For children and families who are Deaf or hard of hearing, access to communication is more than a convenience. It is a fundamental human right. Family Center on Deafness(FCD) exists to ensure that this right is honored across Pinellas County by empowering the Deaf community with opportunities to enhance communication, education, and independence.
Serving families with Deaf or hard of hearing members from birth through age 21, FCD provides critical support during some of the most formative years of a child’s life. FCD fills a vital gap for a community that too often faces barriers to care, education, and meaningful connection.
Ensuring Access Through Professional Interpreting Services
Support from PCF has played a crucial role in helping Family Center on Deafness fulfill its mission by providing funding for professional sign language interpreters. The Americans with Disabilities Act protects Deaf individuals’ right to access spoken language in their preferred mode of communication, yet access does not happen without trained professionals.
Certified sign language interpreters are a vital part of ensuring communication is accurate, accessible, and respectful. They allow Deaf individuals and their families to fully participate in educational programs, social events, and community resources that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to navigate. During Fiscal Year 2022–23 alone, FCD utilized 150 hours of interpreting services at a cost of approximately $22,000, demonstrating both the scale and necessity of this support.
Empowering Families Through Inclusive Programming
FCD currently serves 39 households, representing 66 youth across Pinellas County. Its programming is intentionally comprehensive, recognizing that empowerment requires more than one type of service. FCD offers academic tutoring, communication and literacy development in both American Sign Language and English, social and recreational activities, and social-emotional empowerment.
Families also benefit from parent networking opportunities, information and referral services, mentoring by Deaf role models, and independent life-skills training. Services are delivered on-site, in homes, in person, and virtually to meet families where they are and remove logistical barriers to participation.
Bridging Communication Gaps in a Diverse Community
While FCD staff are skilled in direct communication with Deaf clients, the diversity of communication styles within the community makes professional interpreters essential. Families and partners may communicate using ASL, signed language, spoken or signed English, Spanish, or a combination of methods. Securing tri-lingual interpreters allows support at the intersection of these languages. In these situations, nationally certified interpreters ensure that no one is left out of the conversation.
As FCD’s reach has expanded, so too has the demand for communication access. In addition to interpreting services, FCD has added CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation), a speech-to-text service for individuals who do not use sign language. While these services significantly enhance accessibility, they also increase operational costs, making grant support more critical than ever.
Creating Connection, Community, and Belonging
With support from PCF, Family Center on Deafness has been able to ensure full language access at a wide range of community events. These include family celebrations, graduation ceremonies, voter education presentations, Girl Scouts meetings, Deaf Fest, holiday gift drives, and board meetings. In total, FCD programs and events reached 578 unique attendees, all with access to communication in American Sign Language, spoken English, and spoken Spanish.
Investing in Access for the Future
As FCD continues to grow through education and collaboration, the need for communication access will only increase. Operating grant dollars directly enhances quality of life by ensuring Deaf children, families, and community members can fully engage, learn, and advocate for themselves. Through accessible communication, FCD is not just opening doors—it is helping families walk through them together.
Support impactful services and organizations like Family Center on Deafnessat https://pinellascf.org/give/donors/ or email: Giving@PinellasCF.org to connect with our team today. For more information on our grants program: https://pinellascf.org/receive/grants/
