The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program in Alaska aims to ensure that newborns, infants and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing are identified and get the care they need when they need it. Early involvement can help these children meet age-appropriate language, social, and developmental milestones.  

The EHDI Parent Navigator at SSG helps to ensure families have access to information that is accurate, comprehensive, up-to-date, and evidence-based to allow families to make important decisions for their children in a timely manner, including decisions with respect to the full range of assistive hearing technologies and communication modalities.

Our Parent Navigator is the parent of a child identified as deaf and is familiar with the specialists, interventions and options that can come up with raising a deaf or hard of hearing child. 

SSG also has EHDI Parent Mentors and Deaf Guides to provide family support.  Check out our MAP Parent Mentor Program to learn more.

If you are the parent of a child who is deaf / hard of hearing, you can join the Parents of Deaf / HOH Children In Alaska Facebook group to meet other Alaskan parents.  This is a private group. 

Hope Community Resources has a Deaf Navigator Program that offers resources for deaf and hard of hearing Alaskans.  Learn more at Hope Alaska.org

The Alaska State School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides Pre-K through 12th grade educational options for deaf and hard of hearing students that fosters and supports the development of both American Sign Language and English. This learning model enables each student to acquire and effectively use the skills necessary to achieve their own personal, academic, social and vocational goals; and by so doing make significant contributions to society in general, and to the Deaf community in particular.

Visit the Alaska State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to learn more.

Hands & Voices is a national program that is a parent-led, professionally-collaborative organization infused with the life experiences of adults who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, that is dedicated to serving families with children who are D/HH without a bias around communication modes or methodology.  Visit Hands and Voices to learn more.

AG Bell is a national organization with a mission to work globally to ensure that people who are deaf and hard of hearing can hear and talk. They want all families to be informed and supported, professionals to be appropriately qualified to teach and help children with hearing loss, public policy leaders to effectively address the needs of people with hearing loss, and communities to be empowered to help their neighbors with hearing loss succeed. Visit AG Bell to learn more.

There is a difference between the medical and cultural views of deafness. The medical viewpoint is deafness is a disability caused by hearing loss and is something that can be corrected, and the cultural view is that deafness is a way to experience life without sounds or hearing.  These differences are known as deaf (medically) and Deaf (culturally). The following resources provide additional information and support on Deaf Culture. 

Hand Talk: Deaf Culture: what is it, history, aspects, examples & facts
National Deaf Center: Deaf Awareness
Hands & Voices: Deaf Culture and Community