Program overview

Minnesotans who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing can get help from Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing State Services to live independently, engage with their families and participate in their communities. Services are available from any of the five regional offices and community-based providers located throughout the state. 

Who is eligible? 

Minnesotans of any age who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, late-deafened, parents and family of those with a hearing loss, human service providers, employers and business, schools, and other interested individuals and communities. 

About our regional services

Statewide regional services provide information, resources and referrals for Minnesotans who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing and late deafened. Services include:

• Helping people improve their communication access and live independently.
• Providing training, consultation, direct assistance, advocacy and collaboration to help people make informed decisions.
• Offering training and technical assistance to providers on how to make services accessible.

In 2025, regional services:

• Provided information and referrals for resources and services to 218 people and 149 agencies.
• Provided direct services to 788 people and 222 agencies. 
• Provided 26 trainings and 33 presentations to 1,467 people.

About our Mental Health Program 

The Mental Health Program provides culturally affirmative mental health therapy and counseling in American Sign Language to adults who are deaf and have mental illness. Other services include crisis intervention, case coordination, after-care planning and community placement help. Training is available to mental health service providers who work with or are interested in working with people who are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind. 

In 2025, the Mental Health Program:

• Provided direct services to 198 people.
• Provided 3,361 total service hours: 85.5% were direct service hours.
• Supported clients to achieve or make good progress on their mental health goals: 88% of clients have completed or are making good progress with their mental health goals.

About Minnesota Access to Communication Technology 

Minnesota Access to Communication Technology (MN ACT, formerly the Telephone Equipment Distribution Program) provides phone equipment to people who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing or have a physical or speech disability and need adaptive devices to use the phone. Devices are provided for free (as a long-term loan) to Minnesotans who qualify. Available devices include captioned phones, amplified phones, light-flashing ring signalers, loud ringers, hands-free speakerphones and other devices. (For a full list of devices, see Phone access for people with hearing loss and Phone access for people with disabilities.)

In 2025, MN ACT:

• Provided direct services to 334 people.
• Distributed 306 accessible phone devices.
• Provided program information to 505 people through 31 presentations.
• Conducted community outreach through 20 event booths.

About our community-based grant-funded programs 

Community-based services funded by state grants include:

• Support services for adults and children who are deafblind, including communication training for people who are deafblind and providers who serve them.
• Mentors who help families with children who are deaf and hard of hearing learn American Sign Language (ASL) and other communication and life skills.
• Sign language interpreting services for funerals and 12-step meetings in Greater Minnesota.
• Sign language interpreter training and professional development opportunities in Greater Minnesota.
• Mental health services, psychiatric assessments and telepsychiatry services for adults and children.
• Real-time captioning of live TV news programming statewide.

Read more about these grant programs on our Grants webpage.

• Deafblind support services to 124 adults and 18 children.
• Protactile and deafblind communication systems training to 22 people who are deafblind and 15 service providers.
• Family communication mentor services to 89 families with deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing children.
• Interpreting services for 45 funerals and 46 12-step meetings in Greater Minnesota.
• Eleven training workshops and 11 specialized training programs to 349 interpreters in Greater Minnesota.
• Paid internships in Greater Minnesota to 11 interpreter interns.
• Eighteen video remote interpreting (VRI) trainings to 196 interpreters.
• Mental health services to 57 adults and 133 children.
• Real-time captioning services for 1,151.5 hours of live TV news programming statewide.

Download a fact sheet about how we help.