The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is the nation’s premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America. Established in 1880, the NAD was shaped by deaf leaders who believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to congregate on issues important to them, and to have its interests represented at the national level. These beliefs remain true to this day, with American Sign Language as a core value. The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, and more – improving the lives of millions of deaf and hard of hearing Americans. The NAD also carries out its federal advocacy work through coalition efforts with specialized national deaf and hard of hearing organizations, as well as coalitions representing national cross-disability organizations. On the international front, the NAD represents the United States of America to the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), an international human rights organization. Individual and organizational membership makes it possible for the NAD to ensure that the collective interests of the American deaf and hard of hearing community are seen and represented among our nation’s policy makers and opinion leaders at the federal level.

Our primary purpose is to educate ourselves, our families, friends, coworkers, teachers, hearing health care providers, industry, government, and others about hearing loss. HLAA provides adults and children with tools for self help; sensitizes the general population about the special needs of people who have hearing loss; and promotes understanding of the nature, causes, complications, and remedies of hearing loss.
Support comes in many forms as it means something different to everyone. HLAA offers a wide range of local and national programs, events, and resources that offer something for everyone. See our programs and events page for more information on our support tools, including our national network of chapters and state organizations, Hearing Life magazine and Hearing Life e-News, the annual HLAA Convention, the Walk4Hearing, and monthly webinars.
HLAA is a leading voice in improving communication access for people with hearing loss. Our advocacy efforts range from the grassroots, local level all the way up to Capitol Hill. HLAA also promotes and encourages self-advocacy.

The Sign Language Interpreting in Education Associate Degree program is for learners who are passionate about working with Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind students in the K-12 academic setting. This program is for learners who are curious lifelong learners, have a love for languages, are comfortable working before large and small audiences, enjoy social interaction and have the ability to store knowledge in short and long term memory. The Sign Language Interpreting in Education program has articulation agreements with various 4-year institutions. The Sign Language Interpreting in Education program faculty will bring real world experiences into the classroom. Learners will have the opportunity to observe working sign language interpreters and work in the field under supervision. This program will have a "practicum" or internship which will provide real world working experience in a variety of educational settings with highly skilled licensed/certified interpreters to supervise work. Upon completion of the Sign Language Interpreting in Education Associate Degree program graduates are required to take and pass a national written and performance evaluation in order to meet the State of Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction (DPI) License O020.

The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID), a national membership organization, plays a leading role in advocating for excellence in the delivery of interpretation and transliteration services between people who use sign language and people who use spoken language. In collaboration with the Deaf community, RID supports our members and encourages the growth of the profession through the establishment of a national standard for qualified sign language interpreters and transliterators, ongoing professional development and adherence to a code of professional conduct.

RID’s function is to support our membership by providing the foundation needed to launch and sustain careers while ensuring quality service to the Deaf community.

WisRID is a non-profit organization which promotes professional development of interpreters in the state of Wisconsin.
We started our organization 50 years back with the goal of supporting support deaf people. We inaugurated with the training program for interpreters initially and worked with audiologists, non-profit organizations, and community leaders to enhance our services.
We grow each day by encouraging education, raising public awareness, and organizing communication development program for hard of hearing, D/deaf, and deaf-blind individuals.

The Center is the only agency in Wisconsin specializing in services for persons who are totally deaf and blind or who have varying degrees of dual sensory loss. The agency’s mission is to provide services needed to minimize the devastating effects of a combined vision and hearing loss upon the individual and family. The Center is able to offer the support and skills training needed to assist clients to live independent productive lives.

We strive to serve as a first point of contact for families, service providers, and the community, providing a complete spectrum of resources, supports and services, with expertise in the field of deafness.
We work in partnership with parents, school districts, service providers, and other hearing loss-related entitites, organizations, and agencies, as well as programs within WESP-DHH to ensure seamless provision of services in a timely manner.

The Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, as an integral part of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, works in partnership with local education agencies and other service providers, to serve as a statewide network of professionals, resources, materials and equipment to promote quality professional practices directed toward ensuring excellence in educational programming and expanded opportunities for students who are blind or visually impaired.

Founded in 1817, the American School for the Deaf was the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States and a nationally renowned leader in providing comprehensive educational programs and services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language (ASL) and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf is one of the nine colleges of Rochester Institute of Technology, and is home to the world’s first and largest technological college for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.