Hello! My name is Rene Ryan. I am the Executive Director for TSHA, Total Source for Hearing-loss and Access. TSHA was established in 1954 by a group of parents whose children had hearing-loss. These parents were in search of support for themselves and services for their children. When they found these services were lacking, they founded TSHA.

We hope TSHA's website, www.tsha.cc – NOT tsha.com – can help you find the information or services you need. Our website has, among other things, information about events in the Deaf community, services we offer, and the purpose of TSHA. By the way, did you know TSHA's purpose is to provide services to encourage independence for those with hearing loss?

TSHA has three program areas.

1. Interpreter Referral. This program provides interpreters for a variety of settings. If an interpreter is needed for court, a medical visit, an appointment with an attorney, etc. contact TSHA for arrangements. We provide interpreters for the entire state of Oklahoma, not merely in the Tulsa area. We can also send interpreters to the surrounding states.
2. Information and Referral (I&R). This program has three specialty areas.
• The first is focused on the family. When parents learn their child is Deaf they can be overwhelmed with decisions. We can help these parents by providing support, by supplying information about choices, and by giving reassurance.
• The second area provides support for our aging population. As individuals age they may begin to lose their hearing. Even though when they were young their hearing was good and they could communicate with no problems, as they have become older this is no longer true. We have a center in our building that has a variety of assistive devices that may help our senior citizens hear better on the phone and with friends. If you know an older person who could benefit from these services, please let them know about us.
• The third specialty area under I&R is Community Relations. This program's mission is to inform the hearing community about Deafness and hearing loss. TSHA staff gives presentations to many groups on how to protect their hearing and available resources. Or if you have a group that wants to learn sign language, we can help with that. Community Relations has many services it can offer.
3. Independent Living, (IL). This program focuses on the Deaf. The goal for this program is independence. Though an individual may have strengths in many areas, they may have a weakness that does not allow true independence. We offer instruction in many areas. For example we can help set up a budget, teach how to get a driver's license or provide assistance if an individual has trouble with the courts. We can even advocate with places that will not provide interpreters.

These are the three programs at TSHA. Under each program are many more services.

I hope you have no problems as you navigate around our website. If get confused about anything, please let us know. If you have ideas for new programs or services, let us know that as well. We always appreciate your feedback. Enjoy your journey on our website and thank you for visiting!