Center for Hearing & Deaf Services Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
PROVIDE A DIVERSE AND AFFORDABLE PROGRAM OF QUALITY DIAGNOSTIC, REHABILITATIVE, AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES DESIGNED TO MEET THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS WHO ARE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING, OR HAVE OTHER COMMUNICATION NEEDS AND TO SERVE AS AN INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SOURCE FOR THESE POPULATIONS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. OUR VISION IS TO BE CARING PROFESSIONALS SERVING PEOPLE WITH EXCELLENCE, DIGNITY, AND TRUST.
- Income
- $4.6 million
- Spending
- $4.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 90%
- Reserves
- 2.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 67%
- Employees
- 37
- Volunteers
- 20
- Highest pay
- $166,335, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 58 out of 100.
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.3 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 32% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 0% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 13% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1590% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 11 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 12 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (7)
- $1.4 million spent. INTERPRETING SERVICES - LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS BOTH ASL AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE HELP GIVE PERSONS WHO ARE DEAF AND ENGLISH LEARNERS WHO HAVE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP) EQUAL ACCESS TO COMMUNICATION, THUS AVOIDING LINGUISTIC ISOLATION. HDS PROVIDES INTERPRETING SERVICES TO MEET THIS NEED. OUR INTERPRETERS PROVIDE OVER 32,000 HOURS OF SERVICE YEARLY TO HOSPITALS, SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, NON-PROFITS, AND BUSINESSES. WE PROVIDE MANY OF THESE SERVICES AT REDUCED COST, AND OFTEN FOR NO COST. WE PROVIDE INTERPRETING IN ASL, SIGNED ENGLISH, ORAL TRANSLITERATION, PIDGIN AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE (LEP) TO MEET THE VARYING NEEDS OF OUR CONSUMERS. OUR INTERPRETERS CONVEY THE PURPOSE, THOUGHT, AND SPIRIT OF THE MESSAGE IN THE PERSON'S PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO BRIDGE THE COMMUNICATION BARRIER. OUR INTERPRETERS FOLLOW THE CODE OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AS SET FORTH BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF AND THE REGISTRY OF INTERPRETERS FOR THE DEAF AND MAINTAIN STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY TO ENSURE THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONALISM AND TRUST.
- $1.3 million spent. HDS WESTMORELAND - BRANCH OFFICE ESTABLISHED TO SERVE CHILDREN AND ADULTS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING. SERVICES INCLUDE INTERPRETING, COUNSELING, BEHAVORIAL HEALTH SERVICES, INFORMATION AND REFERRAL, AND SIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION. HDSW ALSO PROVIDES LIFE SKILLS SERVICES FOR ITS SERVICE AREA. MANY DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING PEOPLE LIVING OUTSIDE A CITY ARE ISOLATED AND HAVE LITTLE ACCESS TO SERVICES. HDSW WAS OPENED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THESE INDIVIDUALS. OFFERING MOST OF THE SERVICES AVAILABLE AT OUR MAIN PITTSBURGH OFFICE, HDSW SERVES A MULTI-COUNTY, MOSTLY RURAL AREA.
- $113,393 spent. HEARING REHABILITATION SERVICES - HEARING TESTS, HEARING AID EVALUATIONS, SALES, AND SERVICE. FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST INDIVIDUALS WITH LIMITED INCOME TO PURCHASE OR REPAIR HEARING AIDS. DONATIONS OF USED HEARING AIDS ARE ACCEPTED.
- $620,464 spent. LIFE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT - INSTRUCTION AND EXPERIENCES TO IMPROVE THE DAILY LIVING SKILLS AND INDEPENDENCE OF ADULTS WHO ARE DEAF AND HAVE INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. AREAS OF INSTRUCTION INCLUDE COMMUNICATION SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, MOBILITY TRAINING, PERSONAL SAFETY TRAINING, ACADEMICS, COMPUTER TRAINING, DEAF CULTURE, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, PERSONAL HYGIENE, GROOMING, UTILIZATION OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES, SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, PRE-VOCATIONAL TRAINING, AND SEXUAL AWARENESS. SOCIAL INTERACTION IS CRUCIAL IN ACQUIRING THESE AND OTHER ADULT DAILY LIVING SKILLS, AS WELL AS DEVELOPING LANGUAGE SKILLS. THE PROGRAM IS INDIVIDUALIZED FOR EACH CLIENT WITH OBJECTIVES BASED ON EACH PERSON'S NEEDS. CLIENTS ARE SEEN INDIVIDUALLY AND IN GROUPS. ALL STAFF ARE FLUENT IN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE, HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF DEAF CULTURE, AND ARE TRAINED IN THE TECHNIQUES USED TO TEACH AND/OR COUNSEL THIS POPULATION. OUR GOAL IS TO GIVE OUR CLIENTS THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO LIVE AS FULLY AND INDEPENDENTLY AS POSSIBLE, WHILE INCREASING THEIR OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT WITH OTHERS.
- $104,193 spent. ASSISTIVE DEVICE CENTER & OUTREACH SERVICES - OFFERS THE MOST EXTENSIVE DISPLAY OF ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DEAF, DEAF-BLIND, OR HARD OF HEARING. INDIVIDUALS CAN COME TO HDS, AND A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL, SKILLED IN SIGN LANGUAGE, WILL HELP THEM SELECT A DEVICE THAT MEETS THEIR NEEDS AND BUDGET.
- $8,700 spent. DEAF YOUTH PROGRAM - PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR AREA DEAF, DEAF-BLIND, AND HARD OF HEARING YOUTH TO INTERACT SOCIALLY WITH THEIR PEERS AND WITH MEMBERS OF THE DEAF COMMUNITY. THROUGH THE PROGRAM, YOUTH CAN PARTICIPATE IN A VARIETY OF RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. THE DYP ATTEMPTS TO BREAK DOWN COMMUNICATION BARRIERS BY OFFERING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES TO FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF DEAF, DEAF-BLIND, OR HARD OF HEARING YOUTH.
- $545,444 spent. HDS ERIE - BRANCH OFFICE ESTABLISHED TO SERVE CHILDREN AND ADULTS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING. SERVICES INCLUDE INTERPRETING, COMMUNITY AWARENESS AND ADVOCACY, AND INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SOURCES. HDSE ALSO PROVIDES LIFE SKILLS SERVICES FOR ITS SERVICE AREA.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 1951.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
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