Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

03/27/2026

The Board of Interpreters for the Deaf will hold a meeting on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Lansing, MI. See the youTube video or the transcript below for more information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZN6p_zrtns

[Image]
Clickable YouTube video of white male with dark rimmed glasses and a dark button-up long-sleeve dress shirt. The man is sitting in front of a light grey wall and is signing in American Sign Language, directly to the camera. Video has English subtitles and no audio.
Transcript follows:
Monday, April 13, 2026, the Board of Interpreters for the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing will meet near Lansing, MI at the Horatio S Earle Learning Center. Enter the rooms Lake Huron & Lake Michigan.

The meeting starts at 11 AM. It will be filmed live and streamed via videoconference with Zoom or Webex. It will have interpreting and captioning.

The agenda and Zoom or Webex will be posted on the MI Qualified Interpreter website found at Michigan.gov/BCHS. Click the link to join videoconference.

Monday, April 13, 2026, the Board of Interpreters for the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing will meet near Lansing, MI at the Horatio S Earle Learning Cen...

03/27/2026

Join us for the Sebi 'Art LED Light show and Visual Vernacular Performance, on Saturday, April 18, 2026!

Fire & LED Performance Artist, Sebastien Ianno, known on social media as New Sebi'Art will be joining us at Silent Weekend for the Saturday Night Entertainment!

Dinner & Show Tickets - $30
Includes one ticket for dinner and the show! Select the "Dinner & Entertainment" ticket at registration. Dinner will begin at 6 PM, and the show will begin at 8 PM.

Show Only Tickets - $15
Includes one ticket to the show! Select the "Entertainment Only Saturday Night" ticket at registration. The show will begin at 8 PM. Sales for Entertainment Only (no meal) end April 17 at noon.

Just like all of our Silent Weekend activities, this show is in American Sign Language, with no spoken English or interpretation. Guests are asked to communicate in sign language for a fully immersive experience.

Tickets are available at Deafhhs.Eventbrite.com as part of the Silent Weekend event. Just scroll through the ticket options to find the one you’d like! Join us for the full Silent Weekend or just Saturday evening for entertainment!

You must be 18 years or older to attend. If you have questions or need assistance purchasing a ticket, please contact jkolhoff@deafhhs.org or call our office at 616-732-7358

03/25/2026

The MDCR Division on Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing will hold the next Council meeting on April 24th at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. ASL Interpreters and CART services will be provided. If you need additional accommodations, please contact
Emma Heisey at HeiseyE1@michigan.gov by April 3, 2026.

[image description]
Pale yellow flyer with dark blue boxes around text in white lettering that reads:
Division on Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing
Advisory Council Meeting

Friday, April 24, 2026
1:00 - 4:00 pm

Kalamazoo Valley
Community College
Texas Township Campus
Room 4370/4380
6767 West O Ave,
Kalamazoo, MI 49009

ASL Interpreters and CART
services will be provided

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS

Don't miss our next Council meeting on April 24th! ASL Interpreters and CART services will be provided. If you need additional accommodations, please contact
Emma Heisey at HeiseyE1@michigan.gov by April 3, 2026.

03/20/2026

Early bird pricing ends TODAY - March 20! Register now for the best price for Silent Weekend 2026 - Hands on Fire.

*CEUs are now approved for up to 1.3 Professional Studies credits!*

Register here: https://deafhhs.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d67c1eb61b35004de1b416a17&id=0c6ac8d526&e=3135fc673b

Join us April 17-19 for a fully immersive ASL experience for ITP students, graduates, working interpreters, and interested Deaf community members. Silent Weekend is a voice-off event, making it a great way to strengthen your receptive and expressive skills.

This immersive weekend has workshops, CEUs, games, networking, entertainment, and FUN! The event will be held at the YMCA Camp Manitou Lin located at 1095 N Briggs Rd, Middleville, MI 49333.

We look forward to seeing everyone for a weekend full of fun! Details for the full weekend, including accommodation and refund policies, are available on the event registration page. See the weekend agenda here. https://deafhhs.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d67c1eb61b35004de1b416a17&id=0934d603fc&e=3135fc673b

Don't wait! Early Bird ticket pricing is only available until March 20! Register today on Eventbrite.

