Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy

Through Deaf Action, we run the first of its kind capacity-building initiative for Deaf victim services organizations. The training, guidance, and resources we provide are in sign language and Protactile Language and led by Deaf experts. We provide everything from 40-hour advocacy training to grant writing support to training on providing culturally responsive services. Our goals are to strengthen individual programs; increase coordination and alignment across programs; and increase the visibility and voice of Deaf advocacy in the broader survivor advocacy movement.

We operate a nation-wide service that provides remote sign language interpretation to victim service providers who are serving Deaf survivors. Through the National Sign Language Interpretation Service for Deaf Victims, we are filling a significant barrier preventing Deaf survivors from getting life-saving and sustaining support from victim services: a lack of sign language interpretation to bridge cultural and communication barriers between Deaf survivors and hearing programs and systems. This service allows us to provide a short-term fix while we work towards the long-term goal of ensuring that every Deaf survivor receives support from a Deaf advocate. Applications are now open for victim service providers to apply for interpreting services.

We serve as a bridge to hearing organizations and hearing funders. We work with people in these organizations and systems to build their capacity around language justice and serving Deaf communities. We also advocate for systemic changes in policy, practice, and philanthropy to better meet the needs of this community.

For Deaf and DeafBlind survivors to effectively access systems of support, highly qualified ASL interpreters are critical. Inexperienced or improperly assigned interpreters can cause significant barriers and harm. The harm is even greater for survivors experiencing intersectional oppression and marginalization. Because of a severe shortage of ASL interpreters of color, Deaf survivors of color are most often paired with interpreters who are not deeply familiar with their culture and language and cannot meet their complex and diverse communication needs, creating significant barriers to healing and justice. We create opportunities to support student interpreters of color gain experience; prioritize hiring of interpreters of color; and support the goals of interpreters of color who are building capacity around healing-informed interpreting.