Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Programs
Budget
$225,000.00
Description
In June 2022, BridgesDHH was excited to open BridgesEAST! BridgesEAST serves northeastern Tennessee and parts of Virginia and North Carolina. We were honored to be invited by the Community to serve. From our first day on June 14th, we've been busy providing interpreting services and other programming.
Program Areas Served
Northeastern Tennessee
$225,000.00
Description
In June 2022, BridgesDHH was excited to open BridgesEAST! BridgesEAST serves northeastern Tennessee and parts of Virginia and North Carolina. We were honored to be invited by the Community to serve. From our first day on June 14th, we've been busy providing interpreting services and other programming.
Program Areas Served
Northeastern Tennessee
Description
BridgesWEST is proud to be a local agency in Memphis building on the more than 90 years of excellence Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has delivered. BridgesWEST serves five counties in southwest Tennessee and parts of Mississippi and Arkansas. We offer high-quality and affordable Interpreting Services using local interpreters; Community Services including Game Days (2nd Friday of each month from 10am to 2pm), client advocacy, workshops, ASL classes, community events, work with families and employers, job training, systems navigation, and much more; Youth Education & Services (exciting new partnership with the Mayor's Office of Youth Services, an after-school program); and other services in coordination with our Nashville office including Advocacy (systems-change advocacy to serve our entire community), Empowerment (basic case management and resource referral), and more.
Beneficiaries
Seniors
Adults
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
Program Areas Served
Western Tennessee
BridgesWEST is proud to be a local agency in Memphis building on the more than 90 years of excellence Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has delivered. BridgesWEST serves five counties in southwest Tennessee and parts of Mississippi and Arkansas. We offer high-quality and affordable Interpreting Services using local interpreters; Community Services including Game Days (2nd Friday of each month from 10am to 2pm), client advocacy, workshops, ASL classes, community events, work with families and employers, job training, systems navigation, and much more; Youth Education & Services (exciting new partnership with the Mayor's Office of Youth Services, an after-school program); and other services in coordination with our Nashville office including Advocacy (systems-change advocacy to serve our entire community), Empowerment (basic case management and resource referral), and more.
Beneficiaries
Seniors
Adults
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
Program Areas Served
Western Tennessee
Description
Youth Education & Services, also known as The Signing Aces (Advocacy, Community, Empowerment) serves youth from first grade through high school. Our after-school program provides intensive literacy support, enrichment activities, and homework assistance. The after-school program also provides a warm and safe home away from home where students are able to share a common experience and the rich heritage of Deaf culture. Youth Education & Services also provides summer camps. Camp Sign Me Up is for hearing students who want to learn ASL, and Camp Rise & Sign is a sleep-away camp for Deaf and hard of hearing students, offering them an authentic camp experience complete with campfires, fireflies, and fun in a fully-language-accessible environment. Little ACEs is new program serving families with infants from birth to 5 where the child and/or parent are Deaf. Little ACEs offers early language intervention and acquisition and promotes and supports healthy family bonding and communication.
Program Areas Served
None
Youth Education & Services, also known as The Signing Aces (Advocacy, Community, Empowerment) serves youth from first grade through high school. Our after-school program provides intensive literacy support, enrichment activities, and homework assistance. The after-school program also provides a warm and safe home away from home where students are able to share a common experience and the rich heritage of Deaf culture. Youth Education & Services also provides summer camps. Camp Sign Me Up is for hearing students who want to learn ASL, and Camp Rise & Sign is a sleep-away camp for Deaf and hard of hearing students, offering them an authentic camp experience complete with campfires, fireflies, and fun in a fully-language-accessible environment. Little ACEs is new program serving families with infants from birth to 5 where the child and/or parent are Deaf. Little ACEs offers early language intervention and acquisition and promotes and supports healthy family bonding and communication.
Program Areas Served
None
Description
Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing offers sign language interpreting services for the Deaf, including Americna Sign Language interpreting, Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), and tactile signing. The agency also offers CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) services for hard of hearing and those who do not sign. Bridges has also introduced the use of Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs). CDIs work in tandem with a hearing interpreter to serve clients who limited or low language to ensure accuracy and safety in the interpretation. The American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires reasonable accommodations, including the use of interpreters and transcribers for those who need these services in everyday settings.
Program Areas Served
None
Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing offers sign language interpreting services for the Deaf, including Americna Sign Language interpreting, Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), and tactile signing. The agency also offers CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) services for hard of hearing and those who do not sign. Bridges has also introduced the use of Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs). CDIs work in tandem with a hearing interpreter to serve clients who limited or low language to ensure accuracy and safety in the interpretation. The American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires reasonable accommodations, including the use of interpreters and transcribers for those who need these services in everyday settings.
