors and Staff

Photos

Contact Us

Links

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