NC Department of Health and Human Services

Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing

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American Association for the Deaf-Blind Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

American Tinnitus Association Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Association of Adult Musicians with Hearing Loss Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA) Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Audiology Online Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Beginnings Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Better Hearing Institute Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Dogs for the Deaf Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Hear the World Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Hearing Loss Association of America Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Hearing Loss Association of North Carolina Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

HLAA Hearing Loss Video Series Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

HLAA Assistive Technology Video Series Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

NC Association of Hearing Care Professionals Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

NC Board of Examiners for Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

NC Hearing Aid Dealers’ and Fitters Licensure Board Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

NC Speech Hearing Language Association Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

The Described and Captioned Media Program Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

The International Federation of Hard of Hearing People Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

The John Tracy Clinic Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Say What Club Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

Telecommunications for the Deaf Link goes outside of N.C. DHHS.

DHHS > DSDHH > Our Services > Hard of Hearing Services

Hard of Hearing Services

Serving customers who are Hard of Hearing.

Services are geared to meet the very specific needs of Hard of Hearing individuals in achieving equal access, effective communication and a better quality of life

What Services Are Provided?

Advocacy and Consultation

Staff at the regional centers assist Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind individuals in achieving equal access, reasonable accommodations and effective communication in a variety of areas in their communities.

Referrals are made with the Employment Security Commission (ESC), the United States Department of Justice and other state and federal agencies.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed by Congress in 1990, ensures that people with disabilities are not discriminated against in:

Employment
Transportation services
Recreation programs
Public accommodations (hotels, restaurants, etc.)
Telecommunication services

The civil rights law for people with disabilities requires the removal of barriers that prevent individuals from getting jobs and utilizing public services that people without disabilities have access to daily.

Other laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities include:

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Communication Support

Communication Support is provided to individuals and/or agencies. The purpose is to ensure that Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind consumers have full participation in daily life activities such as meetings, appointments, family gatherings and social activities.

Our staff can provide support as it relates to the use of various types of communication that can assist an individual with hearing loss more fully participate in a variety of situations. Information on assistive listening systems is offered by DSDHH Regional Center staff. This includes information and consultation regarding the coordination of communication services for medical visits, job interviews, training and education classes and others.

Interpreter Services Information: Information on interpreter services and guidance in the coordination of interpreter services is provided by each of the Regional Centers. Requests made by employers and service providers are accommodated.

Assistive Listening and Visual Systems: The communication process for individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind and Deaf with other disabilities is aided by:

qualified sign language interpreters
tactile or up-close interpreters
assistive listening devices
real-time captioning
television captioning and decoders
computer assisted note-taking
oral interpretation
cued speech transliteration

Information and Referral

Information of importance and interest to Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind citizens is made available by the staff of DSDHH in a variety of ways. General information is provided to anyone contacting or visiting a center on many topics including:

local and state resources
programs concerning deafness and hearing loss
services provided by the Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing and its Regional Centers
other information as requested

Information of deafness and hearing loss is provided to:

other local and state agencies
service provider
private businesses
the general public

Referrals are made to the appropriate programs and agencies that help meet the needs of the consumers in each region. Referrals are made to programs that include but are not limited to:

Employment Security Commission
Vocational Rehabilitation and Independent Living
Social Security Administration
Division of Motor Vehicles
local police departments, city, county and state government programs and offices
American Sign Language and interpreter training programs

By determining the needs of the individuals who seek help from the DSDHH Regional Centers, the staff is able to give appropriate information based on those needs. Follow-up with the individuals assures that all possible resources have been sought and that the situation has been satisfactorily resolved.

Information and follow-up are provided in the following areas:

Unemployment benefits job training and placement services/Government programs that include:

Social Security
food stamps
Medicaid
Medicare

Personal and family information that includes:

legal separation or divorce
child support
income taxes
budgets, financial planning and management
estate planning
checking and savings accounts

Workshops and Training

The Regional Center staff provides valuable training and educational opportunities to the local communities. Types of trainings include, but are not limited to:

ADA and civil rights information
Aging issues and information
American Sign Language (ASL)
Deaf Culture
Employment issues and concerns
Government programs
Hearing loss
Interpreter training and skills maintenance
Legal rights, citizenship

If you have a specific training need relating to deafness or hearing loss please contact your local Regional Center. They will be more than happy to create training to fit your needs.

Outreach

DSDHH is responsible for providing the residents of the state of North Carolina with information about deafness, hearing loss and deaf blindness. DSDHH has a number of outreach tools used for the purpose of educating communities about our services as well as deafness and hearing loss events. DSDHH has a variety of informational fact sheets and brochures, we have informational booths and exhibits and we have quarterly calendar of events.

If you are interested in receiving more information about DSDHH, deafness and hearing loss or you are an event organizer and think this type of information would be beneficial as an exhibit, please contact the Regional Center that serves your county.

Who is Eligible?

All individuals who are Hard of Hearing or have hearing loss, their family members, agencies and organizations that serve them and individuals interested in learning about hearing loss issues may ask for our services. There is no charge for most services.