Program Areas Served
None
Description
Adult Education & Outreach (AEO) offers American Sign Language classes for levels I, II, and III three times a year in addition to offering engaging and informative workshops on Deaf culture, language, and hearing loss and prevention to area businesses, schools, and the community. AEO also offers community-building workshops and activities for the Deaf and hard of hearing communities. Under the umbrella of AOE, our LivingWell health and wellness program provides services in American Sign Language or with transcription as needed. With a beautiful fitness center, Bridges also offers personal training free-of -charge to individuals with any level of hearing loss. An extension of the education and outreach department, the fitness program was designed to deliver classes and provide health and wellness information to Deaf and hard of hearing adults (with the help of interpreters, captioned videos, other devices) who are typically at greater risk than hearing individuals for increased health risks.
Program Areas Served
None
Adult Education & Outreach (AEO) offers American Sign Language classes for levels I, II, and III three times a year in addition to offering engaging and informative workshops on Deaf culture, language, and hearing loss and prevention to area businesses, schools, and the community. AEO also offers community-building workshops and activities for the Deaf and hard of hearing communities. Under the umbrella of AOE, our LivingWell health and wellness program provides services in American Sign Language or with transcription as needed. With a beautiful fitness center, Bridges also offers personal training free-of -charge to individuals with any level of hearing loss. An extension of the education and outreach department, the fitness program was designed to deliver classes and provide health and wellness information to Deaf and hard of hearing adults (with the help of interpreters, captioned videos, other devices) who are typically at greater risk than hearing individuals for increased health risks.
Program Areas Served
None
Description
Working under AEO, Empowerment provides critical services such as housing assistance, education advocacy, job training and placement assistance, self-advocacy support, healthcare access, and much more.
Program Areas Served
None
Working under AEO, Empowerment provides critical services such as housing assistance, education advocacy, job training and placement assistance, self-advocacy support, healthcare access, and much more.
Program Areas Served
None
Description
In April 2017, under the leadership of President & CEO Nancy Denning-Martin, the agency claimed its place in macro-level advocacy by inviting the Mayor's Office, Sheriff's Department, Metro Nashville Police Department, District Attorney, Public Defender's Office, Metro Human Relations Commission, General Sessions Court, Juvenile Court, etc. to a meeting to discuss how these large civic systems interact with the Deaf and hard of hearing communities. In November 2017, over 60 people from law enforcement and criminal justice throughout Middle Tennessee and from the Deaf and hard of hearing communities came together to ask and answer questions and to share experiences in a Town Hall forum. Future Town Halls will be offered, bringing the Deaf and hard of hearing communities and other entities together to facilitate discussion, build consensus, and make positive policy change. Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing continues to provide in-depth trainings to various Metro departments. We also participated in Metro Nashville's ongoing language access study. In 2017-2018, we will continue our work with criminal justice, while also working on larger issues of education, transportation, and mental health access. On a state-wide level, Bridges is leading initiatives that will create standardized legal/law enforcement and medical/healthcare training presentations, printed materials, and policies that can be used by agencies serving the Deaf and hard of hearing communities throughout Tennessee.
Program Areas Served
None
In April 2017, under the leadership of President & CEO Nancy Denning-Martin, the agency claimed its place in macro-level advocacy by inviting the Mayor's Office, Sheriff's Department, Metro Nashville Police Department, District Attorney, Public Defender's Office, Metro Human Relations Commission, General Sessions Court, Juvenile Court, etc. to a meeting to discuss how these large civic systems interact with the Deaf and hard of hearing communities. In November 2017, over 60 people from law enforcement and criminal justice throughout Middle Tennessee and from the Deaf and hard of hearing communities came together to ask and answer questions and to share experiences in a Town Hall forum. Future Town Halls will be offered, bringing the Deaf and hard of hearing communities and other entities together to facilitate discussion, build consensus, and make positive policy change. Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing continues to provide in-depth trainings to various Metro departments. We also participated in Metro Nashville's ongoing language access study. In 2017-2018, we will continue our work with criminal justice, while also working on larger issues of education, transportation, and mental health access. On a state-wide level, Bridges is leading initiatives that will create standardized legal/law enforcement and medical/healthcare training presentations, printed materials, and policies that can be used by agencies serving the Deaf and hard of hearing communities throughout Tennessee.
Program Areas Served
None
CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments
| Bridges has served the Deaf and hard of hearing communities in Nashville and Middle Tennessee for over 90 years. Programs change and evolve over time, but all must meet our mission to unite the Deaf, the hard of hearing and the hearing communities through education, services and support, empowering individuals to achieve their full potential. Our programs focus on two, key pillars?access and education. One of the greatest indicators of the health of our programs is their growth in the last, five years. All our programming has expanded to meet a growing need, and we added Case Management to our services after an in-depth, strategic evaluation of needs and opportunities. Program quality is monitored through rigorous outcome tracking, and programs are continuously improved through strategic planning and innovation. Decisions are driven by mission, client input, measurable need, and capacity. In all our programs, Bridges strives to practice innovation, excellence, accountability, and transparency. |
