KCDHH Supports DSA 2025

The Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH) is proud to be one of the sponsors of the upcoming Deaf Seniors of America (DSA) Conference in Kansas City. To help reduce costs for DSA, KCDHH will provide in-kind support by offering ASL interpreters from the local Kansas City metro area. View vlog

To further support accessibility, we are coordinating with a second interpreting agency (contracted by DSA) to provide most of the Deaf interpreting services for DeafBlind attendees, as well as those requiring close vision access. While the Kansas City metro area has a large community of ASL interpreters on both sides of the state line, Deaf interpreters remain scarce in this “four-state” Heartland region. KCDHH will also provide some CART captioning support as needed.

In addition to serving on the local committee, I have agreed to take on the role of DSA 2025 Access Coordinator for the conference. I have been working closely with the DSA Board to gather information from attendees who have requested accessibility accommodations and/or special dietary needs. For more information about access needs, please email me - Robert Cooper - at DSA2025Access@deafseniors.us or contact me via VP at 785-246-5077.

The KCDHH team is collaborating with Missouri’s Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH) and several local Deaf organizations to provide training for the conference hotel and surrounding venues. Our goal is to ensure they offer the best hospitality and full accommodations for DSA attendees.

If DSA attendees need resources before, during, or after the conference, they can reach out to KCDHH at www.kcdhh.ks.gov or MCDHH at www.mcdhh.mo.gov. Both organizations can also connect attendees with local resources as needed.

We welcome your ideas and feedback on how we can make this conference as accessible and inclusive as possible. If you have any input, please use the contact information above.

We look forward to welcoming you to Kansas City!