Tag Archives: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

Local non-profit Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services launches capital campaign

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This video, produced by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, as shown at the kickoff of the group’s “Expanding Equal Access: A New Home for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services” fundraising campaign.

By Phil de Haan

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

The first-ever major Capital Campaign for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services was publicly launched on January 24, 2022.

“Expanding Equal Access: A New Home for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services” is a $266,000 fundraising campaign that will allow D&HHS to become part of a large non-profit center being developed at the old South Christian High School on 68th Street in Grand Rapids, just west of a major bus line on South Division Avenue.

The project is being headed up by Special Olympics of Michigan and will see the 127,000 square foot building (which includes two gyms and a 735-seat auditorium) become home to 10 non-profits, all of which have advocacy and empowerment at the heart of everything they do.

D&HHS will join Special Olympics of Michigan, Autism Support of Kent County, Brody’s Be Café, Disability Advocates of Kent County, Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan, Far Out Volleyball Club, Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan/be nice, MOKA, and Thresholds in this new space.

The public launch event included remarks by Tim Hileman, president and CEO of Special Olympics of Michigan, who said: “I love days like today. It speaks to what really good organizations can do both individually and collectively. What they can do together.”

Hileman commended what he called the “great, great leadership” of D&HHS, including the staff and the board.

He added: “I love the name of your campaign. This new non-profit center truly is multiple organizations coming together to create access, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is an important part of this project.”

D&HHS Board President Rowan O’Dougherty agreed.

“Deaf people need our agency,” he said. “And Deaf people need community. That’s why I am so excited about the move here. We currently have such limited space, but when we move here those limitations will go away. We can draw our community together to socialize, to play sports, have coffee at the Café. Our Deaf senior citizens could make this a weekly activity. It’s going to be great.”

For Mary Andringa, step-mother to Chad, now a Deaf adult, the new space will continue a long legacy of D&HHS service to her family.

“D&HHS has been a rock on which Chad could build his core values and see himself as a unique individual with talents and abilities,” she said. “The people here (D&HHS staff) were pivotal to his growth and mine. He has had the advocates he needed to protect his rights, and he has been called to grow. This agency has been a conduit. Or should I say a can-do-it place. This agency always feeds back truth.”

Board Treasurer, Mickey Carolan, asks for support of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services capital campaign. (D&HHS)

Mickey Carolan, the treasurer for the D&HHS board, spoke not just about money (though he did that too!) but also about his experience growing up as the child of Deaf adults, a CODA.

“I was born into a majority Deaf community,” he said. “It’s the reason I am here today. I remember growing up and the access my parents had to communities in Detroit and Flint and Saginaw. There hasn’t been a place on this side of the state for that kind of community. Until now. This is the spot. And I hope that the energy everyone here today brought inspires you, whatever that is. Maybe it’s a gift of $1. Maybe it’s $50,000 I don’t want to limit you. But whatever it is, we are grateful.”

Earl Howell and Dr. Robert Hohendorf of Lions Club International District 11-C1 present a check. (D&HHS)

Indeed, Carolan was grateful at the event to accept a check for $15,000 from Earl Howell and Dr. Robert Hohendorf of Lions Club International District 11-C1. That gift brought the current fundraising total to just over $133,000, just over half of the $266,000 total goal for the campaign.

D&HHS hopes to start the renovation of an old science lab into its new space in March 2022, pending fundraising. If all goes well it would move to the new non-profit center in the summer of 2022.

Images of the D&HHS space and the entire facility, plus the campaign video and photos from the campaign event, are online and available to media at: deafhhs.org/capital-campaign.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, WKTV partnership begins new ‘Hands On Health’ informational program

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Karla Black, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Kent County Health Department, was invited to Hands on Health to discuss COVID-19 and the vaccines with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services’ Nancy Piersma, Community Education Coordinator, and Rowan O’Dougherty, Board President. (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

Kentwood non-profit Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is always looking for new ways to serve the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing communities. And WKTV Community Media is always looking for ways to work with groups in service of its Wyoming, Kentwood and West Michigan audience.

