Aid The Silent

Mission: Aid the Silent (ATS) was founded in January 2015 by Emma Faye Rudkin, a profoundly deaf speaker and Miss San Antonio 2017 & 2015, with a purpose of bridging the gap between the hearing world and the deaf/hard-of-hearing (HOH) community by providing resources, programs and services for deaf/HOH children and teens through five program areas: awareness, education, ministry, resources, and research. Part of Aid the Silent's goal, in addition to raising funds to support these programs, is to bring awareness to the general public on how to make experiences and events accessible to the deaf/HOH community. Aid the Silent (ATS) provides funding to serve deaf and hard-of-hearing (HOH) community through awareness. ATS offers funding to service deaf/HOH children and teens through its four main programs: Deaf Resources provides resources such as hearing aids and accompanying equipment, assistive hearing devices, speech therapy, and American Sign Language (ASL) lessons. Deaf Education provides funding for early intervention programs for families, training programs for educators, classroom accommodations, teacher supplies and resources, and arts outreach program initiatives introducing theater, visual, music, etc. to the deaf community. Deaf Ministry provides funding for camper fees and accommodations needed for a deaf/HOH camper to attend a camp, such as assistive hearing devices (FM systems), temporary t-coiling, remote captioning, or an ASL interpreter. Deaf Ministry also provides funds to assist deaf/HOH children/teens with basic life necessities. Deaf Research provides funds to collect data about local service providers who cater to the deaf/HOH community. Deaf Research also provides funds to programs that dedicate its efforts to finding medical and technological advancements that benefit the deaf/HOH.