Welcome to the Florida Coordinating Council
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Our mission statement: “To provide a forum for public input and outreach resulting in technical assistance, advocacy, education, and improved communication access among public and private entities to meet the needs of deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened and deaf-blind persons.”
WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Welcome to the website of the Florida Coordinating Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The Council was created by Florida Statute in 2004 click to see the actual Statute and is now moving into its sixth year of working to address the needs of Florida’s three million residents who are deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened or deaf-blind.
We are a Governor-appointed council of 17 hard working and diligent members representing various stakeholders in the deaf and hard of hearing community and professionals who work with individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened or deaf-blind.
You can view any current vacancies and obtain Application materials should you wish to apply for any vacant positions. As of February 2010, there are three vacant seats: two for a representative from the Florida Association of the Deaf and one for a parent of a child with hearing loss. Please click here if you are interested in applying.
Over the past five years we have traveled the State and listened to thousands of persons with hearing loss. What we have heard in those years is that improvements are needed in Florida to make communication more accessible and services more available to persons with hearing loss. Our Council’s 2009 Report to the Governor outlines the needs and the disparities quite clearly. Click here to view a copy of the Report.
The Florida Coordinating Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has provided valuable input to the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities about the needs of persons with hearing loss in every aspect of life, including education, employment, healthcare, independent living, transportation, emergency preparedness, and civil rights. We have been heard. Now we commit our support, energy, and expertise to helping the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities implement recommendations in it’s 2009 Report to the Governor that will benefit all persons with disabilities in general and persons with hearing loss in particular. Click here to view the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities 2009 Report.
Our Medical Accessibility Task Force recently created a training-manual and video for the medical community to learn more about deafness and how to improve communication with patients who are deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened or deaf-blind. We also have a Legal Systems Accessibility Task Force in place that is working on a similar project that will make improvements in communication access for people involved in the legal system.
Check out our schedule of upcoming meetings and plan to join us by conference call or visit us when we are in your area. We ensure communication accessibility with streaming CART on all conference calls. If you are unable to visit one of our meetings, please use our online comment form (click here) to share your concerns and suggestions with us.
We May Not Hear, But We Must Be Heard!
Joan Haber
Chair
Florida Coordinating Council
For the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Online Education Parenting Info. Social Situations and more.