So the two this fall have partnered to begin a new multi-media project, Hands on Health, to provide health education in a format that is accessible to the Deaf, Deaf/Blind, Hard of Hearing — as well as other community members.

The first two episodes are now available on WKTV cable channels in Wyoming and Kentwood (check out the initial schedule below and WKTV cable schedule), on the WKTV Video Podcast page, and on the social media platforms of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (D&HHS) — YouTube and Facebook.

D&HHS, according to supplied material, has served the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing (D/DB/HH) communities across West Michigan for more than 25 years. The agency began after a deaf man’s medical emergency turned nearly fatal due to the emergency services’ lack of accessibility.

“The situation shone a light on the lack of access and services for the D/DB/HH communities,” Deb Atwood, D&HHS executive director, said in printed material. “Today, our agency serves 27 counties across West Michigan, providing a wide range of services specifically for the D/DB/HH communities.

“Each day, we work toward our mission of providing equal communication access, education, and advocacy to the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing in pursuit of all life’s opportunities.

The genesis of Hands On Health

A study published in 2016 by a group of University Medical Departments found that health literacy among the deaf is alarmingly low. When compared to their hearing counterparts, deaf participants were 6.9 times more likely to have inadequate health literacy.

These disparities are caused by several factors including communication barriers, fewer opportunities for incidental learning, and especially lack of accessible information. Many within the D/DB/HH communities are not given appropriate access to information that allows them to understand or practice autonomy over their own health.

“Our agency has recognized the of issue inadequate health literacy among the D/DB/HH in the Greater Grand Rapids area and throughout West Michigan,” Erica Chapin, D&HHS community and partnership manager, said in printed material. “These issues were made alarmingly clear throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With limited accessible information about COVID-19 and vaccines, D/DB/HH individuals have been susceptible to misinformation and unable to make informed decisions about their health and safety.

“This situation has brought to light the lack of information on general health and wellness topics. To combat this issue, our agency is starting the ‘Hands On Health’ video series that provides health education in a format that is accessible to the D/DB/HH and other communities.”

These first two episodes feature two deaf hosts — Nancy Piersma, Community Education Coordinator, and Rowan O’Dougherty, Board President — with guest Karla Black, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Kent County Health Department, who was invited to discuss COVID-19 and the vaccines.

Hands on Health has premiered on WKTV Cable Channel 25 with Episode 1 continuing today, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. Episode 2 will premiere Oct. 25 at 9 p.m., and continue Oct. 26 at 9:30 a.m., and Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. They may also run at different days and times; see the weekly schedule.

For more information and to donate to Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services, visit  www.deafhhs.org/donate.

Suggestions for future topics can be sent to handsonhealth@deafhhs.org.

Hands on Health continues a discussion on COVID-19 and the vaccines, hosted by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services’ Nancy Piersma, Community Education Coordinator, and Rowan O’Dougherty, Board President. (WKTV)

Kentwood firefighter meets longtime sign language goals thanks to local non-profit

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By Phil de Haan

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

For Kentwood firefighter and emergency medical technician Darryl DeVries, learning American Sign Language had been on his to-do list since he was a high school student in the 1980s.

But a little more than a decade ago, when he had already been working full time for the city of Kentwood for almost a decade, he decided ASL probably wasn’t in the cards for him anymore.

And then a chance encounter after a Kentucky church service got DeVries to thinking that maybe his high school hopes were still alive.

City of Kentwood firefighter Darryl DeVries (Supplied)

“I was standing alone,” he recalled recently, “not knowing anyone when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and was met by a guy, John, with a warm, contagious, ear-to-ear smile.”

Darryl reached out his hand and said hello. John replied by signing. And Darryl had two immediate thoughts.

“First, I thought ‘if only I had learned sign language’,” he said. “Second, I thought ‘go figure, I just cut it from my wish list.’ ”

But John had other ideas and ended up teaching Darryl the ASL alphabet that day.

