Vermont Agencies and Organizations
Vermont EHDI Program
The Vermont EHDI Program, under the Vermont Department of Health, provides support, training, and case management for families and their babies, hospitals, and community providers. Their website has information about:
- Newborn Hearing Screening
- Early Health Hearing Resources
- Hearing Intervention Services and Providers in Vermont
VocRehab Vermont
VocRehab Vermont offers free services to any Vermonter or employer dealing with a disability that affects employment. Their services benefit deaf and hard of hearing students transitioning from high school to employment, and are available throughout adult life.
Vermont Speech-Language Hearing Association
Vermont Speech-Language Hearing Association is a non-profit professional association of speech-language and audiology professionals.
Vermont Family Network
Vermont Family Network is a statewide non-profit assisting Vermont families whose children have special health and educational needs. They are the federally designated Parent Training and Information Center and the Family-to-Family Health Information Center. They have many helpful resources on their website, including:
Vermont Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
Vermont Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of interpreters, Deaf community members and other allies, which collaborates to ensure that high-quality American Sign Language-English interpretation throughout the state is provided with the utmost integrity and respect.
Vermont Telecommunications Relay Service
Vermont Telecommunications Relay Service (Vermont Relay) is a free service for all Vermonters, connecting individuals who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard-of-hearing, or have a speech disability with users of standard telephones.
Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights
Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights is a cross-disability advocacy organization that seeks to increase awareness of disability issues and effect systemic change through legislative and administrative processes.
Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators
Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators provide leadership, support, and mentoring to those who teach and lead in special education. Their website has a useful Professional Resources page.
Vermont Chapter, Hearing Loss Association of America
The mission of the Vermont Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America is to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss by providing information, education, support and advocacy. Their website contains helpful resources for Vermont’s adults with hearing loss.
Vermont Agency of Education
The Vermont Agency of Education has a wealth of information on their website, including:
- Special Education Laws, Regulations, and Resources for Parents
- Professional Standards and Licensing Regulations for Educators, including Special Educators and Teachers of the Deaf
The I-Team
The I-Team provides training and technical assistance to students with intensive special needs. Their website has a substantial list of online resources pertaining to intensive special needs.
Vermont Association of the Deaf
Vermont Association of the Deaf is an organization of individuals who are deaf, members of the Deaf community, including parents of deaf children, and professionals working in various deaf-related fields and endeavors, organizations of, for, and by the deaf, and businesses at large. Their website is a resource for the Deaf community, including minutes from the Vermont Hearing Advisory Council and other news in ASL.
Vermont Interpreter Referral Service
Vermont Interpreter Referral Service provides statewide interpreter and CART referral services for American Sign Language/English interpreting assignments. VIRS serves all Vermonters, both hearing and deaf, in need of securing a sign language interpreter. VIRS also provides advocacy for deaf clients, training opportunities for interpreters and serves as an informational resource.
Vermont Center for Independent Living
Vermont Center for Independent Living is a nonprofit organization directed and staffed by individuals with disabilities, which works to promote the dignity, independence and civil rights of Vermonters with disabilities. Their website contains helpful information about:
- Vermont Equipment Distribution Program, helping income-eligible Vermonters who have trouble using a telephone and need adaptive equipment.
Disability Rights Vermont
Disability Rights Vermont is a statewide agency dedicated to advancing the rights of people with disabilities and mental health issues. Their website contains:
- Information about the Vermont Communication Support Project, serving people with disabilities whose communication problems prevent them from participating fully in court and other agency proceedings.
- Many publications relating to people with disabilities, including the booklet, Services & Information for Vermonters who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and a Vermont Voter’s Guide for People with Disabilities.
Deaf Vermonters Advocacy Services
Deaf Vermonters Advocacy Services provides services, advocacy and support for Deaf victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse. DVAS also offer training, technical assistance, advocacy, and educational programming on a wide range of topics.
Hands & Voices – Vermont Chapter
The Vermont Chapter of Hands & Voices is a parent driven organization that supports families with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing without a bias around communication modes or methodology. They organize regular social events for families in Vermont.
Other DHH Resources and Websites
American Sign Language Teachers Association
American Sign Language Teachers Association is a national professional organization of American Sign Language and Deaf studies teachers. Their mission is to perpetuate, preserve, and promote American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Culture through excellence in teaching.
American Sign Language University
American Sign Language University is a resource site for ASL students and teachers. Here you will find information, lessons, and an ASL dictionary to help you learn ASL and improve your signing.
Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University is the world’s only university designed to be barrier-free for deaf and hard of hearing students. Here are some of the extensive online resources available through Gallaudet:
- VL2, which stands for Visual Language and Visual Learning. This information hub focuses on understanding how cognition, language, reading, and literacy is developed through vision.
- Laurent Clerc Deaf Education Center is a one-stop shop for Deaf Education Resources.
- Early Intervention Network: Supporting Linguistic Competence for Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
- Find trainings and free webcasts about early intervention in their archives.
Mainstream News
Mainstream News is a free, online publication issued three times per year (fall, winter, spring) by Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.. Timely, practical articles help professionals and parents provide students with effective support and access in educational settings.
My Baby’s Hearing
My Baby’s Hearing is a resource for parents with babies with hearing loss.
National Association of the Deaf
National Association of the Deaf is the nation’s premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America.
National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health, conducts and supports research in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for audiologists and speech-language professionals.
American Society for Deaf Children
American Society for Deaf Children is a helpful source of information for people who must make decisions about deaf children: providers, educators, legislators, and advocates. Their Knowledge Center includes resources for families, educators, and providers.
Deaf Websites
Deaf Websites is a great general resource on matters pertaining to deafness, Deaf culture, sign language, and more.
Hands & Voices
Hands & Voices is a non-profit, parent-driven organization dedicated to supporting families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Hear ME Now
hear ME now is an auditory oral education center for children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing operating in Maine. Their website includes some helpful information about hearing loss and possible interventions.
Hearing Loss Association of America
Hearing Loss Association of America provides assistance and resources for people with hearing loss and their families to learn how to adjust to living with hearing loss. HLAA is working to eradicate the stigma associated with hearing loss and raise public awareness about the need for prevention, treatment, and regular hearing screenings throughout life.
National Association of State Agencies of the DHH
National Association of State Agencies of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is comprised of administrators of the state agencies serving deaf and hard of hearing.
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
National Technical Institute for the Deaf provides deaf and hard of hearing students with state-of-the-art technical and professional education programs, and prepares professionals to work in fields related to deafness.
Supporting Success for Kids with Hearing Loss
Supporting Success for Kids with Hearing Loss is a website by Karen Anderson, and contains a wealth of resources for parents and professionals.