For immediate release:June 22, 2021Contact: Sonya Smith sonya.smith2@maryland.gov Phone: 443.453.5871 New Survey Shows Maryland Leads in Equitable Access for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing During COVID-19 Pandemic State Agencies Work to Provide Inclusivity, Build Trust Among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Marylanders ANNAPOLIS, MD– The Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Read the Rest...
Dr. Gertrude Galloway, Dr. Ernest Hairston Honored for Significant Contributions to Deaf Community ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing honored two distinguished Deaf individuals today during National Deaf Awareness Month, by naming facilities in their honor during a ceremony held today in Crownsville, MD. The Dr. Gertrude Galloway Conference Read the Rest...
McDaniel College is known for one of the best Deaf Education programs in the nation. Since May 2018, the McDaniel College administration has suspended the admissions process to the Deaf Education program. Our office provided support through this time and sent a letter of support to President Dr. Roger Casey in February 2019, as seen Read the Rest...
Recognizes Maryland Legal Professionals for Community Contributions ANNAPOLIS, MD – To wrap up National Deaf History Month (March 13 – April 15), the Governor’s Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing announced that Director Kelby Brick is a recipient of The Daily Record’s 2019 Leadership in Law Awards. The Leadership in Law Awards recognizes Maryland’s legal professionals Read the Rest...
Hearing Aids Now Available for Eligible Marylanders Over Age 21 ANNAPOLIS, MD – With 2019 health insurance plans ready to begin January 1, the Governor’s Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) announced a recent change in Maryland Medicaid regulations that allow coverage for medically necessary hearing Read the Rest...
Governor Larry Hogan Announces New Text to 9-1-1 System for Maryland Upgrades State Emergency System Network with Life-Saving Technology ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced the Board of Public Works’ approval of a new Text to 9-1-1 technology for Maryland, helping to update 1960s-era emergency systems with life-saving technology. This new Internet-based infrastructure allows Read the Rest...
Governor Larry Hogan, Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford Highlight Disability Employment Governor Declares Disability Employment Awareness Month, Creates State Accessibility Coordinator ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today signed Executive Order 01.01.2017.23 declaring October as Disability Employment Awareness Month in Maryland. The month will be used to highlight the immense contributions made by workers with disabilities and the Read the Rest...
Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Hosts First Deaf Business Summit in the Country Event Draws More Than 60 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Business Owners ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing today hosted the nation’s first Deaf Business Summit: “Deaf Ecosystem: Maryland’s Open for Business.” It Read the Rest...
On March 1st, Governor Larry Hogan signed Executive Order 01.01.2017.02 declaring a State of Emergency in response to the heroin, opioid, and fentanyl crisis ravaging communities in Maryland and across the country. This declaration activates the governor’s emergency management authority and enables increased and more rapid coordination between the state and local jurisdictions. The governor, Read the Rest...
On February 1st, Governor Larry Hogan, Comptroller Peter Franchot, Director Kelby Brick, the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, and the Brewers Association of Maryland came together to celebrate the significant economic impact that craft brewing has had in Maryland. Governor Hogan presented a proclamation declaring February as “FeBREWary” in Maryland. Also present were Deaf entrepreneurs Read the Rest...
Governor Larry Hogan delivered his third State of the State speech to Marylanders on February 1, 2017. The speech was interpreted by a Certified Deaf Interpreter team and captioning is available.
Governor Larry Hogan Honors Maryland Native and Deaf Advocate Nyle DiMarco Event Highlights State’s Commitment to Early Language Acquisition Among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today awarded a governor’s citation to Nyle DiMarco, recognizing his efforts on behalf of Deaf and hard of hearing children. A graduate of Read the Rest...
On June 2nd, the Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing honored Rockville High School for winning the National Deaf and Hard of Hearing Academic Bowl Championship. Established in 1996 by Gallaudet University, this competition promotes academic competition among schools and programs of Deaf and hard of hearing high school students through regional Read the Rest...
