Welcome to Family Center on Deafness

 The mission of the Family Center on Deafness is to "empower Pinellas County's Deaf Community by providing opportunities to enhance communication, education and independence."

Family Center on Deafness (FCD) provides a wide variety of programs for  families throughout Pinellas County. Participants come from households  that include at least one individual who has significant hearing loss.

 Services are consumer-driven, and determined by the current needs of the  clients. An advisory Council composed of community members of all  hearing levels determines its service and program priorities. The  families themselves also take an active role in planning and hosting  group activities. FCD has a formal, written collaboration with Pinellas  County School Board and a number of other community / educational  service providers.  

• The FCD staff is uniquely qualified in the field of deafness, with an expertise in the social, psychological, developmental and educational impact of hearing loss. Their knowledge of Deaf Culture, American Sign Language make it possible to assist the needs of the community. The staff at FCD constantly strive to insure that participants are made aware of and are able to access potential resources in the community.

Who is eligible for services?

To qualify to receive services, an individual  or a member of his/her household must register at an intake with a  physical address that lies within the boundaries of Pinellas County.  

Eligible participants include:   

• Youth (birth through  completion of high school) who are deaf or hard of hearing, as  determined by qualifying to receive educational support services for  students with hearing loss    
• Young adults who are deaf or hard of  hearing, and left high school (graduated or dropped out) within the past  twelve months or are in a post-high school Pinellas County Schools  program.  
  Hearing youth who live with an adult or sibling who is D/HH*   
• Any parent or significant adult in the home of an individual falling in one of the categories above, whether D/HH* or hearing
• Any parent or other significant adult who is D/HH* and has school-aged children living at home
• When the above criteria have been met, the  needs of the client are evaluated at intake to determine if the services  offered by the FCD are appropriate to address the family's needs.  Eligibility to receive program services is maintained by the  individual's effort to achieve personal goals and appropriate use of  program resources.   *D/HH = deaf or hard of hearing.