THE OUTCOMES

Your generosity and investment moved us toward a more inclusive world with fewer barriers!

Adult Education & Outreach

AEO delivered 96 outreach/educational presentations to businesses, universities, law enforcement, first responders, congregations, and agencies and made over 200 referrals to external resources, serving over 2,000 unduplicated clients across the state.

AEO delivered 153 hours of ASL I, II, and III and community education in classes that were onsite, online, or community based, including almost 200 ASL students and over 50 educational workshops for our Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and hard of hearing communities

We presented a statewide Driver's Education class and continued our statewide, virtual GED students for Deaf and hard of hearing students.

AEO hosted our 6th, annual Trunk or Treat, Tax Days, Community Health & Vaccine Clinics, Thanksgiving, Game Days, and Signing Santa as well as special Deaf Nights Out in rural counties. With the Tennessee Organization for the Deaf-Blind, we hosted our second Deaf-Blind Game Day. We had great Deaf Nights Out with our young professionals, including a very special night in which Illusions in Clarksville created a role play game especially for our Deaf players.

BridgesWEST
84

BridgesTN
207

BridgesEAST

31

BridgesWEST
61

BridgesTN
67

BridgesEAST

25

Advocacy

The standout story of Advocacy this year came with the tragic floods in East Tennessee. BridgesEAST jumped into action to respond to the many needs, contacting Deaf and hard of hearing individuals directly impacted, ensuring they were safe and aware of resources, and then coordinating access to those resources. Additionally, we provided home-cooked meals and laundry services as well as volunteer opportunities where our Community could join in relief efforts. From our BridgesTN office, we coordinated with TEMA and FEMA to ensure access to information through interpreters and captions.

BridgesDHH continued our work in increasing the quality of and the access to mental health care for our Community.

We renewed open caption movies for summer series hosted by Nashville, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, McMinnville, and Cookeville.

We worked with HCA Healthcare to create training videos on working effectively with Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and hard of hearing patient and families.

BridgesTN continued our collaboration with the Nashville Soccer Club to provide interpreters at all home games.

Empowerment

Empowerment served 1,235 clients in FY25. Our case management program served individual clients in areas such as jobs, housing, individual access, education, and assisting clients with written English.. Other priorities were food security, training opportunities, educational advocacy, and advocacy for access to health care, mental health care, and other services.

HIghlights include working with one clients in Middle and West Tennessee who were unemployed and unhoused. We worked with these clients for months to navigate systems and opportunities, achieving positive outcomes of employment and stable housing. One standout story was a collaboration with Hearts of Home. A client who had lived in his car with his dogs for over a decade moved into a tiny home built just for him and his canine best friends.

BridgesTN welcomed Vocational Rehab counselors to our offices bimonthly to increase access for clients. We partnered with Genoa Healthcare to host vaccine and community health clinics. Our Empowerment Manager at BridgesTN served on the Mayor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities.

CLIENTS SERVED

BridgesEAST

276

BridgesTN
471

BridgesWEST
488

Interpreting Services

BridgesDHH provided 38,904 hours of interpreting services across the state through a team of staff and freelance interpreters, including 197 hours by Deaf interpreters and1,714 pro bono hours valued at over $128,000.

INTERPRETING HOURS

PRO BONO INTERPRETING HOURS

Interpreting Services, in collaboration with Youth Education & Services, hosted our second Camp Interpret! This three-day camp WAS designed for teens with ASL experience and introduced them to interpreting as a profession, including a field assignment with The Tennessee State Museum.

Interpreting Services provided a robust program of virtual professional development, using qualified interpreters with specific areas of expertise to offer professional development on topics such as legal, medical, performance, mental health, and more. Interpreting Services also advocated for Deaf-hearing interpreting teams in legal settings, successfully changing Metro Nashville's courts to make this a policy.

I

BridgesWEST

4,189.5

BridgesTN

26,961

BridgesEAST

6,944

EDUCATIONAL INTERPRETER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

BridgesWEST

578

BridgesTN

561

BridgesEAST

575

In May 2023, BridgesDHH was awarded a five-year grant to train 240 educational interpreters in Tennessee. By July 2023, we had hired our first staff, and by September, we launched our first meeting with sixty (60) potential mentees, moving forward to have fifty-six (56) active mentees in our first year. These mentees are matched with Interpreting Mentors and Deaf Mentors, participate in several workshops each month, and complete assignments using video software. Here are results from our second year.

Number of New Participants (enrolled 24-25): 48

Total Number of Participants: 151

Number of Mentors: Hearing 13 | Deaf 3 | 1 Full-Time Deaf Mentor

Scholarships Awarded: 14

Troy University – 5
ETSU – 2
Garner-Webb – 3
William Woods – 1
Maryville College – 2
Valdosta State – 1

EIPA | Number Tested and Outcomes: EIPA Written | 33 taken this year and 27 passed

EIPA Performance | 11 taken this year | Average score from results received is 3.9 (current wait time is 12 months)

Number of New Licenses This Year: 5

Counties Represented: 39

Youth Education & Services

Little ACEs welcomed new Deaf Mentors who meet with families with D/deaf and hard of hearing children ages 0 to 5 each week. Those families also have access to a free, weekly Parent ASL class offered virtually. We matched families in East, Middle, and West Tennessee. Enrollment in Little ACEs doubled enrollment with over two dozen families now part of our BridgesHH family.

At BridgesTN, we delivered school-based mentoring, providing weekly Deaf Mentors for Eakin Elementary and West End Middle School. We hosted quarterly youth social events and opened online tutoring hours. BridgesTN hosted Camp Sign Me Up, a day camp for students who want to learn ASL, and a North Pole event, complete with Santa's Workshop, Signing Santa, and a meal for all ages. BridgesTN also partnered with the Sertoma Club to host the Metro Nashville Public Schools at a Fantasy Baseball Camp with the Nashville Sounds.

BridgesWEST continued our six-year collaboration with the Mayor's Office for Youth Services with the I AM INCLUDED after-school program, and we began working with the schools who host the Deaf Education programs in Memphis Shelby County Schools, providing more services to students and hosting booths at school events. We hosted our first YouthFEST. We completed our third year of teaching ASL at Crosstown Charter School.

In addition to Little ACEs and Camp Rise & Sign, BridgesEAST hosted a monthly Storytime at the public library that was very popular.

CAMP RISE & SIGN

As we seek a new location for sleepaway camp, we pivoted successfully to BridgesTN, BridgesEAST, and BridgesWEST each hosting special versions of Camp Rise & Sign.

BridgesTN went to the Adventure Science Center on the first day, Nashville Shores on the second, and Hendersonville Strike & Spare on the third day!

BridgesWEST went swimming and to Cordova Bowling Center and Jumping World!

BridgesEAST went to Brights Zoo, Quantum Leap Trampoline, Sports Arena, and Holiday Lanes Bowling!

Thank you to the Sertoma Club of Nashville for their sponsorship!