Health: CDHHE: About

About CDHHE

The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education is located on the Indiana School for the Deaf Campus in the Eliza Willard Assessment Center (EWAC) at 1200 E. 42nd Str., Indianapolis, IN, 46205. The building also known as building 22. Our mailing address is 2 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. Get Directions.

The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education was established through Indiana Code 20-35-11 by the Indiana General Assembly and opened on July 1, 2013. A transition plan was created to guide the Center’s initial work. Through the Center, the Indiana Department of Health works with families and professionals to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing children receive important follow-up and other services.

The Center serves all deaf and hard of hearing children in Indiana from birth until they leave school. The Center provides assessment, services, information, resources and recommendations related to communication, language development, and education of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. The Center follows children (with parent permission) and works with early intervention programs and schools to create positive long-term outcomes.

Values
Vision
Mission
Guiding Principles
Annual Reports

Center Values

Families as decision-makers
Self-advocacy
Unlimited potential
Collaborative relationships
Quality services

Center Vision

Deaf and hard of hearing children will have the resources and support to reach their full potential.

Center Mission

To promote positive outcomes for all deaf and hard of hearing children through information, services, and education.

Guiding Principles

The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education will:

Provide information regarding all communication opportunities to support parents in making informed decisions based on the child/student’s unique needs and the family’s priorities and values.
Honor the child/student as an integral part in any decision-making process.
Respect, welcome and support children and their families across geographic locations, communication preferences, languages, and cultures.
Honor each child’s right to acquire optimal language skills and academic abilities.
Demonstrate a seamless collaborative model when working with families, schools, other agencies, and providers including the deaf, hard of hearing and hearing communities.
Provide comprehensive, evidence-based, and objective information, resources, and services for auditory, visual, and instructional best practices to all deaf and hard of hearing children, families, professionals, and programs.
Provide expert leaders who embrace and practice the tenets of cultural and linguistic diversity.
Manage the use of tracking and monitoring systems for individual child/student and program performance to guide state, local and individual services, programs, resources and professional training as a priority of the Center.

Our Center annual reports are a way to see how we are positively affecting outcomes of deaf and hard of hearing children.