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Community Services

We strive to increase our clients' access not only to education, personal services, and employment, but also to cultural and entertainment events. Our efforts have included shadow interpretations of plays performed by the non-profit Central Community Theatre located in Phoenix. Dressed in black, our interpreters "shadow" the actors and sign their lines. These events have been very well-received by the communities we serve.

Annually VCD participates in events with our local, professional sports teams, such as the Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Mercury, and others. Fundraising events assist VCD in providing services to the Valley. Annually VCD benefits from a partnership with Harkins Theatres in providing an open captioned movie fundraiser. Each fall, VCD hosts the Hondo Open, a shot gun, best ball golf tournament to raise funds for VCD service programs. VCD prides itself in the variety of community events that it offers.

Client and Vocational Services

Valley Center of the Deaf offers many types of client and vocational services, such as Independent Living Skills, Education Support, Tutoring, Orientation and Mobility Training, Vocational Evaluation and Situational Assessment, Orientation and Adjustment to Disability. In addition, VCD offers a program of services for individuals who are Deaf Blind, providing Support Service Providers.

Education Support

We offer support services to Deaf and hard of hearing students attending Maricopa County community colleges who are also clients of the state's Vocational Rehabilitation program. These services ensure that students with hearing loss have equal access to all programs offered by the colleges. Services include interpreting, program planning, Deaf awareness instruction, and tutoring.

Tutoring: Deaf Tutor Deaf

The Deaf Tutoring Deaf program matches deaf college graduates with deaf students to provide culturally appropriate tutoring in a variety of subjects from architecture to zoology. English is a second language for deaf people who sign. A successful deaf professional knows the deaf student's viewpoint making the tutoring session far more productive. Successful role models inspire students to greater success. This service is available in Pima and Maricopa Counties with one-on-one tutoring. In other counties and states, students can be tutored by videophone.

Independent Living

We work with clients to help them learn life skills and access appropriate community resources that will help them maintain their level of independence. Trained case managers can help in many different ways—by assisting with tax, legal, and housing issues; providing community information and making referrals; advocating for people with hearing loss; and even training clients in budgeting and using public transportation. Specialized services for Deaf seniors and seniors experiencing hearing loss in later life are also available.

Orientation and Mobility Training

VCD works with clients to help them learn life skills and access appropriate community resources that will help them keep up with their independence.

For bus training, our staff is trained to teach clients how to:

• use public transportation (bus and light rail)
• study and know the routes and the stops, including emergency procedures
• communicate with people in public successfully

As a part of the mobility training, we go with the client in travel until the person has showed the ability to travel independently.

Vocational Evaluation

The evaluation will be given by a Certified Vocational Evaluator (C.V.E.) who is ASL and is also an expert in assessing Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals and understands the special communication barrier and needs.

As a part of the vocational assessment process, the client is evaluated for :

Job interest, aptitude, academic skills, personality, and behaviors. At the end of the evaluation, the client will have the opportunity to review the result of the assessment.

The vocational evaluation report is a valuable tool that may be used as a part of the work exploration process. A consultation meeting may be set up with the evaluator and the V.R. Counselor, the client, the job developer or with anyone else to review the report and discuss possible career options to explore in more depth.

Orientation and Adjustment to Disability

The purpose of this service is to help clients with the understanding and acceptance of their disabilities. At VCD, we have a Technology Demonstration Center to show clients to various devices for better communication and to live more independently. VCD works with clients to help them learn life skills and get needed community resources.

Hard of Hearing people may need:

• education about better communication
• to know about community resources
• to learn about Arizona Telecommunication Equipment Distribution Program (AzTEDP)

Deaf people may need help:

• with advocacy
• on access to communication
• on how to use VideoPhone.

Orientation and adjustment to disability also provides training on independent living skills:

• Laundry/cleaning
• budgeting/banking
• food preparation/meal planning
• personal hygiene/grooming
• personal safety
• use of adaptive aids or devices

The staff at VCD are trained at identifying the needs of the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and the Deaf-Blind, which are special and different. Each person's needs are different from other person's needs. The staff are here to guide them to a better way of life.