HEARD

05/21/2026

Please consider supporting the fundraiser organized by one of our PET grad members, Joseph Nettles. Direct GoFundMe link
https://shorturl.at/FatwJ

Quoted, "It is with my deepest condolences and sympathy I share that Laura Nicole Nettles has passed away peacefully yesterday. Laura was born with Spina Bifida and faced many health challenges during her 32 years of life. Laura lived with my sister for several years, and I got the opportunity to know her."

Thoughts and condolences are with all of Laura's loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. May they be surrounded by comfort, strength, and peace in the days ahead.

[VD: Image 1: A fundraising graphic on a dark green background featuring a white card with bold black text that reads, “Laura Nicole Nettles memorial gifts will cover funeral costs and ease her family’s loss.” Beneath the text are three colored donor icons with initials and the words “10 donors.” At the bottom is a dark green button labeled “Read story.”]

[VD: Image 2: A close-up photo of a smiling young woman with light skin and reddish hair wearing a gray shirt. Overlaid text reads “$1,854 to goal” above the heading “Funeral arrangements.” A yellow sticker-style graphic says “Donate now!” and the bottom includes a GoFundMe link: “gofund.me/joseph-soil-15may.” Green heart and support icons appear along the side of the image.]

05/14/2026

Policing in the United States has not created safety for many people with intersectional identities, including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, deaf/disabled people, q***r and trans people, women, and low-income communities.

[VD: Brown skinned woman with long brown and grey braids wears a red hoodie. She is using ASL. The video fades to a Latinx woman with long brown hair with a streak of blond in the back. Video fades to black background with the HEARD logo in white in the middle and [hashtag]StopASLCopaganda below.]

05/11/2026

Pulses: Experiments in Tactile Sound,
a fundraiser event for HEARD.
Next Tuesday in New York City!
May 12, 6:30–8:30pm

Organized by Josephine Sales as part of the installation Total Running Time currently on view through June 6th. Performances by Julia Santoli & Grout, HPIN, LYDO, and Kilbourne with a reading by Eva Cilman at 7pm.

Access: wheelchair accessible, ASL, haptic wall, and masks will be available.

17 West 17th Street,
8th Floor NYC

HEARD is a cross-disability abolitionist organization that supports deaf/disabled incarcerated people through grassroots advocacy, community organizing, peer support, mutual aid, education, and research.

Fundraiser for HEARD
(suggested $10-$20)

Pulses: RSVP and Details in bio.

05/06/2026

While having communication access is important, don’t forget that signing cops are still cops. They are still accountable to the system that they work for, not to you or your loved ones. Don’t talk to cops!!

Link in bio for the full statement in ASL, Spanish and English -
Sign on today, if you have not already!

[VD: Brown skinned woman with long brown and grey braids wears a red hoodie. She is using ASL. The video fades to another brown skinned woman with short curly hair with a red headband, glasses, and a burgundy shirt. She is using ASL. Video fades to white background with the HEARD logo in black in the middle and [hashtag]StopASLCopaganda below]

01/31/2026

01/31/2026

We dream of futures with no cops, no prisons, and no borders. Until then, these are our offerings in solidarity with immigrant communities and their detained loved ones. We’ve been doing this work and today is no different - join us.

[Transcript: Immigrant communities are under attack. HEARD has been supporting our incarcerated and detained deaf/disabled community for 15 years. We’ve seen ICE’s presence and violence escalate across the country. But ICE has always been violent and oppressive. That’s not new.

We’re in solidarity with our immigrant communities and everyone rising up and protecting our communities from ICE and border police (CBP). As an abolitionist organization, we envision a world with no cops, no prisons, and no borders.

What does HEARD’s support look like?

If you have a loved one in ICE detention who is deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, late deafened, low vision, or blind, HEARD can send them money for commissary. Commissary is money that helps people in ICE detention buy important items like food, stamps for letters, or pay for or pay for various ways to communicate with loved ones outside detention.

HEARD also offers free support to immigration or criminal defense attorneys with deaf/disabled clients.

HEARD can teach signing community members how to locate where their loved one is detained and how to communicate with them.

It’s important to stay safe. Don’t talk to cops. Take care of one another.]

[Video Description: A slide with black background and the words “OFFERINGS IN SOLIDARITY WITH IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES.” Video fades to a light skinned Latinx with long brown hair wearing a maroon long sleeve shirt, using ASL. Video transitions to a white genderq***r person with short brown hair wearing a black hoodie, tortoise shell glasses, and has a right arm decorated in black ink tattoos.They are signing in ASL.Video transitions to a light-skinned Black person with shoulder length locs and a gray turtleneck signing in ASL. Video fades to black with the words HEARD behearddc.on

01/30/2026

Grateful for this opportunity to partner with The Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

New blog post! Thanks to HEARD, a cross-disability abolitionist organization, our blog this month is an interview with a formerly incarcerated advocate. https://autisticadvocacy.org/2026/01/deaf-in-prison-an-interview-with-heard-advocate-and-heards-public-education-pet-graduate/

01/30/2026

12/31/2025

We asked our Incarcerated Advocacy Director to share what it means for us to send commissary for five years in a row. Please take the time to take in the message they have for you all for supporting this work!

For those wondering, it is not too late to donate! As a reminder, all donations of $25 or more receive a zine of art and poetry from deaf/disabled incarcerated community members. Donate today using the link in our bio: bit.ly/heard-holidayfund25

[Video Description: A purple slide has white snowflakes in the top left corner. White text reads: Five Years of Sending Commissary Funds. Video transitions to a fair-skinned person with long brown braids over their shoulders. They are wearing a brown shirt, black glasses, and brown earrings from deaf-owned business . They are using American Sign Language in front of a gray sofa, a wall with pictures, and a bookshelf to the side. Video transitions to a black slide with white snowflakes in the top left corner. Text reads, "Donate Today: bit.ly/heard-holidayfund25 with HEARD's logo and [at]behearddc]

Transcript in Comments

06/17/2025

Guess what? It is not too late to apply for HEARD's Board of Directors!

If you are interested in applying to join our Board, please submit your application by June 30, 2025, at 11:59pm ET.

[Image Description: a light purple background with thin teal organic lines in the bottom-left corner and [at]behearddc in black is in the bottom-right corner. At the top is “DEADLINE EXTENDED!” in white text with a black background. In the middle is a white text box with the following text in black: “If you're interested in joining HEARD’s Board of Directors, please submit your application by June 30, 2025, at 11:59pm ET!”]