The Open Philanthropy Project recommended a grant of $50,000 to Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of Deaf Communities (HEARD) to hire a program coordinator. With the increased capacity, HEARD plans to spend more time advocating on behalf of deaf and disabled people affected by mass incarceration. They plan to educate deaf and disabled communities about their rights, and to train and support attorneys and advocates on how to work with and protect the rights of deaf/disabled defendants as well as incarcerated and formerly imprisoned people. Open Philanthropy hopes HEARD’s work will raise awareness about the rates of disability in prison among advocates and policymakers.
This grant falls within Open Philanthropy’s focus areas of criminal justice reform.