I have had no hearing in my left ear since I was 17 years old. Am I considered a part of this group?

MNCDHH advocates for communication access and equal opportunity with the 20% of Minnesotans who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. Our work is about people with hearing loss from all walks of life and identities. So yes, as a person with a hearing loss, you are considered to be part of the demographic that we work with.

If you are searching for services related to hearing loss, please reach out to your local Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division (DHHSD) office.

From your question, I believe you may be looking for community and to possibly connect with other people with hearing loss. Here are a few suggestions you, and others in a similar situation, may want to try:

• Join Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens (uses American Sign Language - ASL)
• Join Hearing Loss Association of America (CART - captioning - is provided at all meetings, can hire sign language interpreters upon request)
• Search for events at DeafMN
• Sign up for ASL classes at your local community college
• Join the online community at the SayWhatClub

There are many special interest groups, such as Thompson Hall, St. Paul & Minneapolis Black Deaf Advocates, Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community, MN Deaf Senior Citizens, Minnesota DeafBlind Association, Deaf Women of 10,000 Lakes (you must be signed in to Facebook to view their page), deaf churches and churches with deaf congregations, and more. Hopefully, you will find a place where you can connect with others.

Is this answer helpful? If you have more questions, please email anne.sittner-anderson@state.mn.us.

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