Direct Service

In January 2025, the Department of Social Work at Yeshiva University named the sixteen biggest social issues in the United States.1 Near the top of the list was “Access to Education/Educational Disparities”. Studying about and working in the Deaf community has confirmed the veracity of this claim for me. Utah is working to address this issue through the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (USDB) and their early intervention Parent and Infant Program (PIP). Recently, I was able to volunteer with USDB’S PIP and provide direct service at a PIP family night event and help support PIP’S mission of “empowering families as an unbiased guide to help the child reach their potential in language, social, emotional, and academic development.”2

There has been a long history of subpar education for Deaf students and a large divide in the quality and efficacy of education those students receive compared to their non-Deaf peers. It has been well documented that education has a ripple effect on quality of life in many different areas: physical and mental health, finances, relationships, income and wealth, etc. People who get a better education tend to have better jobs, higher earnings, more resources for good health, more knowledge and skills, reduced stress, larger social networks, more social and psychological skills, and lead longer and healthier lives than their less educated counterparts.3,4 An important way to lift and support the Deaf community is by supporting efforts to elevate access to and awareness of the bilingual educational model. A critical juncture is in the early years of development that the Parent and Infant (PIP) program serves. According to the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), 90% of Deaf children are born to hearing parents. Many of these parents have little to no prior exposure to ASL or Deaf culture and may be at a loss for what to do next. NAD explains the critical need for early intervention services like PIP to bridge the gap and help parents receive information and support in getting the best possible education for their Deaf children: “Early identification of children who are born deaf or hard of hearing is critical to ensure that their families have the resources they need to help their children acquire language, spoken and/or visual, and achieve age-appropriate communicative, cognitive, academic, social, and emotional development.”5 PIP is one of these resources described by NAD. They work with families to provide Deaf mentors, home based services in language and other skill development, ASL resources, language services in both ASL and spoken English, and activities like storytime and family nights which allow for language exposure and community building for parents navigating a new language (ASL) and culture (Deaf). PIP works to ensure that Deaf children do not “slip through the cracks” and are preschool ready, helping to set them on a path for educational success.

In April 2025, PIP held a family night at the Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point for young Deaf children and their families. This was an important event which allowed children to be exposed to ASL and for parents and siblings of Deaf children to meet each other and find community. Events like this are vital because language acquisition paves the way for later success in school. Along with access to the museum during the family night, a craft was provided for families to sit and take a break and chat more with a Deaf mentor. PIP asked the ASL interpreting program at SLCC for volunteers to plan, organize, and run the craft area. I was able to volunteer and provide direct service to USDB/PIP by participating in each step of the process. Our group of volunteers brainstormed ideas for a craft that would appeal to a variety of ages and be inexpensive. We decided on a craft where kids could “sponge” paint a rainbow on paper. Once we had our idea, we coordinated with the SLCC ASL Club to sponsor and pay for the supplies and then a small group of us went to Hobby Lobby to shop for the needed items. On the night of the event, we set up the craft and then welcomed children and families as they arrived and helped them create their artwork. During the activity, I helped encourage young Deaf children to sign the colors of the rainbow they were working with and make some light “chit chat” in ASL which hopefully helped reinforce some of their emerging language skills.

I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this direct service. PIP is a very worthwhile organization with a fantastic mission and I would like to continue supporting them and providing service where I can. There is such a huge need to support programs that seek to bridge the gap for Deaf children of hearing parents and provide support for them to acquire language and a bilingual education. Hopefully, efforts like these will help lessen educational disparities among Deaf and hearing individuals.

