Nearly $350,000 Awarded to Five Counties;

$1.53M in Total Funding Awarded Across 17 New Jersey Counties Since 2022

July 31, 2025

            (TRENTON) – Commissioner Sarah Adelman today announced that New Jersey Department of Human Services has awarded nearly $350,000 in grants among five counties to improve communication and language access to county services for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.

“We are excited to award this grant funding to our county partners and look forward to seeing the meaningful changes they will implement to better serve deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind residents,” Commissioner Adelman said. “Ensuring public spaces and services are accessible goes beyond infrastructure; it’s about making sure everyone has the opportunity to connect and participate in their communities. Through collaborative efforts such as this, we can keep building a New Jersey where all communities are inclusive.”

“Through this funding, we are supporting vital tools such as hearing loops, ASL interpretation, captioning, and translated resources to be in key county settings such as libraries and social service offices. We are helping remove barriers that limit access to vital information and services for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind,” Deputy Commissioner for Aging and Disability Services Kaylee McGuire said. “We commend the counties that are leading these projects and look forward to continuing to build a more inclusive New Jersey for all.”  

“Language and communication are fundamental pillars in how we connect, understand, and engage with the world,” Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Executive Director Elizabeth Hill said. “This funding empowers individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing to navigate their communities with greater confidence and clarity.”

The five counties awarded a communication access grant are:

• Bergen County, which will use $70,000 to purchase three stationary hearing induction loop systems, two audio systems, and twelve hearing loop listeners for the Village of Ridgewood. One loop system and four listeners will be installed in the municipal court, in the all-purpose room, and in the senior lounge.
• Mercer County, which will use $69,355 to install hearing loop systems in high-traffic public areas. The County will purchase four undercounter loop systems for key reception points, four portable loop kits for meeting rooms, and two large room loop systems.
• Middlesex County, which will use $70,000 to expand communication access at South Brunswick and Woodbridge Public Libraries while continuing upgrades at Piscataway Public Library. A hearing loop will be installed in South Brunswick’s new 130-seat theatre to support accessible events. Radio frequency headsets will be added to Woodbridge Library’s Main and Iselin branches. A hearing loop will also be installed at Piscataway Library’s Westergard building.
• Monmouth County, which will use $70,000 to install public videophones and connectivity infrastructure at public offices. Hearing loops will be added to high-traffic Social Services reception areas. The County will also expand captioning access for public sessions, offering Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) interpretive services at six selected programs during the grant term.
• Passaic County, which will use $70,000 to install portable hearing loop systems at key County-owned historic sites, including Lambert Castle. The County will also purchase one large room loop with rechargeable listeners and charging stations.

The program is supported by Human Services’ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDHH).

  This is the third round of grant funding to improve communication and language access to county services for deaf and hard of hearing residents. In April of 2022 Human Services awarded $944,00 in total funding to 13 counties and in  April of 2024, Human Services awarded $312,555 in total grants to five counties.

    Communication access services are available in Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, and Union Counties.

To learn more about the programs and services offered by the Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, visit here.