Visions Center for the Deaf

Hawassa, Sidama Region

Aside from the many daily struggles faced by billions of people living in developing nations, having a disability adds an extra layer of hardship that makes even the most routine activities difficult or even impossible. The 2011 WHO/World Bank World Report on Disability lists hearing loss and deafness as the most common disability worldwide and one of the most debilitating. With an estimated 5+ million Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ethiopians nationwide (and growing), the challenges are massive. Nationwide, an extreme lack of services & opportunities make daily life very challenging for the majority of the Deaf community. Regular obstacles often include the inability to:

access basic information or services
pursue formal education
communicate with others (including their own families and communities)
hold a meaningful job or trade
receive appropriate or adequate health & medical care
participate in basic community activities due to stigma and social exclusion

Building on our own experiences and insights from working with Deaf students at public schools in Bahir Dar, Addis Ababa and Hawassa starting in 2019, Visions Ethiopia established the Visions Center for the Deaf in Hawassa (capital of the Sidama Region) in 2020 in order to address the growing need for services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. This Center, which is based out of a private facility in a central part of town, provides regular support to dozens of Deaf youth and their families, including:

Ethiopian Sign Language training & skills development for students, family members and others from the community
Interpretation services
Mentorship (predominantly by Deaf professional adults)
Preschool for early language learners
Regular nutritional & transportation support
Job skills training and support
Audiological services (hearing testing & counseling, mobile testing, ear exams, hearing aid provision & ongoing care, etc.)

We have many ambitions for expanding our services and building the community that we serve in the months and years to come. This is just the beginning!

The Dr. Catherine Clark Center for Audiology

On July 30, 2023 Visions Global Empowerment (USA) & Visions Global Empowerment Ethiopia inaugurated the Dr. Catherine Clark Center for Audiology at the Visions Center for the Deaf in Hawassa in honor of esteemed professor and audiologist Dr. Catherine Clark. For over 30 years, Dr. Catherine Clark has worked as a Professor/Audiologist at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of the Rochester Institute of Technology. Dr. Clark has been volunteering with Visions for nearly a decade in helping to establish free audiological services for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people in Bahir Dar (Amhara) and Hawassa (Sidama).

Dr. Clark has made repeated trips to Ethiopia where she has worked in close partnership with local health professionals and Visions staff to establish and develop critical services such as hearing testing & counseling, the provision of hearing aids with regular maintenance and care, ear exams & cleanings, research and data collection, and more.

In 2015, Visions Global Empowerment (USA) recognized Dr. Clark with an “Outstanding Dedication to Service Award” for her work with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Her contributions have also been recognized by various institutions and media outlets over the years.