About DeafBlind Citizens in Action

The roots of DBCA can be traced to 2009 and Deafblind Young Adults in Action (DBYAA), a leadership initiative created by two professionals in the field of deafblindness, Dr. Amy Parker and Suzanne Ressa. DBYAA brought a group of young deafblind adults together in Washington, D.C., to learn about advocacy, leadership, and the policymaking process.

DBYAA employed principles of participatory action research, an approach that emphasizes the active involvement of the people most directly affected by the issues being explored. Deafblind participants were not simply recipients of information. They learned through participation, shared their experiences and perspectives through a process they called “Think, Pair, Share,” and helped shape the leadership-development process. As the initiative continued in subsequent years, deafblind participants from earlier cohorts became mentors to those who followed, as well as co-instructors working alongside professionals.

DBYAA was made possible by a larger community of people and institutions committed to developing deafblind leadership. Volunteer interpreters and Support Service Providers (SSPs), led by passionate professional interpreters such as Kat Peters and Melissa Hays, contributed their time and skills, many motivated by a desire to give back to the community. Funding and other forms of support were provided by organizations and institutions including the Helen Keller National Center, Verizon, Texas Tech University, Gallaudet University, and others.

The experience also raised an important question: What would happen after participants learned about leadership, advocacy, and policymaking?

One answer was the need for an organization through which deafblind people could put those skills into practice. Such an organization could provide opportunities to participate in advocacy, contribute to local communities, develop practical leadership experience, and eventually assume greater responsibility for developing future generations of deafblind leaders.

In 2012, a group of young deafblind adults came together in Texas to explore that idea. They discussed the name, purpose, and structure of what would become DeafBlind Citizens in Action. Proposals developed during that process were considered and adopted by the group, providing the framework for the new organization. Mussie Gebre, one of the participants in those efforts and DBCA's principal founder, subsequently took the lead in translating that framework into an organizational structure, including drafting the bylaws and other foundational materials. The resulting organization reflected both the collaborative discussions that shaped its direction and the broader philosophy of developing deafblind people as active participants and leaders.

DBCA’s original structure therefore included a young adult leadership development program designed not simply to teach leadership, but to create opportunities to practice it. The long-term vision was for talented deafblind leaders to strengthen their communities, help sustain the organization, and participate in developing those who would follow them. DBCA has evolved considerably since those early years, but the underlying principle remains relevant: deafblind people should have meaningful opportunities not only to participate in society, but also to help shape it.