HEART OF THE COMMUNITY
Support Local
By Alison Bailin Batz
The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing 35 years advocating for the community
T
he Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH) was established in 1977 and serves as a statewide information referral center for issues related to people with hearing loss. The commission aspires to be a national leader in communication access, support services and community empowerment throughout the state. The purpose of the commission, and its commissioners, is to ensure, in partnership with the public and private sector, accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing to improve their quality of life. Things you may not know: • Three out of 1,000 newborns are diagnosed with hearing loss. • One out of 10 people experience hearing loss during their life. • One out of three senior citizens has hearing loss. • There are more than 700,000 deaf and hard of hearing individuals throughout Arizona. As the commission celebrates its 35th anniversary of advocacy and empowerment in the community, it reflects back on major milestones over the years, celebrates those who helped make them happen and looks forward to new goals over the next 35 years.
According to ACDHH Executive Director Sherri Collins, who was born deaf, among the dozens of major milestones the organization has accomplished over the years includes:
Newborn Hearing Screening Legislation Through several years of proactive advocacy, ACDHH was able to help pass Senate Bill 1250 in 2005, which requires that hearing test results be reported to the Department of Health Services and the Newborn Screening Program.
Sign Language Interpreter Legislation As the leader in the proactive support of Senate Bill 1151, ACDHH helped create statewide standards for sign language interpreters in 2000. 16
May 2013 | azhealthandliving.com
Apache ASL Trails Opens to the Public In 2011, the Apache ASL Trails, an independent living community for deaf seniors was established. The community allows deaf, deaf-blind and hard-of-hearing seniors to maintain