Find more information including options for a Saturday only ticket (for those collecting CEUs) on our registration page. Questions? Contact jkolhoff@deafhhs.org

03/19/2026

We hope to see you for our next Friends of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (FODHHS) Workshop on April 14, 2026 from 10am-2pm. Presenters from the Alzheimer's Association will discuss 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's.

Join us at the Special Olympics Unified Sports and Inclusion Center, at 160 68th St SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49548. We will meet in the Athlete Hub across the hall from the D&HHS office. Park and enter on the EAST side of the building and use entrance B.

FODHHS Workshops and Socials are for Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing and signers. Everyone is welcome! Bring snacks and games to share during social after the presentation.

Questions? please contact us at fodhhs@deafhhs.org or 616-828-0094.

[image description]
White flyer with the milti-colored D&HHS logo centered on top. In bold black lettering it says the following:
FRIENDS OF D&HHS
Workshop & Social
10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's
With Claire Fisher from The Alzheimer's Association
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 10am - 12pm
Social after from 12pm - 2pm
Bring snacks, drinks, and games to share
Special Olympics Unified Sports and Inclusion Center
160 68th St SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49548
Room: Athlete Hub
*Park on the East side of the building and use the side door* Event for Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing, and signers!
ASL Interpreters will be provided. If you need DeafBlind Interpreter please send a request at least 2 weeks in advance.
If you cancel, please let us know.
Thank You to our Program Sponsor:
Corewell Health
Email Nancy Gingery (Chairperson): fodhhs@deafhhs.org

03/14/2026

KKalamazoo Civic Theatrewill provide tonight’s performance, March 14, 2026, with ASL interpreters and audio description services. See the original post here for details!

03/13/2026

The Deaf President Now movement and protest happened 38 years ago. Read more about it in the post here from Deaf News Today and in the link to Gallaudet University in the original post.

This day in history: It was 38 years ago today (March 13, 1988) that the Deaf President Now movement succeeded. It happened when I King Jordan became the first deaf president of Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.
https://gallaudet.edu/museum/history/the-deaf-president-now-dpn-protest/the-week-of-dpn/

03/12/2026

Have you registered for Silent Weekend 2026 - Hands on Fire? You should hurry because Early Bird ticket pricing ends next week, and CEUs are now approved for up to 1.3 Professional Studies credits!

Join us April 17-19 for a fully immersive ASL experience for ITP students, graduates, working interpreters, and interested Deaf community members. Silent Weekend is a voices-off event, making it a great way to strengthen your receptive and expressive skills.

This immersive weekend has workshops, CEUs, games, networking, entertainment, and FUN! The event will be held at the YMCA Camp Manitou Lin located at 1095 N Briggs Rd, Middleville, MI 49333.

We look forward to seeing everyone for a weekend full of fun! Details for the full weekend, including accommodation and refund policies, are available on the event registration page and the agenda with descriptions is below! Don't wait! Early Bird ticket pricing is only available until March 20! Register today on deafhhs.Eventbrite.com

Find more information including options for a Saturday only ticket (for those collecting CEUs) on our registration page. Questions? Contact jkolhoff@deafhhs.org

03/11/2026

Join us for a day of fun and community at the Blandford Nature Center Sugarbush Festival! On Saturday, March 14th Blandford Nature Center will be celebrating the 56th year of Sugarbush located at 1715 Hillburn Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504!

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is partnering with Blandford Nature Center to offer scheduled ASL interpreted tours, which include trail walks, wildlife presentations, sugaring demonstrations, interactive stations, and historical building tours.

ASL Interpreted Schedule:
First tour at 11AM - 12 PM; ADA Accessible, on paved trails
Wildlife Presentation at 1PM
Second tour at 2PM - 3PM, on nature trails

Register with promo code DHHS2026SB using the following link to visit the Blandford Nature Center’s registration page: https://blandfordnaturecenter.doubleknot.com/event/dhhs-tickets-for-sugarbush-festival-2026/3137558

Please note that limited tickets are available with the promo code*

For any questions, please contact Blandford Nature Center by email at info@blandfordnaturecenter.org or by calling 616-735-6240