ODHH: Resources, Handouts, and Videos

• Association of Language Companies—information about language access
• Deaf Hope—for Deaf survivors of domestic and sexual violence
• Disability Rights Wisconsin
• Independent living centers (ILCs)—find the ILC near you to connect with an independent living coordinator
• National Association of the Deaf (NAD)—general information and advocacy letters to help you advocate for your rights
• National Deaf Center—postsecondary resources tailored for institutions, students, and professionals, including online learning modules, "Deafverse," and the National Deaf Center's research and data

• Colleges and community colleges
  • The best way to learn ASL is with a teacher in a class. Check with your local community college or university extension programs.
  • Some universities have continuing education courses that are open to the public. These classes are ideal for adult learners to audit without receiving grades or credits.
• Community classes (not a complete list)—check with your city or town or local library for learning opportunities.
  • WESP-DHH Deaf Mentor Program (ages 3–21) for hearing families with Deaf or Hard of Hearing children
  • WESP-DHH outreach events (statewide)
  • Wheatland Center School Community Education in Burlington, Wisconsin
  • Wisconsin School for the Deaf community ASL classes (during the school year)
• Online classes (not a complete list):
  • American Society for Deaf Children
  • ASL Inside
  • Gallaudet University—ASL Connect
  • Sign It! American Sign Language Made Easy
  • Sign Language 101
  • Start ASL
• Apps (not a complete list):
  • ASL Fingerspelling
  • ASL Sign Language Pocket Sign
    • Pocket Sign—App Store
    • Pocket Sign—Google Play
  • Hands On ASL—iOS only
  • Lingvano

• General:
  • Great Lakes ADA Center
  • U.S. Department of Justice ADA Information Line
• Employment:
  • Job Accommodation Network
  • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

• Interacting with Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, P-02764 (PDF)—for health departments, clinics, and other medical providers
• Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)—Hearing Loss Communication (PDF)

• For adults:
  • Association of Late-Deafened Adults
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing Open Chat Night
  • Deaf Gathering
  • Deaf Seniors of America
  • Deaf Storytelling Project (Exfabula)
  • Greater Milwaukee Association of the Deaf (GMAD)
  • Green Bay Deaf Club
  • Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)
    • Luv2Hear support group
    • Walk4Hearing
    • Wisconsin HLAA
  • Janesville Deaf Club
  • Madison Association of the Deaf (MAD)
  • National Black Deaf Advocates
  • Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Behavioral Health Initiative
  • Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf
  • Southern Lakes Association of the Deaf (SLAD)
  • Southeastern Wisconsin Deaf Senior Citizens (SWDSC)
  • Three Rivers Deaf Club
  • Wisconsin Association of the Deaf (WAD)
  • Wisconsin Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (WisRID)
• For acoustic neuroma:
  • Acoustic Neuroma Association—Support Groups
  • American Brain Tumor Association—Acoustic Neuroma Support Groups
  • The "Lucky" Brain Tumor
• For cued speech:
  • National Cued Speech Association
• For Deaf and Hard of Hearing Hispanic community members:
  • National Hispanic Latino Association of the Deaf (NHLAD)
  • Wisconsin Hispanic Association of the Deaf (WHAD)
• For DeafBlind community members:
  • American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB)
  • Center for Deaf-Blind Persons—WISH (With Impaired Sight and Hearing) events
• For Tinnitus:
  • American Tinnitus Association—Find a Support Group
• For veterans with hearing loss:
  • Heroes with Hearing Loss
  • HLAA—Veterans with Hearing Loss
• For medical service providers with hearing loss:
  • Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses (AMPHL)
  • National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities
• For Native communities:
  • Turtle Island Hand Talk
• For those who enjoy sports:
  • International Committee of Sports for the Deaf
  • USA Deaf Sports Federation
  • Midwest Athletic Association of the Deaf
  • Wisconsin School for the Deaf Athletics

Need more ideas to reduce your risk of social isolation and loneliness? The Wisconsin Coalition for Social Connection can help!

