Deaf and Hard of Heating Directory of Resources and Services
Directory of Services & Resources
This searchable directory has over 20 categories to allow you to quickly narrow your search by topic. Some categories include, captioning, sign language, and summer camps. If you would like to see your organization listed or need your existing listing updated, please utilize the available directory listing addition and change request forms below. Note: This directory contains an “interpreter referral agency” category, but does not list interpreters. To search for a registered interpreter, please visit our interpreter search database.
“‘It’s my escape.’ How video games help people cope with disabilities.” – The Washington Post
(Illustration by Matt Saunders for The Washington Post)
by Hawken Miller
“When Jackson Reece lost his arms and legs to sepsis after already being paralyzed, he thought his life was over. It was video games that brought him back.
Self-Determination Housing Project Webinar Series: Assistance Animals Explained – October 17 at 2:30 PM
Do you have tenants, case workers, or other clientele that are requesting to have assistance animals in their unit? Do you work with clients who are having to interact with hesitant landlords because they have a service animal? If so, you might be wondering what rights tenants and landlords have when it comes to assistance animals. Tune in to our webinar, Assistance Animals Explained, to find out:
- What SDHP does and how you can use our services
- What a reasonable accommodation is
- And rights both landlords and tenants have when it comes to assistance animals
Webinar scheduled for October 17, 2019 from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET
This training is recommended for landlords and property managers, autism service coordinators, mental health caseworkers, ID housing caseworkers, hospital liaisons, and other providers serving individuals with disabilities.
Register for the webinar here, and feel free to share this information with colleagues and those in your network who are interested in this topic.
**If you have any questions about the training or need to request a disability related accommodation, please contact SDHP @ region1@sdhp.org.
“Medicare Shopping Season Is Almost Here” – The New York Times
“Every fall, the 60 million Americans who use the health plan can compare options and save money. Here’s what to consider.”
Credit: Corey Brickley
by Mark Miller
“If you’re enrolled in Medicare but worry about the cost of health care, your chance to do something about it is right around the corner.
“Most people enroll in Medicare when they become eligible at age 65. But every fall, they have the opportunity to change their coverage during an enrollment season that runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. This is the time of year when you can switch between original fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage, the all-in-one managed care alternative to the traditional program. You also can re-evaluate your prescription drug coverage — whether that is a stand-alone Part D plan, or wrapped into an Advantage plan.
“It’s a good idea to do a checkup on your coverage, even if you are happy with your current choices.”
Keep reading this article at the New York Times, click here.
Free, Objective, Expert Medicare Counseling
“The APPRISE program offers free Medicare counseling to older Pennsylvanians. APPRISE counselors are specially trained to answer your questions and provide you with objective, easy-to-understand information about Medicare, Medicare Supplemental Insurance, Medicaid, and Long-Term Care Insurance.”
Each county’s Area Agency on Aging has APPRISE counselors to help you understand the options and opportunities.
- Berks County | Call Berks Encore at 610.374.3195
- Lancaster County | Call 717.299.7979
- Lebanon County | Call 717.273.9262
“‘We Need Each Other’: Seniors Are Drawn to New Housing | Arrangements Older Americans are exploring housing alternatives, including villages and home-sharing.” – The New York Times
Finding a place to live for too many people is a serious challenge; co-housing or home sharing provides a viable option. This article, Here’s an idea worth “sharing.”, is about a test program that’s being used in northeast Pennsylvania. This article, too, takes a closer look at the concept of shared housing.
“Credit: Jackie Molloy for The New York Times
by
“After her husband died, Freda Schaeffer was left on her own in a three-bedroom house in Brooklyn. ‘I was lonely,’ she confessed. And she worried about finances, because ‘there’s a lot of expenses in a house.’
“Tom Logan, who had moved east from California, found that his disability payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs didn’t stretch very far in New York City. ‘I needed a place to stay, or I could be homeless,’ he said.
“Enter the matchmaker, a home-sharing program operated by the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens. It pairs people who have extra living space — but want company, help with chores, extra income or all three — with those desperate for affordable housing.”
Read this article at The New York Times in its entirey, click here.
A person with a disability: What does that mean?
Frequently, we have conversations with people concerning disabilities — either with persons with a disability or others with questions about disabilities. It’s not easy finding a single definition of “disability.”
According to the ADA National Network,
“It is important to remember that in the context of the ADA, “disability” is a legal term rather than a medical one. Because it has a legal definition, the ADA’s definition of disability is different from how disability is defined under some other laws, such as for Social Security Disability related benefits.
“The ADA defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. This includes people who have a record of such an impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability. It also includes individuals who do not have a disability but are regarded as having a disability. The ADA also makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person based on that person’s association with a person with a disability.”
“While some disabilities can be the result of accidents leading to paralysis, brain damage, etc., others are genetic, for example, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, blindness, etc. The disabled or differently abled have a different set of emotional and physical needs, which those around them have to be mindful of. Here’s a comprehensive guide with articles about various disabilities and the challenges associated with them.
Who is considered a person with a disability under Section 504 and the ADA?
“Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act defines the terms ‘handicap’ or ‘disability’ with respect to an individual to mean a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such an individual. Included in the definition are people who have a record of such an impairment, or are regarded as having such an impairment. The definition of disability under Section 504 and the ADA differs from that typically used to determine eligibility in programs that provide cash assistance based upon disability such as the Federal Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance programs. This definition may also be different from that used by some States to determine whether an individual may be exempt from certain program rules in TANF. For more information on the definition of disability under Section 504, see 29 USC 705; under the ADA, see 42 USC 12102 – PDF.” – SOURCE: US Department of Health & Human Services
This information is from DisabledWorld.com, a website that has an enormous compendium of data about disabilities.
“Disability is a subject you may read or hear about, but not think of as something that may happen to you. However, your chances of becoming disabled are greater than you realize, today more people live with disabilities than ever before due to our aging societies, as well as improved medical treatment. Even celebrities and other famous people have, or develop, disabilities. Some people are born with a disability, others become disabled due to an illness or injury, and some develop them as they age. At some point in our lives almost all of us will have some type of disability.
Facts from our Disability Statistics section include:
- 33% of 20-year-old workers will become disabled before reaching retirement age.
- Over a billion people, around 15% of the world’s population, have some form of disability.
- There are approximately 3.3 Million wheelchair users in the U.S and the number is increasing every year.
- Rates of disability are increasing due to world population aging and increases in chronic health conditions.
- 1 in 4 US adults (61M) have a disability that impacts major life activities – CDC Morbidity & Mortality Report, 2018-8-17.
- 93-95% of people with disabilities worldwide do not use a wheelchair, though the universal disability symbol is – a wheelchair.
“Brief Examines Five Potential Ways to Improve Dental Coverage for People on Medicare” – Kaiser Family Foundation
“Medicare does not cover routine dental care, and two-thirds of the Medicare population have no dental coverage at all. With limited or no dental coverage, some incur high out-of-pocket costs, while others forgo need dental care because they can’t afford it. Policymakers in Washington and others are exploring ways to make dental care more affordable for the 60 million people on Medicare.
“This new KFF brief examines five potential ways to make oral health care more available and affordable for the Medicare population, including two approaches that would add a new dental benefit under Medicare and others that would offer more limited help to people on Medicare, and have less of an impact on the federal budget. The five options include:
- Adding a dental benefit to Medicare Part B
- Creating a voluntary dental benefit under a new part of Medicare
- Permitting greater access to medically necessary dental services under Medicare
- Testing models for dental coverage
- Offering dental discount cards
“The brief reviews the limits of dental coverage permitted under current Medicare law, then describes each of the policy options, with an analysis of likely implications for key stakeholders, including Medicare beneficiaries, taxpayers, insurers, and dental professionals. It also examines trade-offs for the options, including increases in federal spending. The brief, Policy Options for Improving Dental Coverage for People on Medicare, is intended to inform policy discussions focused on improving oral health care and coverage for the Medicare population.”
“What Makes a Community Livable?” – AARP
“The formula for what makes a community livable isn’t particularly complex. For the most part, the features and needs are fairly simple.
“But living in a place that, say, requires having a car for every errand or outing can be a difficult place to live if you don’t have a car or can’t drive.
“Living in a place without access to outdoor spaces, good schools and healthy food isn’t very livable, especially for young families.
“Living in a community that isn’t safe, or offers few activities, can be isolating for people regardless of age.
“On the other hand, a community that includes all of the features pictured in our “In a Livable Community” handout can be great — for people of all ages!”
AND people with a disability!
“Sudden switch from hospital to nursing home can leave families scrambling” – The Buffalo News
Healthcare transition often can present a confusing scenario. This article is from The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY) and is specific to New York, but the issue of transition applies everywhere.
“Staffing levels, health inspections and whether a facility has been fined for conditions that could harm residents are all public information and easily accessible through the federal Nursing Home Compare website that rates nursing homes. But many families don’t have the information at the very moment they need it most.”
“Already two hours late, Roberta Novack waits patiently in a corner for an ambulance team to arrive to transport her brother Henry Kostrzewa, 52, to his latest stay at the Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing on Delaware Ave. in Buffalo This was on Saturday, July 28, 2018.” (Robert Kirkham/Buffalo News)
by Lou Michel
“The call from the hospital jolted Henry Kostrzewa’s sister. Erie County Medical Center was going to discharge the 52-year-old disabled welder and she needed to help him pick a nursing home.
“The clock was ticking.
“Kostrzewa had been informed he could end up personally responsible for his hospital bills because he had been ‘medically cleared’ to move into a nursing home.
“Roberta Novack told her younger brother not to sign anything. She feared he would end up in a facility unable to provide quality care for the bone infection in his spine that had kept him bedridden for months following a hip replacement surgery.”
Click here to read this article at The Buffalo News in its entirety.
“What Different-Looking People Would Like You to Know Before You Stare” – The New York Times
Graham Roumieu
by David Pogue
“A little boy sees a bald man in the store. ‘Mommy, look! That man has no hair!’ he says.
“His mother grabs his arm and whispers urgently: ‘Be quiet! He might hear you!’
“The boy looks at his mother, puzzled. ‘Doesn’t he know?’
There’s a lot going on in that old joke — about children and novelty, about unusual looks, about parenting and tact.
“At the end of the previous ‘Crowdwise,’ I invited people who describe themselves as looking different — people who are very large or small, who are visibly disabled, who have distinctive features — to share their thoughts with the public. How should strangers react? Look away? Smile? Is it O.K. to ask questions?”
Read this article in its entirety at The New York Times.
Here’s another article related to the differences and embracing them: “Body Image: Don’t Believe Everything You Think.”
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