Connect Society

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Connect Society is a non-profit school in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1963 as the Association for the Hearing Handicapped and serves deaf and hard-of-hearing people, as well as children of deaf adults. The organization helped open the first preschool for Deaf and hard-of-hearing children in 1962. From 1979 to 2010, Connect Society was located at 11342 127 Street in Inglewood; since 2010, it has been based at the Alberta School for the Deaf. In 2018, Connect Society received a $35,000 grant from Desjardins.

Programs
- Community Living Support Services: residential help ranging from occasional support to 24/7 care, with staff who are fluent in American Sign Language, familiar with Deaf culture, and skilled in assistive technology.
- Early Childhood Services: preschool and kindergarten for ages 3 to 6, using a blend of English and ASL to build language, social, and academic skills.
- Early Intervention Program: for children from birth to about 3.5 years old who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or have Deaf parents; focuses on communication and cognitive development.
- Family Support Services: helps families navigate education, healthcare, and social resources.
- In-Home Sign Communication Program: customized ASL instruction for each family.
- Stay and Study Program: connects students from outside Edmonton with host families so they can access Connect Society’s programs.

Additional literacy programs support early literacy for children and reading/writing skills for Deaf adults.