Deaf Services Center

08/24/2026

08/24/2026

A good time was had by all on our Deaf Families Train Ride! We rode the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway and enjoyed the beautiful views. Then we visited an old historic village and learned how people lived and worked long ago. Families watched blacksmithing, saw popcorn made over an open fire, learned how people used old-fashioned saws, and more. It was a fun day for Deaf families to be together, learn some history, and make great memories!

A special THANK YOU to all the wonderful kids and their families who joined us, Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, and Advocates for Kids for helping make this day possible!

alt-text description for each collage:

Image 1: Photo collage from the Deaf Families Train Ride. A large group of adults and children pose together in front of a blue and cream Hocking Valley Scenic Railway passenger car. Other photos show families smiling, signing, talking, and spending time together inside the train, along with a few scenes from the historic village.

Image 2: Collage titled “Hocking Valley Scenic Train Ride” showing Deaf families and children riding together inside the train. Adults, teens, young children, and a baby sit in groups on blue train seats, smiling and enjoying the trip.

Image 3: Collage showing railroad tracks, the historic village stop, and families enjoying the train ride. Several photos show adults and children sitting together inside the passenger car, while another shows visitors gathered outside historic wooden buildings.

Image 4: Collage showing more of the Deaf Families Train Ride and historic village experience. Photos include an old log cabin, families gathered outside historic buildings, adults and children riding the train, and the interior of an old-fashioned bedroom with a patchwork quilt. Text at the bottom reads, “Hosted by DSC & Sponsored by Advocate for Kids.”

image 5: A large group of adults and children pose together in front of a blue and cream Hocking Valley Scenic Railway passenger car.

08/20/2026

Train is FULL, thanks to all who RSVP'd
RAIN or SHINE, STILL ON!!! See you there!

Send a message to learn more

08/19/2026

ART + ASL AT THE COLUMBUS MUSEUM OF ART!

The Columbus Museum of Art is launching Highlights: ASL, a 30-minute museum tour with ASL interpretation!

ASL Tour: Friday, September 11
1:00–1:30 PM
Columbus Museum of Art

2nd Friday of alternating months will include ASL interpretation:

Sept. 11 • Nov. 13 • Jan. 8 • Mar. 12 • May 14

Tours are included with museum admission, and admission is FREE for anyone age 25 and under!

Attendance matters. Strong participation helps demonstrate the need for accessible programming and can help support MORE ASL-accessible opportunities in the future.

GO! Enjoy some art, bring a friend, and help show that access belongs in the arts.

Again, the more Deaf/HoH people who come out to these tours, the more they can advocate for additional support to expand their accessible offerings.

https://www.columbusmuseum.org/events/event/6348637/date/2026-09-11

Alt text: Columbus Museum of Art event webpage for an event taking place Friday, September 11, 2026. The page provides event details, including the event description, time, location, and visitor information.

08/17/2026

Reminder!! Deaf Services Center Board Meeting tonight 8/17/26 at 6pm. https://www.dsc.org/events

DSC’s Board helps guide our mission, strengthen our programs, and support our continued work with Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and hearing communities throughout Ohio.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Discover the new Deaf Services Center website—a modern, accessible, and visually engaging platform designed to empower the deaf community through innovative programs and comprehensive support.

08/17/2026

CHOOOO CHOOOOO!!!! LAST CHANCE TO RSVP!

FREE train ride + FREE lunch for Deaf Hard of Hearing, CODA, KIDS and their families!

Saturday, August 22
12 PM–2 PM
Hocking Valley Scenic Railway in Nelsonville

Please arrive ON TIME! We don’t want the train leaving without you! Once the conductor says it’s time to go... it’s time to go. train The conductor makes the rules, not us!

Come ride, eat, laugh, meet other families, and enjoy the beautiful Hocking Hills with us.

RSVP TODAY: [email protected]

ALLLL ABOARD!!

08/17/2026

Deaf Services Center attended the 3rd annual Accessible Ohio Conference for the third time!

