American Association of the Deaf-Blind

I just got back from my stepson’s wedding in North Carolina. Being there reminded me of the big need for trained Support Service Providers (SSPs) for deaf-blind people. Anyone knows that you need to come prepared for a rehearsal and wedding, but if something happens and you are not exactly prepared, it becomes an emergency very quickly. It is easy to do when you are a sighted person and can borrow a car to do emergency shopping. But if you are deaf-blind like me, it becomes very difficult to run a quick errand without the assistance of SSPs. I am very grateful for the help of family members who drove me to the store to get what I needed in the nick of time. I keep thinking to myself if I had a SSP with me, I’d take off right away rather than wait for the 11th hour when family members became available to assist me. A SSP would have made a big difference in lowering my stress levels! Fortunately, everything worked out at the wedding!

At AADB, we are reminded daily of the big need for SSPs so that deaf-blind people can lead independent and productive lives. We’ve been developing the nuts and bolts of a SSP service program and are putting the pieces together so we can submit a proposal for funding soon. This program will include:

• training and certification of SSPs at AADB’s national symposium and possibly other deaf-blind related events so that more trained SSPs are available to work with deaf-blind people across the country, and
• SSP services in states where no SSP services are currently available for deaf-blind people.

Please help us to get this much needed SSP service project off the ground. Without SSPs, it will be difficult, almost impossible, for deaf-blind people to get around, access their community, hook up and talk with people, and make a contribution to society because SSPs are the “eyes and ears” of deaf-blind people. Life for many deaf-blind Americans will be isolated without the assistance of SSPs. You can help by making a tax-deductible donation online. Or, if you prefer, you can mail your donation to AADB at 8630 Fenton Street, Suite 121, Silver Spring, MD 20910. You can also help by sharing “AADB Today” with people you know. The more people are aware about AADB and deaf-blind people, the better chance we have to improve the quality of life of deaf-blind people everywhere.

We have lots of news in this May issue of “AADB Today”. I hope you find this and future issues enjoyable and informative whether you are deaf-blind, an interpreter, a family member, a legislator, a business owner, an educator, and/or a proud supporter of AADB. Happy reading!

Thanks so much for all the support you’ve given AADB and the national deaf-blind community!

Warm regards,

Jamie Pope
Executive Director