Advances in Podcast Accessibility
Due to its audio format, deaf and hard of hearing individuals have been excluded from podcast content. But now with live captioning extensions and third-party apps, Apple and Spotify podcast contents are now more readily available to the deaf and hard of hearing community!
Check out Nagish’s article to learn more about the new features to enjoy podcasts!
Jacobs Hall Christmas Tours at Kentucky School for the Deaf
Reminder: PAH Club, Inc.; Dinner with Santa in Louisville
Click on picture above to register. This event is proudly sponsored by the Center Accessible for Living (CAL), Language in Motion (LIM) Interpreting Agency, ASL Interpreting Services (ASL-IS) Agency, the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the PAH Club.
Kentucky Hands & Voices; STAYIN' ALIVE Virtual 5k
Run. Walk. Bike. Hike. Roll. Crawl. Whatever your mode, join us to STAY ALIVE on Saturday December 28, 2024 - Wednesday January 1, 2025!
Kentucky Hands & Voices is excited to partner with our other chapters across the U.S. for the Staying Alive in 2025: Hands & Voices New Year Virtual 5K. What you'll get: * A fun event t-shirt * A super cool finisher's medal (only available for the first 500) * A connection to others across the U.S. supporting a wonderful cause and bringing awareness to our children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Register here and select Kentucky Hands & Voices as your team: tinyurl.com/5c7h3mvy
Follow along on the Facebook Event Page: www.facebook.com/events/1672691993304640
Community Sign Language Class
Click above image to register.
Looking Forward for Behavioral Health
By Michelle Niehaus, LCSW (michelle.niehaus@ky.gov)
Program Administrator, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
Dept. for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities
Every two years the Advisory Committee on the Need for Services for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing has the opportunity to look at what progress has been made and what gaps still exist. The committee focuses on mental health, substance use, and developmental / intellectual disabilities.
Over the past two years, DBHDID has invested in the growth of direct services in ASL. The department contracts with the fourteen Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) regions. Seven Counties Services provided over 1500 direct therapy or case management services in ASL over the last two years. New Vista is rebuilding their program. They hired a new therapist in January 2024 and his caseload is steadily growing. Meanwhile, the regions that rely on interpreters provided 5567 services to 209 sign language users FY2023 and FY2024!
Knowing that the quality of mental health interpreting is vital to effective communication, DBHDID partnered with KyRID (the Kentucky Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf) for its last conference. Sessions were offered on Trauma Informed Interpreting and language deprivation. Look for follow up workshops in 2025.
Sometimes attending therapy or receiving case management isn’t enough. Having an opportunity to connect with someone who has experienced similar mental health or substance use challenges can provide hope and a way forward. Bridgehaven Mental Health Services trained 11 people for the Deaf Adult Peer Support Services program. Peers offer individual and group services in person and remotely from Louisville and across the state.
Peers also drive our work with the Kentucky Overdose Response Effort (KORE). Trainings have been held across the Commonwealth for Recovery Community Centers (RCCs). These RCCs also offer communication access for all of their available services and events upon request.
Recognizing the diverse communication access needs of people with hearing loss, DBHDID has also championed the development and use of Communication Access Plans (CAP) by the Community Mental Health Centers and other contracted agencies. A CAP can be used by and individual to note the accommodations or auxiliary aids and services needed to best access treatment. At least three CMHCs have implemented these in their electronic health records and more centers are in process. A learning series is planned for 2025 to help behavioral health providers better understand what to do to help individuals with hearing loss.
While we have made a lot of progress in two years, DBHDID and the Advisory Committee recognize that significant gaps still exist in our behavioral health system of care. If YOU have input on how we should focus time and resources in the coming two years, please reach out to me at Michelle.Niehaus@ky.gov. We can build better services together.
"Moore Safe Nights" Weather Radio Distribution Program
Still Accepting Applications!
Are you a deaf or hard of hearing person living in Kentucky? Do you feel like you're always out of the loop when bad weather comes to your area? Would you like some peace of mind for when bad weather approaches you while you're sleeping?
Thanks to the partnership with Kentucky Emergency Management (KyEM); you now can apply for a free weather radio for the deaf and hard of hearing using our online application now!
Pros and Cons of Using Apple AirPods as Hearing Aids
Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 headphones now offer a slew of hearing-related software, including a hearing test and over-the-counter hearing aid functionality for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
These new features were authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2024 and are available to Apple users who update their operating system to iOS 18.
Are they right for you? Before buying a pair, it's important to consider both the benefits and drawbacks.
Read the Healthy Hearing article!
PLEASE VISIT KCDHH’S
IF YOU HAVE AN EVENT YOU’D LIKE TO LIST ON THE CALENDAR,
PLEASE EMAIL US AT: kcdhh@ky.gov
KCDHH Resources:
KCDHH’s Telecommunications Access Program (TAP):
Landline or wireless equipment for Kentucky residents who are deaf,
hard of hearing, speech impaired, or have both a hearing and vision loss.
KENTUCKY COMMISSION ON THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
632 Versailles Road
Frankfort, KY 40601
Voice: 502-573-2604
Videophone: 502-416-0607
Toll Free: 800-372-2907
kcdhh.ky.gov | kcdhh@ky.gov