Governor Larry Hogan recently authorized $250,000 to promote Zika prevention awareness efforts in the state of Maryland. The Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is committed to keeping Deaf and hard-of-hearing Marylanders safe and have worked with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to ensure accessible information about the Zika virus. Read the Rest...
Updated documents: Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Council Motion on Language Deprivation May 3, 2016 — The Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is thrilled to announce that the Maryland Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Advisory Council just adopted a motion advising the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) to issue a Read the Rest...
Last week, Governor Larry Hogan signed into law House Bill 413, which establishes a pilot program on closed captioning for live and archived video streaming on the Maryland General Assembly website. The pilot program would also help those who are learning English as a second language and those who are unable to understand on-screen dialogue. Read the Rest...
The Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is pleased to announce that Governor Larry Hogan signed into law Senate Bill 272, which authorizes Deaf and hard of hearing recipients of the Delegate Howard P. Rawlings Educational Excellence Award to utilize the award’s funds to attend any out-of-state school, including schools in Washington, D.C. For Read the Rest...
Governor Larry Hogan Signs Bill Recognizing Biliterate High School Graduates American Sign Language Recognized as Eligible Language for New Maryland Seal of Biliteracy ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today signed into law Senate Bill 781, which grants bilingual students graduating from Maryland public high schools the opportunity to receive a seal on their high school Read the Rest...
Governor Larry Hogan Signs Bill Expanding Access to Hearing Aid Loan Bank Bill Gives Children Under 18 the Ability to Participate in the Hearing Aid Loan Bank Program ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today signed into law House Bill 596, which alters the age of eligibility from 3 years old to 17 and under Read the Rest...
Resource Guide: Number of Individuals in the United States and Maryland Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing There are over 1.2 million Deaf and hard of hearing Marylanders United States Johns Hopkins researchers recently conducted a nationally representative study to estimate the number of people who are Deaf or hard of hearing in the Read the Rest...
On December 12th, some of the office staff visited Governor Hogan and First Lady Yumi Hogan at the Government House in Annapolis for the annual Holiday Open House. Governor Hogan and the Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing staff wish you and your family a very happy holiday season!
Event Monday, March 7th, 2016 at 2:30 pm Joint Hearing Room (Room 145) Legislative Services Building, 90 State Circle Annapolis, MD 21401 Flyer and parking information Agenda for event Awards Awards will be given out to: Ethlette Ennis Dr. Heather Hunt Nancy Jenkins Brenda Kelly-Frey Allan H. Kittleman
The Maryland Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing released a Public Service Announcement on the large screen during the Towson Tigers vs. Gallaudet Bison basketball game on November 25, 2015. Director Kelby Brick discussed Maryland’s Deaf and hard of hearing population and how to grow the Maryland economy. In addition to the Read the Rest...
During the 6th annual Legislative Awareness Day, Director Kornberg announced that she will be transitioning out of her role as Director of the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. After seven years with the Office, Director Kornberg stated, “This has been a wonderful opportunity to bring services and access to the deaf, hard Read the Rest...
Every week, ODHH has been emailing updates about what is happening with the current Maryland legislative session. Exciting things are also happening on the federal level. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just established a new Disability Advisory Committee (DAC), which will provide advice and recommendations to the FCC on a variety of disability issues Read the Rest...
It’s a wrap for our Sixth Annual Legislative Awareness Day (LAD)! Despite it being a rescheduled event due to inclement weather, over 70 people still showed up for the event! They participated actively with questions and comments during the program. Although Lise Hamlin from the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) was unable to make Read the Rest...
The 2015 legislative session has now come to an end. To view a list of the relevant bills that passed, please visit: odhh.maryland.gov/legislation. One particularly notable thing that occurred during Governor Hogan’s first session was that the Maryland General Assembly passed the budget in the closing hours of the session. The legislature approved a spending Read the Rest...
Your name: Keith Nolan How did you become interested in the military? I think it is difficult to pinpoint just when my interest with the military began. I remember my brother’s military models when I was a little kid. I slept on the USS Massachusetts battleship when I was in the Cub Scouts. And, then Read the Rest...
