THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR DEAF CHILDREN

ASDC was founded in 1967 as a parent-helping-parent organization, originally called The International Association of Parents of Deaf Children. The organization changed its name to the American Society for Deaf Children in 1985. ASDC is the oldest national organization founded by and governed by parents of deaf children.

Today, ASDC is a national, independent non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide support, encouragement, and information to families raising children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing. ASDC depends solely on donations, memberships, and proceeds from conferences for operations and is governed by a volunteer board

ASDC recognizes the crucial role families play in the success of children who are Deaf or Hard-ofHearing. We affirm that families are capable and willing to guide their children’s lives. Parents have the right and responsibility to participate in decisions regarding their children’s educational and social development

ASDC supplies the information and supports families' requests to ensure that their decisions and actions are based on up-to-date and accurate knowledge.

Mission

The American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) is committed to empowering diverse families with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children and youth by embracing full access to language-rich environments through mentoring, advocacy, resources, and collaborative networks

Vision

All Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children and youth shall have the opportunity to thrive in every aspect of their lives through the empowerment of their families and the community's support.

Diversity

The American Society for Deaf Children embraces equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusiveness as part of our core values.

We learn daily from our peers, allied partners, parents, families, and especially the children we serve the importance of fighting for a world free of stereotypes and discrimination We don’t take those lessons lightly

We remain steadfast in our commitment to putting resources and attention toward inclusive and diverse language accessibility for EVERY child

Learn more about ASDC and our Core Commitments