In the early 1960’s, a group of deaf leaders began DCARA as an all-volunteer agency. Working with other members of the California Association of the Deaf, local churches, and the deaf community, this dedicated group created an agency that would provide interpreting referrals, children’s reading assistance, foster parent programs and social activities for deaf seniors. It was incorporated in 1962 as a non-profit agency, under the name of East Bay Counseling and Referral Agency, Inc. (EBCRAD). From meetings in basements, kitchens, and garages of deaf people, the agency grew to be the multi-office agency it is today.
Mission Statement
Promote and advocate for the rights of full access to American Sign Language and English, education, employment, and cultural identity of, by, for, and with Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late-Deafened, and DeafBlind people.
Our Vision
Global recognition, pride, respect for ASL, equality, and justice exist for all Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late-Deafened, and Deafblind people.
Our Values
We recognize, respect, and cherish the tapestry of cultures that make up the community it serves. We respect diversity, including but not limited to ethnicity, religious faith, lifestyle, Deaf identity, hearing loss identity, socio-economic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and cultural diversity. We respect intersectionality, such as how gender, race, ability, sexual orientation, and other aspects of identity on multiple and often simultaneous levels interact. We acknowledge, respect, support, and value the fluidity of an individual’s varied identities.
We integrate Deaf culture in the workplace; this includes the preservation, education, and celebration of Deaf people’s international sign languages, art, literary traditions, history, values, shared experiences, and our ways of being Deaf.
ASL is the language and human right of all Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deafened, and DeafBlind people; therefore all Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deafened, and DeafBlind individuals have the right to access to ASL.
All individuals both outside and in the agency have the right to 100% communication access. For effective expressive and receptive communication for every individual, we advocate for all forms of reasonable accommodations such as telecommunication, interpreters, captioning, real time captioning, and/or assistive technology.
The health of a Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deafened, and DeafBlind individual as a DCARA employee, board member, volunteer, or community member leads to better community relationships and services.
Individual: Individuals are accountable for their actions.
Agency-wide: We are accountable for upholding our mission, values, and belief systems; we have a responsibility to “walk the talk.”
Community: The community collaborates with us to affirm and validate our values, practices, and programs.
Each of us self-identifies in different ways; thus, we model mutual courtesy and respect of each of our identities. We strive to learn from each other and support each other’s learning processes when we make mistakes.
We strive to do the right thing and do it with honesty. We believe in approaching our business and daily operations with integrity.
Long-term financial planning is a vital discipline for creating and maintaining financial sustainability for DCARA, which requires creating a vision and engaging in proactive thinking and actions. We engage in financial risk management practices. We run our organization like a business.
We are committed to full consumer satisfaction.
DCARA Board Members
We are always looking for GREAT board members to join our dynamic team. If you are interested, please contact our board president.
Service Area
DCARA provides service to the 14 following counties in California:
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Alameda
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Contra Costa
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Del Norte
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Humboldt
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Lake
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Marin
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Mendocino
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Napa
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San Francisco
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San Mateo
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Santa Clara
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Santa Cruz
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Solano
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Sonoma
If your county is not listed here, please visit here to see which organization can serve you.
History of DCARA
2018 - FOOD BUSINESS
DCARA purchases a former Mozzeria food trolley to start a new food business, Tilden Cafe. Serving grilled sandwiches using homemade bread loaves baked from the wood oven. 100% of the proceeds will circle back towards DCARA programs.
Visit Tilden Cafe