by Joel Bergsbaken and James Christianson
Hearing, Speech, & Deaf Center’s (HSDC) expertise is rooted in over 80 years of experience in serving the D/deaf (see sidebar), hard of hearing and those with speech differences in the Puget Sound Area. HSDC serves people of all ages, income levels, and communication styles.
Our current programs include: audiology and hearing aids (Seattle only), speech therapy (Seattle only), early education for deaf and hard of hearing children (Seattle only), interpreting for the Deaf, and assistance and information for the Deaf and hard of hearing. We operate out of a main office in Seattle, with satellite offices in Tacoma and Bellingham as part of our Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS) program.
Since 2004, our Bellingham office has provided individual case management assistance to community members by supporting a wide range of independent living skills, including financial management, navigation and procurement of social and health services, and effective communication strategies. Client advocates also assist clients in understanding and obtaining appropriate accommodations for their communication needs, such as sign language interpreters, live captioning, and more. HSDC Bellingham also provides workshops and training to local organizations, working to educate the community and reduce the access barriers faced by D/deaf and hard of hearing residents of Whatcom County.
The office is staffed by two client advocates who have extensive education and experience supporting the local D/deaf and hard of hearing community. Both are fluent in both American Sign Language (ASL), the language of Deaf Culture, and English. HSDC is the only agency in Whatcom County providing services tailored to Deaf, DeafBlind, hard of hearing, and late-deafened community members.
All of the services provided by our client advocates help to make Whatcom County a more inclusive and accessible place for all.
If you need services, please contact us!
If you operate a business and would like to know how to become more accessible to the community, feel free to connect with us.
Bellingham (HSDC North Sound)
• Bellingham Crown Plaza
114 West Magnolia Street, Suite 106
Contact Information
• Phone: 360-647-0910
• Toll-Free: 866-647-0910
• TTY: 360-647-8508
• Toll-Free TTY: 1-877-647-8508
• Videophone: 360-255-7166
• Fax: 360-647-0923
• Email: bellingham@hsdc.org
• Find us on Facebook.
• Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Serving Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, and Island counties.
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Joel Bergsbaken, Associate Director of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services and James Christianson, Senior Client Advocate, have provided support to the community since opening the Bellingham office in 2004.