“And I have been learning ASL ever since,” he said with a smile.

Kentwood non-profit helping out

For a few years he studied ASL on his own, using books and online resources and even attending a church which provided services in ASL.

Then driving past Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services one day, he saw a sign for ASL classes. He stopped in and met some of the staff, including Executive Director Deb Atwood.

“D&HHS has pretty much taken me under their wing ever since,” he said, “always supportive and encouraging.”

Part of that support and encouragement has been working with Community Education Coordinator Nancy Piersma, a Native Deaf Facilitator.

“Nancy has spent hours tutoring me in translating the questions we routinely go through with patients and teaching me signs unique to West Michigan,” he noted.

It’s what D&HHS does, said Atwood.

“We’ve been around for almost 25 years,” Atwood said, “and a big part of our mission has always been what I’d call the education and advocacy piece. We do cultural and sensitivity training around issues relating to the Deaf, we work and partner with other organizations and state agencies, we offer the ASL classes that Darryl took. It’s hard work, but it’s always gratifying to see when people have that ‘aha moment’ as Darryl did and as so many others have. That’s what makes it worthwhile.”

DeVries added that in his work, he has had several opportunities to use ASL.

“It is neat,” he said, “to see a patient’s reaction change from ‘This guy won’t understand me’ to ‘What? Wow! He’s signing!’ Just being able to say my name and something like ‘I help you’ makes a huge difference.”

A West Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, DeVries said that ASL is one more way to break down barriers and eliminate differences, to “understand each other and find common ground.”

He added: “Kentwood is a very diverse community. I wish I could speak fluently with everyone I meet, but I have chosen to dive into ASL. ASL is amazing when you see a patient’s face light up when they realize you are communicating with them in their silent language which is often overlooked and avoided.  ASL is one of the most used, least-known languages in the United States.”

DeVries is eligible for the City of Kentwood’s Language Incentive Program which encourages employees to apply their language proficiencies in service to Kentwood’s diverse community.

New and current employees with excellent language skills who meet proficiency requirements earn monetary bonuses through the program and are tested in their non-English language of choice on an annual basis.

In addition to providing classes, tutoring and more for DeVries, D&HHS also worked with Kentwood’s Human Resources department to develop an ASL test that qualified him for language incentive pay and has worked with him each year on his retest.

For more information on the Kentwood-based Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, visit deafhhs.org.

Deaf person support group brings ‘Signing Santa’ event back for 10th year

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The Kentwood-based Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (D&HHS) will host a special “Signing Santa” event this week. (Supplied/D&HHS)

WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org

The Kentwood-based Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (D&HHS) offers a multitude of programs with the goal to “provide equal communication access, education and advocacy to the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing in pursuit of all life’s opportunities.”

And, this time of the year, one of those opportunities often unavailable to local deaf and hard of hearing children is simply visiting — and communicating with — Santa.

So, for the 10th holiday season, a D&HHS event will present a deaf ‘Signing Santa’ on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Crossroads Middle School, 4400 Ambrose NE, Grand Rapids.

“To see a child who is deaf have that experience with a deaf Santa who literally speaks their language takes my breath away every time,” Deb Atwood, D&HHS executive director, said in supplied material. “It never gets old. Every time I see it, I see it through the eyes of the child, and it is amazing every single time.”

In addition to Signing Santa, the event also will feature two signed story times at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and will also include holiday crafts, snacks and drinks.

Some of the guests at Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (D&HHS) special “Signing Santa” event in 2018. (Supplied/D&HHS)

According to D&HHS, there also will be numerous interpreters at the event so that everyone has access. Interpreters at the entrance, interpreters at the crafts, interpreters for Santa and interpreters for the story. Every station will have ASL to English and English to ASL interpreters.

There will also be gifts will be available to the first 50 children, and gift donations from the public are still being welcomed. People who would like to donate can call 616-732-7358 for more details.

For more information about Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, visit deafhhs.org .