Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy Gomme. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.
Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency (DCARA) is the oldest non-profit that provides services to the Deaf/DeafBlind/DeafDisabled/Hard of Hearing/Late Deafened (Deaf*) community, being in service for 61 years. Our agency serves the Deaf* community in the 14 counties of Northern California, starting in Santa Cruz County and reaching all the way up to Del Norte county.
Our agency provides services from when a Deaf* child is born to when a Deaf* individual is at their end of life. We proudly service all walks of life. Especially those who are between the ages of 0-22. Those are prime time for many Deaf* individuals–language acquisition. Having a strong language foundation allows them to thrive throughout their childhood and leading into a strong future for themselves.
Often, the Deaf* community does not get access that their hearing peers do to resources, to information, and to services. Many agencies/companies/firms have never worked with a Deaf* person before, let alone do they know the rights of that Deaf* individual. Our agency comes into play here by advocating for the Deaf* individual by explaining their rights to who has denied them it. Our agency supports our Deaf* community by providing them with tools to navigate the hearing world, where we are often rejected, overlooked, or minimized. We empower our Deaf* community to be able to advocate for themselves, to give them a voice, and to give them the ability to navigate. Without this, our Deaf* community would struggle, and possibly receive wrong information that may lead to them going down a road that they can either never get out of or just dig themselves in deeper as they go.
Our agency does not only provide direct services, but we also provide the community with webinars, educational events, and social events. It is important that the Deaf* community has a space where they can gather to learn and to socialize, in a space where they are the majority.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
While growing up in a rural area north of New Mexico, I was a child of a Deaf family. I saw first handedly how hard it was to navigate through the world. A lot of resources were not accessible for Deaf individuals, let alone individuals in the rural area. After graduating from the New Mexico School for the Deaf, I attended the Rochester Institute of Technology. It was there that I noticed that there were still unequal opportunities for Deaf/DeafBlind/DeafDisabled/Hard of Hearing/LateDeafened (Deaf*) individuals. Not every student knew about summer internship opportunities, every certification training available, or any supplemental information that might have helped them after graduation. It was around this time that I realized that my passion is working with Deaf* individuals. I wanted to support the ability to enhance the livelihood of these individuals within our Deaf* community. Upon my return back to New Mexico, I joined a non-profit organization that allowed me to give back to the community as well as work collaboratively with various organizations/agencies to support and strengthen the Deaf* community.
During my six-year time period at the Community Outreach Program for the Deaf-New Mexico, I believed in the ability to empower my staff to think outside the box which led to the formation of the Summer Youth Program. This program was geared towards transitional-age youth with the goal of understanding and obtaining employment after graduation. I am proud to say that 10 of the 12 students obtained employment after graduation. My knowledge and ability to ensure budgeting, fundraising, and coordination of events grew exponentially as a result of this project.
From the Community Outreach Program for the Deaf-New Mexico to Deputy Director of Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency (DCARA), I continued to develop and refine my abilities to lead, supervise, and brainstorm various ideas for programs, events, and more. During my tenure as the Deputy Director, I immediately developed several policies and developed training procedures for in-person services following the pandemic in 2020. These policies were aimed towards bringing DCARA into compliance with various human resources and payroll laws.
Today I am DCARA’s, Executive Director. While continuing to bring DCARA into legal compliance, my focus has been on overall organizational management, which includes financial oversight and management, rebuilding existing and creating new community partnerships, organizational restructuring, maintaining open communication and transparency with the staff and community, and optimizing staff productivity.
I am proud of where DCARA is today. DCARA staff has truly worked to connect with the community. During the pandemic, DCARA made sure to work hard to release vlogs that would provide clarity as to what is happening with the nation and with our counties. DCARA continues to practice that client-centered approach where we can ensure that we work with our clients and their needs. We have staff members who are a part of different communities, ranging from an immigrant themselves to being a former student who was raised without a language. DCARA will be continuing its work with hopes of expanding in the future.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
DCARA has strongly believed in working with our community, and being there for them. Growing our clientele comes with reaching out to them, being available, and providing the resource/information that they need. Often, we rely on the word of mouth as not everyone in our community has the financial wealth to access high speed internet, cellular data, or technology devices. However, we do try to connect to those who do not have the following by going to or hosting events that these individuals may come to. Our door is also open for those who need to come in-person to implement services.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
My involvement with various national organizations as well as connections that I have made over the last 10 years of my career has definitely helped my reputation grow within the Deaf* non-profit world. I do know there is a lot more people I could reach and connect with, and I would love to do that. By being previously a part of the National Association of the Deaf, the New Mexico Association of the Deaf, Raices del Rio Grande, and more..I was able to attend several conferences that allowed me to connect with many colleagues as well as other professionals in the same field or similar. Because of those connections, those were what supported my visibility and reputation in the non-profit world. I pride myself in being involved with the events that DCARA hosts for our community. Just because I am the Executive Director does not mean I should sit back and let our staff members take care of things. I jump in the doing with them all!
DCARA already had its own reputation–being the only Deaf organization in the Bay Area for a long time until other organizations that popped up, such as DeafHope that focuses on Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence, and DeafPlus Adult Center that focuses on DeafPlus day programs and more.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dcara.org
- Instagram: @dcara1962
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DCARA1962
Image Credits
DCARA Marketing Team