Editorial: Bridges working to help the deaf and hard of hearing

Nearly a century ago, a Middle Tennessee mother who found she was going deaf had to leave the state to find help. She moved to Washington, D.C., where she became a certified lip reading teacher, and in 1927 she returned to Nashville to give her first speech reading class to 13 students.That was the genesis of Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and founder Margaret Lane Washington guided it until her death in 1991 as the organization evolved through different names and services.Today, as we recognize Deaf Awareness Month, Bridges has expanded throughout the state and now has offices and a myriad of services in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Northwestern North Carolina providing education, outreach, case management, interpreting services, and more.It is a godsend to deaf, deaf-blind and hard-of-hearing individuals and hearing families and allies in the region.According to the National Deaf Center, about 2% of Americans are considered deaf, which translates to around 11 million people who identify as deaf or have significant difficulty hearing.Major causes of hearing loss include congenital or early onset childhood hearing loss, chronic middle ear infections, noise-induced hearing loss, age-related hearing loss, and ototoxic drugs that damage the inner ear. The impacts of hearing loss are broad and can be profound, making life difficult.With offices in Memphis, Nashville and Johnson City, Bridges builds access, equity and inclusion in partnership with deaf communities through advocacy, education, empowerment, and effective communication with BridgesEAST now serving the Tri-Cities."Most importantly, BridgesEAST exists because the Northeast Tennessee community invited us. Their advocacy and leadership makes our work possible," the organization says."Together, we will identify needs and create solutions."Some of the programs BridgesEAST offers include high-quality and affordable interpreting services using local interpreters and community services including client advocacy, workshops, ASL classes, community events, work with families and employers, job training, and systems navigation.Youth education and services is being developed as well as other services in coordination with Bridges' other locations including systems-change advocacy to serve the entire community and basic case management and resource referral. Coming up in February is an eight-week class on American Sign Language at Johnson City Medical Center, but it's already filled, and hopefully others will be scheduled.Deaf Awareness Month is celebrated in September to raise awareness of the needs and identity of people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The month also aims to increase public awareness of deaf culture, people and issues.You can help by volunteering your time and abilities to Bridges. Volunteers are an important part of its mission of serving an empowered and united community in which the deaf and hard of hearing equally participate and are equally valued.Opportunities include office work, youth center program, fitness center and ASL work. If you can only volunteer occasionally, Bridges hosts a number of events throughout the year from informal community potlucks to its annual fundraisers. For information, visit bridgesfordeafandhh.org.Coming up in February is an eight-week class on American Sign Language at Johnson City Medical Center, but it's already filled, and hopefully others will be scheduled.