Welcome to Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation

Our services hours have been updated. Our services are available for in person or VP during our hours from Monday to Thursday. On Fridays our services over VP are available or make in person appointment only.

Our Services

Employment Services

GLAD-EDD employment specialists work with deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind and deaf disabled individuals searching for jobs. GLAD-EDD staff provide training, resume feedback, mock interviews and provide interpreters for interviews.

Advocacy

At OC DEAF we provide individual, group and family advocacy experiencing discrimination in employment, education, communication access, housing, and working with parents of deaf children and youth.

Communication Assistance

For deaf consumers whose first language is American Sign Language, qualified staff members translate written documents into American Sign Language (ASL) Telephone interpreting is also provided to deaf and hard of hearing persons who need assistance and are unable to efficiently use the variety of relay services availables.

Independent Living

Instruction is given on such skills as money management, shopping, public transportation, cooking, and other daily life activities.

Peer Counseling

Qualified staff provide peer counseling in all areas of daily living.

Information & Referral

Up to date information on all aspects of deafness is available via videophone, telephone, TTY, email or in-office services.

LifeSigns

LifeSigns, an interpreter referral agency, is a non-profit California corporation providing communication access to the deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, deaf disabled and hearing communities using qualified interpreters.

OC Deaf - Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation

About OC Deaf

The Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation, better known as OC-DEAF, was established in 1979 as an outreach office of the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc. (GLAD). Today, OC-DEAF is an independent, tax-exempt, non-profit organization with affiliate ties to GLAD. Over the years, OC-DEAF, through its individual consumer service provision to more than ten thousand individuals annually, has dramatically improved the quality of life of deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind and deaf disabled persons and their families.

Fire Emergency Updates

Shelter Text from FEMA

California: If you’re near a wildfire burn area, pay close attention to instructions from your local officials & your local news and evacuate immediately if told to do so.

To locate shelters near you, text “SHELTER” & your zip to 43362.

#fema #wildfire

Transcript: Black background. A person with short dyed hair, wearing a CODIE polo shirt with a long sleeve shirt underneath.

[Graphic card at the bottom: “Maisha Franklin”, next, “Community Outreach Specialist”]

[Graphic image at the top right corner of the screen: five agency logos of GLAD, OCDEAF, CODIE, TCGLAD, and BGLAD]

Maisha: “Federal Emergency Managment Agency (FEMA) made an announcement for the State of California. If you live near the wildfire burn area, watch your local news for updated information. If your local news tell your area needs to be evacuated immediately, and you don’t know where to go. Use your phone, click on the new message and text 43362 then type in shelter and your zip code.”

[Graphic card of “SEARCH FOR SHELTERS NEAR YOU” next to “Text SHELTER and your ZIP CODE to 43362” with a mock phone showing the graphic image.]

[Graphic video showing the demo of a smartphone texting to 43362.]

Maisha: “Here’s an example. If I live in Riverside and there’s a wildfire nearby. My local news told me that my area needs to be evacuated, I’ll use my phone, text 43362 similar to where you type in the phone number, then type shelter 92507.”

[graphic video showing the demo of texting 43362 with shelter information]

Maisha “The shelter information will pop up with details, telling where you can go. If you need assistance or other services, please reach out to one of the agencies near you. Here are the contact information.”

[graphic image showing the contact list of agencies]

Get Involved / Volunteer

Join our cause and make a difference! By getting involved and volunteering with us, you have the opportunity to positively impact lives and contribute to a meaningful mission.

Whether you have a few hours or can make a longer commitment, your time and skills can create lasting changes in our community. Take action today and be a part of something bigger. Volunteer now and be the change you wish to see!

Where are we located?

OC DEAF is located at 6022 Cerritos Avenue in the Cypress Commercial Center, Cypress, California 90630. The office is located on the southeast corner of Valley View Street and Cerritos Avenue, approximately three miles south of the Riverside (91) Freeway and approximately three miles north of the junction of the Garden Grove (22) and San Diego (405) Freeways.

Support Us

With your support, we can achieve even more—by meeting the needs of newborns, children, teens, adults and senior citizens through additional programs that enhance the lives of deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind and deaf disabled people everywhere.