Community-Based Initiatives

The majority of CDS projects focus on community capacity building, in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.

2017-2018 Examples

  • Screening newborns for hearing impairment in the Outer Pacific Basin.
  • Training educators to teach deaf and deaf-blind children in the Outer Pacific Basin.
  • Equipping preschool teachers of Native Hawaiian children to strengthen their own well-being use evidence-based teaching practices, and engaging families in the learning process.
  • Helping individuals with developmental disabilities access and thrive in higher education settings.
  • Offering summer camp experiences in STEM and self-determination.
  • Assisting deaf individuals with transition to adult living through a community support center.
  • Continuing a Visitability Coalition (The Hawaii Developmental Disability Council and Hawai‘i Disability Rights Center are key partners in this process), to bring about more affordable and accessible housing in Hawai‘i.