• Wisconsin:
  • Center for Deaf-Blind Persons (CDBP)
  • Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project (WDBTAP)
  • Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• National:
  • American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB)
  • American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
  • APH ConnectCenter
  • Charge Syndrome Foundation
  • DeafBlind International (DBI)
  • Helen Keller National Center for Deafblind Youths and Adults (HKNC)
  • National Center on Deafblindness (NCDB)
  • American Association of the DeafBlind (AADB)
  • Usher Syndrome Coaliltion

One in 10 people over the age of 65 will develop dementia, including many people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind. Dementia services and supports for people who have hearing or vision loss are limited, and family members often provide critical communication between health care providers and the person they support.

The Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) has produced several videos that provide information about recognizing and understanding the signs of dementia for those concerned about themselves or who care for someone who may have dementia. These videos are in American Sign Language with English voiceover and closed captions.

• What is Dementia (Video, 6:09)
• Dementia Caregiving Resources (Video, 2:44)
• Brain Health (Video, 4:39)

Other DHS resources:

• Brain Health
• Dementia Care in Wisconsin

• Disability benefit specialists (DBSs) provide trusted and confidential advice to people with disabilities who are between the ages of 18 and 59. Find a local benefit specialist.
• ODHH also employs a Deaf DBS, who is fluent in American Sign Language and provides DBS services throughout the state.

Elder benefit specialists (EBSs) provide trusted and confidential advice to adults ages 60 and older about benefits, including health care and programs that could save them money. Find a local benefit specialist.

• American Red Cross—How to Prepare for Emergencies
• Council on Physical Disabilities—Emergency Preparedness Toolkit
• FEMA—Be Aware, Be Prepared, Take Action: A Guide for Alerts and Warnings (PDF)
• Office of Preparedness and Emergency Health Care

Hearing aids

Wisconsin requires many health insurers to offer coverage for hearing aids and cochlear implants, as well as for related treatment for children up to age 18, as long as they are prescribed by a physician or licensed audiologist (see 2009 Assembly Bill 16 and 2009 Assembly Bill 553).

Check with your personal health care plan to find out if hearing aids are covered for adults.

Other resources:

• Financial Assistance for Hearing Aids and Hearing Assistive Technology for Adults who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind, P-00591 (PDF)
• Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)—Financial Options for Hearing Loss Treatment
• HLAA—Purchasing a Hearing Aid—A Consumer Checklist (PDF)

Interpreting and captioning services

• ODHH: Service Fund
• Interpreter information for individuals who have Wisconsin Medicaid: Interpretation for Medical Services, P-03492 (PDF)

Phones and other assistive listening devices

• iCanConnect
• Locations That Demonstrate and Loan Telecommunications Equipment (PDF)
• Telecommunications Assistance Program (TAP)
• Telecommunications Equipment Purchase Program (TEPP)
• Wisconsin's Assistive Technology Program (WisTech)

• American Red Cross of Wisconsin—schedule a free Red Cross home fire safety visit
• Milwaukee Fire Department Smoke Alarm Hotline—City of Milwaukee residents who are in need of smoke alarms can call the hotline to have fire department personnel come out and install them
• National Fire Protection Association
  • Smoke Alarm Technologies for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
  • Smoke and CO Alarms for People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Safety Tip Sheet
• Wisconsin Council on Physical Disabilities Emergency Preparedness Toolkit—emergency preparedness information including tips, checklists, wallet card, visual communications tool, and other resources to be prepared and have a plan for emergencies and natural disasters

Hearing aids and cochlear implants can provide access to speech and sound, and additional features can help you get even more from them. When it’s time to upgrade or purchase new devices, consider choosing models with telecoil (helps connect to hearing loops systems) and Auracast or Bluetooth capabilities. These features can connect you to assistive listening systems and other technologies, expanding your communication access in a variety of settings and helping you hear more beyond the device alone. To learn more about hearing loops and Auracast, visit the Center for Hearing Access.