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Support Specialists, Kyle Parke, Chloe Greenlee and me, Mania Drosak, Program Development Coordinator of DSC, attended together. We wish we took more pictures of everything and will share if we find more.

We joined different workshops about accessibility, advocacy, inclusion, and supporting people with disabilities.

We also met people from other organizations across Ohio. Many of them have goals and values similar to DSC.

We shared ideas. We learned from each other. We made new connections.

Why is this important?

We want DSC to continue to learn and grow.

Accessible conferences like this help us find new ideas, build partnerships, and learn better ways to support our Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and late-deafened communities.

We came home with new information, new connections, and new ideas to bring to DSC.

DSC is always learning. DSC is always growing.

And DSC will keep working to make our communities more accessible for everyone.

Many thanks to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities for including us! We are already looking forward to next year's conference!

08/17/2026

Toledo Pride had a parade and festive event at Promenade Park in Downtown Toledo on August 15th, and DSC was PROUD to attend.

Alt text: Graphic promoting Deaf Services Center’s participation at Toledo Pride on Saturday, August 15. The DSC logo and large words “DSC at the Toledo Pride” appear at the top. Two photos show DSC staff at a waterfront outreach table under a canopy, with the Breaking Barriers, Connecting Communities tablecloth, ASL information, giveaways, and community members visiting the booth. Text highlights that DSC connected with more than 250 people, gave away all of its Pride stress balls, talked with children curious about why people move their hands, shared ASL and advocacy information, and collected seven full pages of names from people interested in future ASL classes. The flyer thanks Toledo Pride and everyone who stopped by, signed up, asked questions, supported DSC’s mission, or thanked staff for their work after seeing DSC’s recent story on 13ABC.

08/12/2026

Columbus Public Health Department wants to help keep our community safe during these storms. Video coming soon

Public Health Guidance for Storm Impacts

With severe weather in central Ohio, Columbus Public Health is sharing public health guidance to keep your family healthy and safe. If your power goes out for an extended period, you need to make sure your food is safe to eat and medicines are safe for you to use.


Keep Your Food Safe

To keep your food safe during power outages:

Keep Appliance Doors Closed
Do not open your refrigerator or freezer doors unless necessary.
An unopened refrigerator keeps food safely cold for up to 4 hours.
An unopened full freezer maintains its temperature for about 48 hours if it’s full. (24 hours if half full).

Group Frozen Foods Together
Pack frozen items tightly together inside the freezer to slow down thawing.

Move Perishables to the Freezer
Transfer critical refrigerator items to the freezer if you expect a long outage.
Focus on high-risk items like fresh meat, poultry, milk and leftovers.

Use Coolers and Ice
Pack food into insulated coolers if the power is out for more than 4 hours.
Surround the food completely with ice cubes, frozen gel packs, or frozen water jugs.


Keep Your Medicine Safe

To keep your refrigerated medicine safe:

Keep Your Medicine Cool
Keep the refrigerator door closed.
Move your medicine to a cooler if the outage passes 24 hours.
Add ice packs and use a barrier like paper towels or a cloth so ice does not touch the medicine directly.
Verify the Safety of your Medicine
Check for changes in the color, cloudiness or texture.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor if the drugs are still safe to use.
Discard drugs kept too warm too long, unless they are life-sustaining and you have no other choice.


Protect Yourself from Tetanus

To protect yourself from tetanus during storm clean up:

Make sure your standard 10-year tetanus booster is current.
If you sustain a deep, dirty, or puncture wound from debris or floodwaters, get a booster if it has been more than 5 years.
Immediately wash cuts with soap and water and cover them.
Visit a local clinic or doctor within 24 to 48 hours if you need an expedited booster or professional wound cleaning.

Follow these tips to help you prepare for and cope with sudden loss of power.

08/10/2026

Deaf Services Center’s ASL classes in Columbus are growing, and so is our team! We're hiring for more Columbus ASL Class Instructors. Full job description in the comments.