Georgia Commission for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing (GaCDHH)

Mission and Responsibilities

Established through Legislation in 2007 and expanded in 2018, the Commission was created to address a variety of issues that impact the social, economic, health, human rights and other issues of Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) and DeafBlind (DB) persons in Georgia:

  • Advocate to get equal access to services, programs and opportunities and coordinate efforts with other agencies and organizations (public and private) to promote the economic and social development.
  • Advise the Governor and other government agencies on policies, programs, and services. This includes making recommendations and propose solutions for improvement in the areas of education, employment, human rights, human services, health, housing, and other areas.
  • Increase public awareness of the special needs and potential of our populations and their families.
  • Monitor the language and literacy outcomes of DHH and DB children from birth through third grade by publishing an annual report.

The Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A) § 30-1-5 describes the Commission’s official responsibilities and is available by clicking Download this pdf file. this link.

GaCDHH Members

The Commission is composed of twelve volunteers appointed by the Governor or the Georgia General Assembly leadership. Commissioners are members of the Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and DeafBlind communities, parents of Deaf or hard-of-hearing children, and professionals who serve these communities. O.C.G.A. § 30-1-5 specifies that the commissioners have certain qualifications.

Information about current commissioners is available by clicking this link.

Commission Initiatives

The commission is working on a variety of initiatives that affect the Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and DeafBlind communities. Information about these initiatives is available by clicking this link.  

Monitoring the Language and Literacy Outcomes of DHH and DB Children

O.C.G.A. § 30-1-5 requires the Commission to submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on the language and literacy outcomes for DHH and DB children from birth to third grade in the state of Georgia. These annual reports can be found by clicking this link.

GaCDHH Meetings

The commission meets four times a year. Information for these meetings, agendas, and minutes from past meetings are available by clicking this link. If you are interested in attending a meeting in person or virtually, email [email protected].  

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