CSD of South Dakota Services
CSD of South Dakota
Forty-five years ago, Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) opened in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with a mission of providing equal access to the local deaf and hard of hearing communities. As a champion of equal access, this organization works to empower individuals to lead independent lives.
Their team of community support specialists and equipment distribution specialists provides communication access to deaf and hard of hearing individuals of all ages through a variety of products and services. Over the past 45 years these offerings have evolved to include things like 1:1 mentoring, social events, youth camps, community integration training, technology access and so much more.
Watch below, or keep reading to learn more about CSD of South Dakota’s services – all of which are free of charge to those who use them in South Dakota.
All of these programs are provided at no charge to the deaf and hard of hearing community living in South Dakota. If you want to support these efforts and help expand CSD of South Dakota’s reach, you can contribute to their #GivingTuesday campaign today.
Learn More About Each CSD of South Daktoa Program
Community Integration Skills Training
Our professionals will meet with deaf and hard of hearing clients to help determine what areas they need support in. This may be individualized teaching, mentoring or guidance services that provide access to programs within the community. These programs include services like social support, skill development, communication support and more.
One of these services includes tutoring for deaf and hard of hearing students that need support completing and/or understanding their homework. These services are provided both in-person and virtually depending on the students’ location and learning styles.
Our community support specialists will read through assignments with students and give an explanation of concepts/problems in American Sign Language to make sure students have a clear understanding.
Internet Programs
As more and more events and services are being offered virtually, access to the Internet is crucial, especially for individuals who live in more rural settings.
CSD of South Dakota supports individuals in applying for the Federal Lifeline program, and runs the state subsidy program called Project LinkSD.
Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program
Through the TED program, CSD of South Dakota provides deaf and hard of hearing communities with communication tools to better facilitate communication with friends, family, businesses, and more. This includes tools like amplified and captioned telephones, iPads, and iPhones.
In order to apply an individual just needs to submit their annual income and meet with a CSD of SD employee for an assessment. Then CSD of South Dakota’s staff will complete and submit all necessary forms. Once you get your equipment, someone from CSD of South Dakota will meet and train users on how to use their new tech!
Employment Services
CSD of South Dakota partners with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) to provide employment services to the local deaf and hard of hearing communities. A CSD representative will meet with a job seeker and a VR counselor to discuss individual needs and skills. Once we identify a career path that works, we set job seekers up with a job developer to get started on the job search process.
Why should people use VR? They support you through the entire process and will even pay for trainings and interpreters for interviews.
Peer Support Services
In an effort to provide connection, foster social skills, and share resources, CSD of South Dakota provides peer support to D/HH individuals. This can be in the form of 1:1 sessions, group discussions, and social events.
Family Communication Assistance Program
The Family Communication Assistance Program focuses on teaching deaf and hard of hearing children from birth to age nine American Sign Language with their families. In these sessions, our communication specialists offer lessons on Deaf Culture and communicating in ASL, as well as interaction with deaf role models.
Communication Assistance Program
Our Communication Assistance program facilitates communication between deaf/hard of hearing and hearing communities in a multitude of ways. The first is to improve communication access at home. To do this, communication specialists like Lance, teach families that have deaf and hard of hearing members how to communicate using American Sign Language.
This program also provides access to interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing individuals seeking medical attention. Interpreters are provided both in person, and through VRS to make sure that all messages are being communicated clearly and accurately.