August 17, 2016

Park Offers Multiple Services for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Visitors

Yosemite National Park expands the American Sign Language (ASL) Program offered to Deaf and hearing impaired visitors. The park's Deaf services program offers trip planning, park orientation at the visitor center, and interpretive services for Deaf and hearing impaired visitors. The program also focuses on employee training in Deaf/disability awareness and outreach to the Deaf community.

Yosemite has long been a leader in Deaf services in the national parks. The park was the first to establish and maintain a dedicated seasonal Deaf services position in the National Park Service in 1979. In 2008, the National Park Service honored Yosemite with the NPS Programmatic Accessibility Achievement Award to recognize the Deaf Services program as one exemplifying the concept of universal accessibility. Deaf visitors from all across the world visit Yosemite National Park each year. The addition of a Park Ranger dedicated to providing Deaf Services adds to Yosemite’s capacity to serve these visitors.

“We are very excited to be able to offer these expanded services to the Deaf and hearing impaired community,” stated Don Neubacher, Park Superintendent. “It is our responsibility to serve all park visitors to the best of our abilities and these expanded services help us reach these visitors.”

To learn more about the Deaf Services program at Yosemite National Park, visit https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/deafservices.htm, email us, or call/text 209-379-5250.

Yosemite National Park celebrated its 125th Anniversary last year and is currently celebrating its Centennial Anniversary with the National Park Service. The park welcomes over four million visitors from all over the world each year and serves as a strong economic engine for the region and local communities. Yosemite National Park generates $535 million in economic benefit to the local region and directly supports 6,261 jobs. The park is home to Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America, iconic rock formations such as Half Dome and El Capitan, approximately 90 different mammal species, and over 1,500 plant species.