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In 1972, the National Health Care Foundation for the Deaf--doing
business as Deaf-REACH-- was founded as a nonprofit, 501(c)(3)
organization within the District of Columbia. Our mission is to
maximize the self-sufficiency of deaf adults needing special services by providing Referral, Education, Advocacy, Counseling, and Housing.
The psychosocial rehabilitation approach, utilized by all Deaf-REACH programs, provides the solid foundation to members' success. Participants are actively involved in establishing the format and level of highly individualized service delivery that they receive. The concept, which has achieved national acclaim, involves teaching members necessary life skills, thus minimizing the need for assistance from a service professional. This self-empowerment is part of what distinguishes the approach at Deaf-REACH.
In 1967, at an ecumenical retreat at Claggett Conference Center
near Frederick, Maryland, a scheduled speaker failed to appear. That
one event, improbable as it may seem, began a chain reaction that
culminated in the establishment of the National Health Care
Foundation for the Deaf. The substitution for that speaker was a
round-table discussion of how churches for the deaf could maximize
the effectiveness of their community outreach. When it was
mentioned that deaf patients at St. Elizabeths Hospital (for mentally ill persons) were neglected and isolated, one of the retreat
participants proposed monthly socials at St. Elizabeths
for deaf patients.<BR><BR>
As it turned out, this was much easier said than done. Over 30 deaf
patients were housed randomly throughout the
hospital complex. Fortunately, the head of St. Elizabeths Hospital at
that time recognized the problem this isolation created and
established the Mental Health Program for the Deaf (MHPD), moving
all of the deaf patients into one building.<BR><BR>
As treatment for the deaf patients progressed, it soon became
obvious to the leader of this new unit that there would be a need for
a group home where people released from the hospital could live
while adjusting to life in the community.<BR><BR>
In March of 1972, the National Health Care Foundation for the Deaf,
Inc.--now doing business as Deaf-REACH--was founded as a
nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization within the District of Columbia. Deaf-REACH's continuum of housing services began in October 1973
with the establishment of the first nationally recognized, model home
for mentally ill deaf persons. Through the years, another group
home was added -- CHHI (Community Housing for the Hearing
Impaired) House as well as several apartment units in the community. In addition to specialized
housing, Deaf-REACH now offers a psycho-social clubhouse, a
walk-in community service center, and an independent living skills
program. As an affiliate of the Helen Keller National Institute, Deaf-REACH integrates deaf-blind services into all our programming.<BR><BR>
The steady growth of Deaf-REACH has continued and forced us to
seek larger quarters in which to house our Community Service Center
and administrative offices. In January 1991, newly renovated offices,
located in the heart of Northeast Washington's Brookland
community, were enthusiastically occupied.
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