Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing KCDHH is Kentucky's statewide resource for people with hearing loss.

The KCDHH acts as an advocate for deaf and hard of hearing persons on legislative issues as well as a consultant to the governor, General Assembly and various state and local governmental agencies concerning policies and programs that pertain to people with hearing loss. KCDHH provides information, referral and advocacy services, and an interpreter referral service for state agencies. KCDHH produces the Kentucky DeaFestival and the following materials: Directory of Services, Communicator, and brochures on topics of interest to deaf and hard of hearing persons and their families. The Telecommunications Access Program (TAP), with devices such as TDDs, amplified phones and CapTel, is available for eligible deaf and hard of hearing Kentuckians.

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?You may be losing your hearing and not even realize it.Hearing loss often happens gradually...
09/15/2026

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?

You may be losing your hearing and not even realize it.

Hearing loss often happens gradually, giving you time to adjust without noticing how much has changed. You might turn up the TV, ask people to repeat themselves, or start avoiding noisy restaurants because conversation has become harder to follow.

But hearing health is about more than how well you hear. Hearing health is part of your overall health.

Research has found an association between hearing loss and an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Hearing loss can also affect communication, relationships, social connection, and overall quality of life.

That’s why it’s important to know your hearing health.

There’s no reason to avoid finding out where your hearing stands. Hearing loss is common, and the stigma surrounding it has changed. Leaving it unaddressed can affect much more than your ability to hear and early awareness gives you more options. Resources, technology, and support are available to help you stay connected and engaged.

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?Have you ever heard that deaf people are better drivers?Some older studies reported lower a...
09/14/2026

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?

Have you ever heard that deaf people are better drivers?

Some older studies reported lower accident rates among deaf drivers, although later reviews found the research too inconsistent to conclude that deaf people are safer drivers overall.

What research has found though is something interesting. Studies show that people who are deaf from an early age may develop enhanced attention to movement in their peripheral vision. Researchers have also found evidence that parts of the brain normally involved in processing sound can adapt to help process visual information.

Does that make deaf people better drivers? We can't say that. But research also doesn't support the old myth that people need to hear to drive safely.

What we can say is that the brain can adapt in some pretty remarkable ways.

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?Have you ever felt alone while sitting at a table full of people? For many deaf and hard of...
09/13/2026

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?

Have you ever felt alone while sitting at a table full of people?

For many deaf and hard of hearing people, family meals and gatherings can mean watching conversations happen all around them without being able to fully participate.

There’s a name for this experience: Dinner Table Syndrome (DTS).

DTS describes the isolation that can happen when communication at family meals or gatherings isn’t accessible. Conversations may move quickly, several people may talk at once, or important information may never be shared directly.

Being included means more than having a seat at the table. It means having access to the conversation.

Deaf Awareness: Did you know?There's a flower named after a deaf artist.Regina Olson Hughes (1895 to 1993) spent decades...
09/12/2026

Deaf Awareness: Did you know?

There's a flower named after a deaf artist.

Regina Olson Hughes (1895 to 1993) spent decades drawing plants for the USDA and the Smithsonian. Her work was so exact that scientists trusted it to tell one plant from another. One USDA handbook alone, Common Weeds of the United States, holds 224 full page plates of her art. Open it today and you are still looking at her hand.

Hughes lost her hearing as a teenager and earned two degrees at Gallaudet before the USDA hired her as an illustrator. In 1982 she became the first deaf artist to have her work exhibited at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Botanists gave her a rare honor. They named a genus for her: Hughesia. Its only known species, Hughesia reginae, is a flowering plant in the aster family native to Peru.

She loved orchids most of all. The watercolor here is one of hers.



Aerangis brachycarpa, watercolor by Regina Olson Hughes. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany (CC0).

Deaf Awareness: Did you know?On September 11, 2001, deaf and hard of hearing people were among those working in and arou...
09/11/2026

Deaf Awareness: Did you know?

On September 11, 2001, deaf and hard of hearing people were among those working in and around the World Trade Center.

Their experiences offer an important reminder about something we don't always think about during an emergency: How do you know what is happening if the information everyone else is receiving isn't accessible to you?

Deaf survivor Edwin King was working in the South Tower when the building shook. In the documentary 9/11 Fear in Silence: The Forgotten Underdogs, King described the confusion he experienced as coworkers left the area while he still did not understand what was happening.

Deaf filmmaker Jade Bryan documented King's experience and those of other deaf and hard of hearing survivors and witnesses, preserving an important part of the history of that day. https://www.jadefilm.com/911-fear-in-silence

Twenty-five years later, their stories remain an important reminder: emergency information must reach everyone. Visual alerts, text-based information and accessible emergency planning aren't conveniences when lives are at stake.

Communication access is emergency access.

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?ASL has slang, idioms and wordplay of its own!Like other natural languages, ASL includes in...
09/10/2026

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?

ASL has slang, idioms and wordplay of its own!

Like other natural languages, ASL includes informal expressions that may not make sense when translated word-for-word into English. TRUE-BIZ can mean something like “for real” or “seriously,” while TRAIN-GONE can express the idea that someone has missed an opportunity or is too late.

There’s also plenty of language play. 258 is a playful way of expressing “very interesting,” the numbers represent handshapes used when signing VERY INTERESTING.

Slang and informal expressions can vary by region, generation, and community just as they do in spoken languages.

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?Did you know some of the same genes that affect an animal's coloring can also be associated...
09/09/2026

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?

Did you know some of the same genes that affect an animal's coloring can also be associated with deafness?

In some dogs and cats, genes associated with white or spotted coats can also affect cells that are important to the normal development and function of the inner ear.

Dalmatians are one of the best-known examples, and white cats, particularly those with blue eyes also have an increased likelihood of being born deaf. The connection between blue-eyed white cats and deafness has been recognized for a very long time; Charles Darwin even mentioned it in On the Origin of Species which was published in 1859!

So, the next white, blue-eyed cat that doesn't come when called may not be ignoring you! Deaf cats and dogs can adapt remarkably well, using visual cues, vibrations and their other senses to navigate the world.

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?Your hair dryer is louder than the legal limit for a factory floor!OSHA draws the line at 8...
09/08/2026

Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?

Your hair dryer is louder than the legal limit for a factory floor!

OSHA draws the line at 85 decibels. Spend all day at that level, day after day, and you can lose hearing you won't get back. A hair dryer or gas lawn mower runs about 90.

Here's an easy way to tell if you're there: if you have to raise your voice for someone three feet away to hear you, you're at 85 or above. If you have to shout, you're well past it.

And the loudest sound ever recorded at a sports stadium? 142 decibels, from a football crowd in Kansas City in 2014. That's about the same as a jet engine at close range.

Your ears keep score. Earplugs are cheap.

Address

632 Versailles Road
Frankfort, KY
40601

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+15025732604

Website

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