References

1 Wurzweiler School of Social Work. (January 13, 2025). Sixteen Biggest Social Issues That Lead to Social Injustices. Yeshiva University. https://online.yu.edu/wurzweiler /blog/16-biggest-social-issues-that-lead-to-social-injustices

2 Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind. (2025). Birth to Age 3 Parent Infant Program.  Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind. https://www.usdb.org/deaf-school/

Early-childhoodbirth-to-age-3

3 Virginia Commonwealth University. (February 13, 2015). Why Education Matters to Health: Exploring the Causes. Center on Society and Health. https://societyhealth.vcu. edu/work/the-projects/why-education-matters-to-health-exploring-the-causes.html#gsc.tab=0

4 Zajacova, A. and Lawrence, E. (January 12, 2018). The Relationship Between Education and Health: Reducing Disparities Through a Contextual Approach. National Institute of Health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5880718/

5 National Association of the Deaf. (2025). Early Intervention for Children and Toddlers. National Association of the Deaf.  https://www.nad.org/resources/early-intervention- for-infants-and-toddlers/

For the Direct Service module, the community partner that I researched was the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf in Taylorsville (also known as: “the Deaf Center” or “the Sanderson Center”). I have visited the Deaf Center many times for various activities and service projects and was familiar with it on a surface level. For this report, I went a little deeper and visited the Division of Services of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DSDHH) Facebook page, The Department of Workforce Services’ page on the Sanderson Center (the Sanderson Center is now a part of the Department of Workforce Services), and read a history of the Sanderson Center on the website, Utah Deaf History. The history of the Deaf Center that I read was very thorough and really opened my eyes to the decades long process it was to win approval and funding for this building, what it means to the Deaf community in Utah, and the mission it fulfills by building community and connection.

The mission of the Sanderson Center is to be a place where “community members can access support in identifying services, help in finding a job, and access to resources, technology and classes. The center also manages the state’s certification of American Sign Language Interpreters — an important part of ensuring equity in communication.”1 The Center is a place where many helpful services and resources are available, such as language resources, vocational rehabilitation, interpreter information, and so on. But, at its heart and even before its inception, the Center was meant to be a hub of community life. It is a place where Utah’s Deaf community can unite and connect. The Sanderson Center addresses societal issues like equity, accessibility, communication barriers, work rehabilitation, and so on through a variety of programs, events, and public outreach efforts. For example, one thing I learned from reading the Utah Deaf History entry on the Deaf Center is that “​in support of an internal communication policy, everyone at the Sanderson Community Center should be able to understand and communicate effectively with one another. Additionally, all staff members, regardless of being deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing, are required to sign what they communicate in the halls and common areas. This initiative has transformed the center into a barrier-free communication zone.” 2

The civic engagement concept of “Direct Service” aligns very well with the Sanderson Center and their mission. Direct Service is when people give time, labor, and resources to a specific organization with a specific need. The Sanderson Center does exactly this by providing services needed by the local Deaf community whether it is help with jobs, ensuring interpreters are attaining certification and available to the community, social opportunities, ASL classes, etc. These services are provided free of charge to the Deaf community and help fill needs. The Deaf Center also facilitates connecting those who want to give service with opportunities to help. A recent example of this was the community Easter egg hunt hosted by the Deaf Center. Before the hunt, they requested volunteers to come help set up and run the event. Dozens of people came together to fill and hide eggs, help decorate and setup, check attendees in, supervise bounce houses, etc. 

I can absolutely see myself being involved with this organization in the future. I have been involved with them in the past (as a volunteer, attending events and workshops, etc.) and plan to continue to be involved. The Sanderson Center truly is a community hub and as someone aspiring to work in the Deaf community, it is crucial to remain connected. I wouldn’t be complete as an interpreter without continued involvement with the Deaf Center - both by volunteering and supporting future events. 

References

1 Department of Workforce Services. (26 Aug 2022). Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Celebrates 30 Years of Service. Department of Workforce Services Blog. https://jobs.utah.gov/blog/post/2022/08/26/sanderson-community-center-of-the-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-celebrates-30-years-of-service

2 Becker, J. C. (2025). History of the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Utah Deaf History and Culture. https://www.utahdeafhistory.com/history-of-the-

robert-g-sanderson-community-center-of-the-deaf--hard-of-hearing.html