Your name: Philip “Chucky” Smith Your position, with what company? Table Dealer, Baltimore Horseshoe Casino What do you do? Deals: Blackjack, Carnival Poker (3 card, 4 card, Mississippi, etc) and Baccarat What do you enjoy the most about your job? Being social; I get to interact with a lot of fun people. What is your Read the Rest...
ODHH is excited to introduce our new interns for the Spring 2015 semester. Our office could not accomplish what it does without the support and enthusiasm of our interns and volunteers. Julie Mazzone: Hi! My name is Julie and I am studying Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Deaf Studies at Towson University. I am so happy Read the Rest...
We would like to give a shout-out to the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) for its coordination with the Governor’s Press Office and ODHH to ensure that the Governor’s announcements during the recent storm were accessible to Marylanders who were deaf or hard of hearing. ODHH wants to recognize and show appreciation for this positive Read the Rest...
* Ceremony & Awards* * Keynote Remarks from Lt. Governor Rutherford * Meet One-on-One with your legislators * Panel of Experts with Active Discussion on Advocacy Legislative Services Building Annapolis, MD 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Please RSVP by Friday, March 13th. www.tinyurl.com/LADMarch23 CART and AIDs will also be provided.
ODHH is excited about 2015! We have a new Governor and a lot of changes happening. You may or may not have noticed that we have been working hard with our website In addition to its new look, we have added more resources, including ASL vlogs. We have also added a new Deaf-Owned Business directory, Read the Rest...
ODHH is sad to announce that Estie Kruglak had her last day at the office on January 8th. While we are sad to lose her, we are thrilled for her while she begins a new life at Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf in their Member Services department. Estie had truly blossomed here after joining Read the Rest...
On Wednesday, January 21st, Larry Hogan was sworn in as Maryland’s 62nd governor and Boyd Rutherford was sworn in as the Lt. Governor. It was a cold and snowy day and still over 1,600 people showed up to celebrate the inauguration of the new Governor and Lt. Governor, who are pledging to be fiscally responsible Read the Rest...
It’s that time of the year once again! The Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) is proud to announce their 6thannual Legislative Awareness Day (LAD), which will be on February 16, 2015. We encourage all deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind Marylanders to attend. Read the Rest...
Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind (CLB) is dedicated to working with the visually impaired, blind and DeafBlind population in Maryland, DC and Virginia so that those individuals remain independent, active and productive in society. Within CLB is the Support Service Provider (SSP) Program that pairs DeafBlind individuals with trained human guides called Providers. CLB describes this Read the Rest...
The Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Civil Rights Division together with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has issued joint guidance about the rights of public elementary and secondary students with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities to effective communication. The guidance is intended to help schools, Read the Rest...
Deaf Awareness Week The first International Day of the Deaf was first celebrated by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) in 1958. The day of awareness was later extended to a full week, becoming the International Week of the Deaf. Deaf Awareness Week (DAW), also called International Week of the Deaf (IWD), is celebrated Read the Rest...
Now that summer is over and students are returning to school, ODHH is thrilled to announce four new interns for the fall semester. Please join us in welcoming Shyla Chatlani, Zachary Ennis, Erica Fields, and Kyle Gagahan to the ODHH team. They all bring a variety of backgrounds and interests to the table. Keep reading Read the Rest...
ODHH is excited to share that the Maryland Disabilities Forum will be hosting a debate focusing on disability issues for the gubernatorial candidates who are running for Governor. Deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind community members are encouraged to attend the forum to demonstrate the community’s relevance. At this debate, you will have the opportunity Read the Rest...
The Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Department of Budget and Management Announce Launch of Statewide Visual Communication Services Contract (PDF)
The Governor’s Office Of The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing And The Department Of Labor Licensing And Regulation Announce Partnership To Aid Job Seekers Who Are Deaf, Hard Of Hearing, And Deafblind (PDF)
The Maryland Chiefs Of Police Association And The Governor’s Office Of The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Announce New Communication Aid For First Responders (PDF)
