HEARD, an all volunteer nonprofit organization, has volunteers nationwide who conduct deaf prisoner/defendant research, assist deaf incarcerated individuals with access issues, investigate possible wrongful conviction cases, and educate the Deaf community about the law and current legal issues, and educate attorneys, among other things.
HEARD empowers the Deaf, legal and law enforcement communities by providing education about individual rights, and Deaf culture and communication, respectively. HEARD created and maintains the nation’s only deaf prisoner database, and is working to increase representation of the deaf in the legal profession by connecting deaf youth with legal education organizations, law schools, and law firms.