The San Diego Foundation Grants $235,000 to Help the Deaf-Blind
Jan
24
Written by:
1/24/2011 8:15 AM
Jan. 24, 2011 - The San Diego Foundation will grant $235,000 over three years to the San Diego branch of the Helen Keller Center. This philanthropic support of our deaf-blind San Diegans is made possible through the Adelaide Allen Endowment Fund held at The San Diego Foundation.
Deaf-blind individuals have severe to total loss of both their vision and hearing.
The Helen Keller National Center estimates there are more than 500 deaf-blind San
Diego County residents.
The Adelaide Allen grant is designated for a Support Service Provider (SSP) pilot
program to train sighted guides that facilitate increased independence for the
deafblind.
Thanks to this funding, an estimated 45-60 deaf-blind San Diegans will benefit
from three to five hours per week of SSP services, which will help them with
shopping, banking, dining in restaurants, and other ordinary activities that require
guidance.
Support Service Providers are distinct from translators, who do word-for-word
translations of verbal information in formal settings, like legal hearings or medical
appointments. SSPs, on the other hand, confer visual information to deaf-blind
consumers. Since SSP services are far less costly than formal translations, they can
be provided on a regular basis for day-to-day activities.
SSPs communicate with their clients through tactile sign language, modified visual
sign language, or amplified speech. Sighted deaf people are often excellent SSPs
because of their strong sign language skills and shared experience of deafness.
After significant research and oversight, The San Diego Foundation’s Health and
Human Services Working Group determined the Helen Keller National Center’s
local office had the expertise and capacity to launch this pilot. The organization’s
mission is to enable deaf-blind individuals to live and work in the communities of
their choice. It operates another Support Service Provider Program for the deafblind
in Long Island, New York.
The Seattle Deaf-Blind Service Center initiated the first Support Service Provider
program for the deaf-blind in 1986. San Diego’s pilot is the 20th SSP program in the
United States, though about ten other areas are investigating the possibility of
establishing such programs.
Foundation staff conducted research to learn about the deaf-blind in San Diego and
their needs, reviewing literature published by the American Association for the
Deaf-Blind (AADB) and the Helen Keller National Center (HKNC). National experts in
the field were interviewed, including Jelica Nuccio at the Seattle Deaf Blind Service
Center, Ed Gervasoni at the Arizona Association of the Deaf-Blind, and Cathy
Kirscher at the Helen Keller National Center. Staff also spoke with representatives
from the San Diego Center for the Blind, the Braille Institute San Diego, and Deaf
Community Services San Diego.
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