DEAF Services

The Deaf Services Program’s mission is to promote self-determination, independence, and celebration of American Sign Language (ASL) among diverse Deaf communities regardless of communication background.

The Deaf Services Program supports this mission by providing services that empower Deaf people to live independent and productive lives, with full access to the rights, privileges, and opportunities available to the general public. Our Deaf Services Coordinator is a native American Sign Language (ASL) user and most of STIC’s staff know some basic sign language.

Eligibility
All services are available to people with hearing loss, including those who are culturally Deaf, and member of the community, including:
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals from diverse backgrounds who use American Sign Language
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals using varying communication methods, and/or an array of assistive technology
• Families and friends of the Deaf community
• Professionals from medical, legal, law enforcement, academic, public and social services entities
• All ages, genders, socio-economic levels, ethnicities, sexual orientations
• Employers
• The general public

Service Area
The Deaf Services Program provides services in Broome, Chenango and Tioga Counties.

Services
The Deaf Services Program accomplishes the program mission by providing the following services:
• Community Education
• Peer Counseling
• Advocacy
• Independent Living Skills
• Communication Assistance
• Information and Referral

Community Education: Workshops, presentations and events to enhance self-awareness in the Deaf community and increase knowledge of Deaf culture to those outside the Deaf community.

Peer Counseling: Active listening, empathic support and guidance to help Deaf individuals resolve everyday problems and crisis situations, and improve their emotional well-being.

Mentoring: Guidance of Deaf role model who shares the experiences of being deaf and overcoming challenges in personal and social aspects of life, knowledge of resources available to deaf individuals, and advice on different situations.

Advocacy: Educating Deaf and hearing communities about the right to equal opportunities, education and communication access, and the laws which mandate it.

Independent Living Skills: Individual and group training which builds skills that empower Deaf individuals to make decisions and achieve personal goals. Training may include areas such as budgeting, health, family, transportation, education, housing and more.

Communication Assistance: Assistance with document translation, phone assistance, demonstration of assistive technology, referrals to interpreters and real-time captioning services.

Information and Referral: Providing information and referrals on a wide array of resources related to the Deaf community.

Contact
Deaf Services Coordinator
(607) 238-2694 (VP)
(607) 724-2111 (Voice/TTY) or toll free at (877) 722-9150