RELEASE: August 9, 2001

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Department of Human Services Acting Commissioner James W. Smith announced today that Brian C. Shomo, who has spent his career advising and counseling the deaf and hard of hearing on numerous issues, has been named Director of the Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDHH).

Shomo, 44, previously served as a transition counselor at the MidAtlantic Postsecondary Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Camden County College in Blackwood, a position he had held since 1999. As Director of DDHH, he succeeds Richard Herring, who served as director from 1982 until he retired last August.

"Brian Shomo has many years of experience working with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and he brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise and dedication to this position," said Acting Commissioner Smith. "Because he is deaf, he also understands this community’s concerns in a very personal way. More than 700,000 people in New Jersey have some degree of hearing loss, and that number is growing as the population ages. The work of this Division is very important."

Shomo, who assumed his new position on July 16, is a resident of Blackwood, Gloucester Township and has worked with the deaf and hard of hearing his entire career. Prior to joining the faculty at Camden County College, his work included serving as a Deaf Services Specialist for the North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor/Deaf Language Specialist for the N. J. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. He also has worked as an instructor for students studying American Sign Language. He is a graduate of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and received a Masters Degree from California State University-Northridge.

The Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing serves as an advocate and resource for people in New Jersey who have any degree of hearing loss. Originally, most of its work dealt with making employment and vocational training more accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing, but in recent years it has become more involved in social, educational, legal, medical and a host of other issues. Its work also includes publishing a monthly newsletter and other resource materials and distributing Text Telephones (TTYs) and Voice Carry Over (VCO) telephones to qualified deaf and hard of hearing New Jersey residents.

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