A “Can You Hear Us Now?” A meeting for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community took place at the University of Nevada, Reno on Oct. 10.
Many that are part of the community, including supporters came together to discuss the various issues they’re facing in Nevada.
The event was hosted by the Nevada Deaf Commission and Communication Access Services Program under the Department of Human Services Aging and Disability Services Division.
Many attendees gave speeches, like Harley Smith, a student at UNR who was born deaf.
“I believe we can build better schools and communities where deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and disabled students can learn together with full access, support and respect. Everyone deserves to be included and understood,” she said.
Smith explained what it was like to have few supportive resources when she was younger. She mentioned not getting full access to American Sign Language and that she was taught Sign Exact English (SEE) instead. This made it hard for her to communicate growing up.
“I didn’t feel confident, but I never gave up,” Smith said.
Attendees discussed Deaf service provisions, outcomes of the 83rd legislative session, proposed concepts for the 84th legislative session, and the 2025 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Engagement Conference.
According to adsd.nv.gov‘s website, a similar town hall was held in Laughlin, Nevada. Another town hall was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on Oct. 22.
The group discussed recent legislative victories, including bills to increase access to voting resources for people with disabilities and bills to ensure that students with disabilities receive comparable services when transferring schools.
Some speakers also mentioned the lack of services that are provided for the Deaf community in Nevada.
“There’s no interpreter. There’s no services. There’s no resources… Now there’s more suffering for the Deaf community, where are we getting our resources? They aren’t available,” said Michael Daviton, a Reno citizen for 44 years who, like Smith, was born deaf.
A major resource for the Deaf community, the Deaf Centers of Nevada (DCN), shut down in 2020. According to the DCN’s social media account, they are no longer providing services and only keeping their social media pages up for archive purposes.
Though limited, there are services provided by the state including the Nevada Commission for Persons Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing which advocates for Nevadans to have equal and full access to community resources.
The Communication Access Services (CAS) also provides accessibility to various services for deaf and hard of hearing individuals and The Nevada Assistive Technology Collaborative (NATC) provides technology services to help people live independently.
Nevada Hands and Voices (NVHV), although not centered around supporting the Deaf and hard of hearing, offers services that support families with deaf/hard of hearing children.
“Now is the time to get Deaf services back. [The] Deaf community has had enough of being dismissed and ignored by the state,” Daviton said.
Another speaker, Lucy Venghaus, is a Deaf and hard of hearing independent living advocate for the Northern Nevada Center for Independent Living.
“I have turned to the pillars and the Deaf community, and they were my only support, and now… I really do feel like I have no support,” Venghaus said.
Venghaus explained how hard it has been with few resources for the Deaf community.
“It’s my job to know all about the Deaf services, and I can assure you that there are none… There needs to be a Deaf center here, and I just need help. Anybody that will listen, please,” she said.
Some speakers, including Harley Smith, said they were still hopeful for future change.
“Being Deaf doesn’t mean I can’t succeed, it means I work hard in my own way. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Many people in our community… face the same challenges. We can do something great when we’re given a chance. It’s time for change,” Smith said.
Teagan Greer can be reached via email at Teagang@unr.edu.
For tips, complaints and corrections, please contact News Editor Riley Overstreet via email at roverstreet@unr.edu.
