ABOUT KCD

KCD has seen numerous changes in its 20 plus years of service to the Greater Knoxville area and we continue to grow.

The Knoxville Center of the Deaf was founded in 1977 by a small group of interested persons who recognized the need for a center devoted to communication services for the deaf. The center was opened in south Knoxville in a loaned office space in Graystone Presbyterian Church. Specifically, KCD assisted deaf, late deafened, deaf-blind, and hard-of-hearing persons by offering communication services, community services and technology.

Since the beginning KCD has offered communication services. Initial efforts were focused on providing interpreting services and telephone message relay service. In 1979 KCD began providing services outside of Knoxville. Today KCD serves 16 counties in east Tennessee. In 1990 telephone relay services were ended as AT&T took over this service in the state of Tennessee. After a few months of duplicating this service to ensure a smooth transition KCD officially ended telephone message relays.

Communication services have always been provided to deaf consumers without a personal charge being incurred. At first, many hours of interpreting services were rendered without hope of financial reimbursement. However, with changes in federal and state legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the KCD interpreting program has become a self-sustaining program. In all situations and where the law does not affix responsibility for providing communication services, such services are rendered without question or charge.

KCD currently provides 24 hour sign language interpreting services for deaf and deaf-blind persons for medical, legal, psychological, social, employment and other situations. This service still is the primary and most used service offered by KCD. In the past few years, new concepts have emerged and new services have been added to fit those needs. KCD currently has one assistive listening device for deafened and severely hard-of-hearing persons and the capability to provide computer assisted note-taking for public meetings. As the consumer base of KCD has grown to include the late-deafened and hard-of-hearing populations, the technology and a wider range of accessibility options has been needed and obtained. Current demands for such technology continue to grow.

KCD moved in 1989 so that more office space would be available and a meeting room for consumer socialization, recreation and education could be offered. The community center has always hosted meetings of many local organizations and groups. Regular meetings have included groups such as : Knoxville Deaf Senior Citizens, East Tennessee Self-Help for the Hard-of-Hearing, Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Association of the Deaf, Knoxville chapter of the Tennessee Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Knoxville Deaf Craft Club, East Tennessee Bass Club for the Deaf, Special Interest Group of the East Tennessee Computer Club, Tennessee Deaf Blind Association, and many others. The center also allows for training classes, workshops and special community activities. The services and opportunities of the community center have met a major need in the lives of individuals with differing ranges of hearing and continues to do so.

Community service efforts were intensified in 1991 with the addition of the first community services staff person. The Community Service Program of KCD currently offers community center and social services. These services include opportunities for socialization, public awareness, advocacy, sign language instruction and client assistance. These services are tailored to individual consumer and community needs.

During late 1996 and early 1997, KCD became more technologically advanced. As a result of a gift from the Lucille Thompson Family Foundation, the offices were automated, a home page on the internet was created, multimedia projection for presentations and computer assisted note-taking became realities. KCD has provided consumer workshops on the use of computers in communication. As technology continues to evolve, KCD expects to grow in its ability to assist consumers.

KCD is now at a critical stage in its existence. In 20 plus years of operation, KCD has grown from a staff of two persons to a staff of eleven plus student interns and volunteers. In addition to staff, consulting services are purchased in the areas of accounting and information systems management. Services have grown from interpreting for deaf and deaf-blind to include new consumer groups and new services for those who are hard-of-hearing and late-deafened. The physical growth includes housing a community center. Program changes require including technology and state of the art information services.

KCD's needs can be categorized into four major areas: facilities, programs, staff needs and technology.

Facilities: KCD has recently moved into a "new" building. The purchase of the old Dialysis Center in south Knoxville has provided us with a much larger building and more parking. While the building is large and the parking is more plenteous, there are many renovations that need to be made. The building needs to be more accessible to those in wheelchairs. There is water and mold damage throughout the lower level where the community room is located. The flooring has water damage and needs to be replaced. Several walls have already been removed to open up space for a community room. There are many opportunities to convert smaller rooms into larger multipurpose rooms as well as convert some of the smaller rooms into technology learning centers. However, remodeling costs are a stumbling block at this time.

There is more office space in our "new" building, but we are still faced with the fact that the furnishings are in rather poor condition. There is an extreme shortage of chairs and tables for meetings and social gatherings as well.

Programs: KCD members recognize the need for intensive one-on-one client contact and peer counseling. It has become a major desire to see the addition of a deaf, late deafened or hard-of-hearing social service provider. This would allow for peer support and validation of clients' ability to succeed.

Staff: Since our move, all staff have adequate office space. However, the office furnishings are still inadequate and in need of replacing.

Technology: As technology improved, it is most imperative that communication options be implemented since hearing problems create barriers to employment and mobility for the deaf community. Any device or devices that allows for enhanced accessibility for upward mobility should be used. The office use of technology will continue to grow and be in constant need of upgrading and maintaining.

Community Partners:

United Way Member

Partially Funded:
Tennessee Department of Human Services