MDMC provides Alternative Literacy Support (Alt-LS) in a variety of settings, including educational and work settings, which gives clients explicit access to written English. Alt-LS is a program that provides explicit access to written English for those who are not fluent in the English language. Many DHH individuals struggle with reading comprehension because it’s close to impossible to learn a language that you cannot hear. Unfortunately, individuals who are DHH need ASL from birth in order to develop good reading comprehension skills, however, our education system and society deprives DHH children from using ASL early on and forces them to try to learn reading through other means like using their “residual hearing” and speech therapy. This causes them to lack in development of crucial literacy skills and often they do not achieve reading levels beyond elementary school levels. MDMC’s Alt-LS program gives DHH individuals the ability to understand a variety of texts beyond their reading levels in their own language, ASL. Through MDMC’s Alt-LS program, DHH individuals now have access to driver’s education, college coursework, job applications, resume development and access to successfully understanding and completing forms required to receive housing, foods stamps, immigration services, etc.
Often our clients also report experiencing injustice. When this happens, we at MDMC help them advocate to change the systems that perpetuate those injustices. This is done by giving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individual information about their options for addressing the issues, by helping them to present and express their views and wishes to others, and by helping them to understand and defend their rights. We support them, in person, through the advocacy process as much as they would like for us to, from beginning of reporting the injustice to a solution they are satisfied with.
MDMC Member Service Request Form
