About The NYC Deaf Access Committee
The NYC Deaf Access Committee (NYCDAC) is a group of AA members who work in cooperation with our local area and districts to help ensure we can carry the message to ALL those seeking recovery. We work specifically with the SENY Accessibility Committee and other AA committees, and our work is fully supported by AA’s 9th Tradition. Our main focus is providing certified ASL (American Sign Language) interpreters at in-person AA meetings in NYC to make the fellowship more accessible to the Deaf and hard of hearing community. For more information on the AA service structure, click here to visit the SENY website.
Since June 2022, we have been able to add 4 new in-person meetings each week that offer a certified ASL interpreter, thanks to the support of AA members and groups throughout NYC. We are grateful for everyone’s service and look forward to continuing to expand this life-saving service to Deaf alcoholics. For reference, the NY Intergroup website lists a little over 1,200 in-person meetings per week in NYC’s 5 boroughs, so there’s still plenty of work to be done, but this is an encouraging beginning.
We follow AA’s 12 Traditions and are not affiliated with any outside organization - click here to read more on how specifically our service is in line with the 12 Traditions.
We rely on contributions from AA members and groups to pay for certified ASL interpreters. The NYC Deaf Access Fund (NYCDAF) is a specialized fund that was originally set up thru District 602 in Manhattan, as part of their accessibility focus, and is an official part of the AA service structure back in 2022, when it was set up. All contributions are now managed by the NYC Deaf Access Committee. Similar funds focused on providing access for the Deaf are used in cities across the country and help ensure that we carry the message to all those seeking recovery.
To contribute to the Fund and read more, click here.
For more information on similar services for the Deaf in AA that have been around much longer, please check out the Portland Deaf Access Committee (established in 2001) and Central Texas Deaf Intergroup (established in 2010). You are also welcome to attend our monthly business meetings - click here for more information on those.