Hearing aid information:

• Hearing Tracker
• Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Cochlear implant information:

• Advanced Bionics
• Cochlear
• MED-EL

• 4 Paws for Ability
• Can Do Canines
• Canine Companions
• Dogs for Better Lives
• Dogs On The Go
• Paws With A Cause

Center for Hearing Access—Wisconsin

Behavioral Health Initiative

The Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Behavioral Health Initiative was designed with the goal of improving access, quality, and outcomes of behavioral health care services for people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, and Deaf-Blind.

Online mental health resources

Deaf Counseling Center is a Deaf-owned and operated psychotherapy and consulting practice staffed by licensed professional therapists who are Deaf. They specialize in working with people who are Deaf and their families and are committed to:

• Providing safe, confidential, and non-judgmental therapeutic services.
• Creating a culturally sensitive counseling environment for clients who are Deaf and their families.
• Ensuring effective communication through American Sign Language.
• Enhancing lives through empowerment and positive change.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network of crisis centers offers many services for people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing or who have hearing loss, including veterans.

Wisconsin mental health resources

Sheli Barber, Deaf therapist
Deaf Counseling Center
Email: info@deafcounseling.com
240-701-5155 (text)
240-380-2577 (videophone)

Jamie Chapin, LCSW, Deaf therapist
National Deaf Therapy
Request therapy services online
Email: hello@nationaldeaftherapy.com

Jessica Dallman, MA, LPC, NCC, licensed professional counselor
Natural Wisdom Counseling, LLC
Mount Horeb, WI 53572
701-870-0022 (voice)
608-581-9566 (videophone)

Connie Eller, MS, LPC, child therapist
Kettle Moraine Counseling
W177 N9856 Rivercrest Drive, Suite 112
Germantown, WI 53022
Email: connie@kmcclinics.com
414-335-2741 (voice and text)

Katy Hagmeyer, MSW, Wisconsin licensed therapist
Deaf Inspire, LLC
Email: katyhagmeyer@gmail.com
414-312-4736 (videophone)

Kimberly Niebler, counselor
Deaf Counseling Center
Email: frontdesk@deafcounseling.com
240-380-2577 (videophone)

Domaz Wellington, MA, LPC, MFT-IT, CRC, licensed professional counselor
Journey Within Christian Counseling
Liberty Park Place
11414 West Park Place
Milwaukee, WI 53224
Email: jwccservice@gmail.com
262-846-5882 (voice)

If you or your agency work with people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind and want to be added to this list, send your information to dhsodhh@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

Substance use disorder and mental health (SUD/MH) services education for providers

SUD/MH is a statewide project focused on improving substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health (MH) services for people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind in Wisconsin. Independence First, the independent living center in Milwaukee, provides presentations, resources, technical assistance, and training for SUD/MH treatment providers, as well as educational presentations to staff regarding how to work with and be accessible to people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind and experiencing SUD/MH issues, so they may fully participate in SUD/MH services.

For more information, email Denise Johnson at djohnson@independencefirst.org, Wisconsin statewide project coordinator for people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind.

414-291-7520 (voice and TTY)
414-937-5910 (voice and videophone)

Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) Brochure, P-23114—available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Hmong, and Spanish

For Deaf parents of hearing children

• CODA International
• HEAR Wisconsin's Kellogg Child & Family Program
• KODA Midwest

For hearing parents of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children

• Early interventions:
  • Birth to 3 Program
  • Hand-n-Hand of Northeastern Wisconsin
  • Hands & Voices
  • HEAR Wisconsin's Kellogg Child & Family Program
  • Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)—Parents
  • Wisconsin Sound Beginnings
  • Wisconsin Wayfinder
• Ages 3–21:
  • Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)—accessible educational media
  • Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)—Parents
  • WESP-DHH Deaf Mentor Program
  • WESP-DHH Outreach
  • WESP-DHH Parent Mentor Program
• Young adult (postsecondary and transition):
  • Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs)
  • Department of Workforce Development—Vocational Rehabilitation
  • Independent Living Centers in Wisconsin
  • National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes

• Communication rights card: a business card-sized resource that lists information and references about obligations to provide accommodations for accessible and effective communication under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Get it by contacting the Great Lakes ADA Center at info@adagreatlakes.org.
  • View a video from the Great Lakes ADA center about the ADA, communication rights, self-advocacy, and the communication rights card.
• Language access pocket card: a bifold card you can carry in your wallet, purse, or pocket that helps you request an interpreter or language access in your preferred language
  • Get it from the Association of Language Companies (available in multiple languages).
  • View a description of the language access card in American Sign Language.
• Medical emergency wallet card: a wallet-sized card that you can fill out with personal health information for first responders in the event of an emergency when you cannot directly communicate
  • Get it from from the Wisconsin Council on Physical Disabilities Emergency Preparedness Toolkit.
• Video remote interpreting (VRI) wallet card: a bifold wallet card that patients can use to advocate for themselves regarding VRI in health care settings
  • Get the VRI wallet card (PDF) and other advocacy letters from the National Association of the Deaf (NAD).
  • View a video from NAD about VRI in health care settings.

• Disability Data and Demographics
• Census Profile of Those Reporting Hearing Difficulty, 2020 (Video, 15:39)

Questions about your county or other census information? Contact:

Eric Grosso, Demographer
Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources
608-266-7803
EricR.Grosso@dhs.wisconsin.gov

An SSP is a trained adult who knows sign language and works with DeafBlind adults. An SSP may be hearing, Deaf, or Hard of Hearing. They provide sighted guide services, share visual information, and help with daily activities, including access to the environment and community participation. An SSP is not an interpreter and is not required to hold state or national certification.

Contact Center for Deaf-Blind Persons (CDBP) for more information on support service providers.

The videos listed here provide information about various DHS programs, services, and topics. Videos have English audio, written English captions, and American Sign Language interpretation.

• 2025 Wisconsin Act 115 patient's representative webinar
  • View the Act 115 webinar on YouTube (video, 44:01)
  • View the Act 115 webinar on Vimeo (video, 44:02)
• Assistive Technology Solutions for Hearing Loss (video, 3:16)—This video showcases examples of different assistive devices that Deaf and Hard of Hearing consumers can use in their everyday lives within their own homes. The centers listed at the end of the video provide assistive technology demonstrations and loan telecommunications equipment.
• Census Profile of Those Reporting Hearing Difficulty, 2020 (Video, 15:39)
• Disability benefit specialist program description (video, 4:44)
• Introduction to aging and disability resource centers (video, 3:25)
• Medicaid Purchase Plan (MAPP)
  • What is MAPP? (video, 1:09)
  • Am I Eligible for MAPP? (video, 2:51)
  • How Do I Enroll in MAPP? (video, 1:51)
  • MAPP Premiums (video, 3:10)
• Medicare video series (YouTube playlist)
• Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) Brochure, P-23114
  • ASL description of the ODHH brochure (video, 3:57)
• Subscribing to ODHH Email (video, 1:57)—This video shows step-by-step instructions on how to subscribe to the ODHH email list to receive ODHH updates.
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communication Visor Card, P-02027
  • Where to place and how to use the communication visor card (video, 1:58)

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communication Visor Card, P-02027—visor card for drivers who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing to better communicate with law enforcement during traffic stops

If you are interested in getting the visor card and instructions for proper placement, contact Caroline Ludka by email at Caroline.Ludka@dhs.wisconsin.gov or by phone at 262-565-6349.

Do you want an officer to know you have a hearing loss before approaching your window during a traffic stop? The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has an invisible disability disclosure form available that provides drivers the option to disclose on their driver license, ID, and vehicle registration record that they have a disability that may not be immediately apparent to another person.