• Join CA H&V

• Communicator Hands & Voices Newspaper delivered to your home
• Discounts to ASTra Training and Select Events 
• Discounts to Family Camp 
• Priority Access to our ASTra Advocates 
• E-Blast Mailing List
• Invitation to current events locally and statewide
• Access to our Facebook Support Group
• Your membership also supports our mission and the work we do! 

If you are not yet a member then we invite you to join today! 
https://cahandsandvoices.org/get-involved/become-member

• legislation

California Hands & Voices wrote a letter of support for AB 598, which would require health insurance plans and policies to cover hearing aids for children up to 18 years of age.

In California, the cost of a hearing aid is the most significant barrier preventing families from accessing hearing aids and hearing aid services. Only one in ten children in privately funded plans has coverage for hearing aids and hearing aid services, which costs a family up to $6,000 every three to five years.  This is a heavy financial burden for working families. Some families are forced to forego hearing aids for their children or postpone services such as fittings and maintenance. Other families have to deplete their savings or seek out other charity assistance for a device that should be covered by their medical insurance.  This is why 24 other states have already passed legislation requiring insurance companies to cover the expense of hearing aids for children.

If you have any questions or would like to write your letter of support please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and you can stay informed by visiting the Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/LetCAKidsHear/

• support
• webinar

Observe, Understand & Respond: the O.U.R. Children's Safety Project

We don’t like to think about it, but our kids who are deaf or hard of hearing are at a higher risk for maltreatment — bullying, abuse and neglect. California Hands & Voices is committed to doing our part to keep all kids safe from harm. We will host a webinar in early August which will be parent focused and provide specific tips that we feel will benefit every family throughout California. More information will be released soon! 

Nancy Sager is the California Hands & Voices O.U.R Project lead within our state. If you have questions regarding the O.U.R. Project please contact her today. Thank you for your interest in keeping our youth safe! Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Resources

• Child Abuse and Neglect: Helping Parents Talk to Children
• Child Abuse and Neglect: Resources for Parents

• astra
• training
• advocacy

California Hands & Voices has been approved to have an ASTra Program!

What is ASTra?

ASTra is a replicable Deaf and Hard of Hearing Educational Advocacy Program providing parents and professionals with resources that focus specifically on D/HH issues in educational advocacy in the Hands & Voices context: a commitment to unbiased support of families regardless of language and communication approaches used by their children and across the full continuum of educational placement options, so that every child who is D/HH has the opportunity to achieve their full potential. ASTra content is derived from years of direct advocacy experience working with families in schools, attending advocacy trainings from legal experts, providing trainings, and the Hands & Voices Educational Advocacy Guidebook (©2013).

We will have our First Workshop in February of 2019.