Access 360 Newsletter January 2026

Access 360 Newsletter January 2026 | Volume 2, Issue 1

A special series of the CNIA 07 Accessibilities Committee

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Editor’s Message: Deaf A.A. Members 

Dear Trusted Servants,

Welcome to Panel 76! If you are new to Area 07 service, Access 360 is a newsletter of the Area Accessibilities committee designed to help support you in serving a diversity of A.A. members with a diversity of needs. It was launched in response to District member requests last panel for more information on Accessibilities and greater access to shared experience by members who encounter accessibilities barriers to Alcoholics Anonymous in our Area. 

In each Access-themed issue, you’ll find a member share, list of GSO accessibilities resources for members, a Q&A section, a glossary of accessibility-relevant terms and a calendar of upcoming Accessibilities-related events. With your participation, the newsletter could include a peer sharing section called District to District/Group to Group (D2D/G2G), which you can read more about in this issue.

Deaf A.A. members are our focus this month. Brian H., who currently serves as the Accessibilities Chair in California General Service Area 08, shares his experience as a Deaf member in A.A., including his struggle to obtain ASL interpretation at meetings in his (CA) home town when returning to care for an ill family member. Read about the GSO and Deafaa.org– hosted ONLINE Special Forum for Deaf A.A. Members (January 17), learn about A.A. recovery resources for Deaf alcoholics, upcoming Accessibilities-related events and informational resources.

Alcoholism is a life and death disease. Full access to and participation in A.A. for all alcoholics is vital to living into A.A.’s Third Tradition and the A.A. Responsibility Statement.

It has been my pleasure to serve as your Area 07 Accessibilities Chair, Panel 74.

With gratitude,

Claudia M. 

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MEMBER SHARE: DEAFNESS

“My name is Bryan H and I am an alcoholic”

Hi, my name is Bryan H. and I’m an alcoholic. Thank you for having me  share my personal experience. My sobriety date is September 5, 2017 (8 years). 

I was born deaf for an unknown reason. I’m a Santa Cruz native but I’ve lived in San Diego for 8 years. The accessibility in AA here, Area 08, is the reason I have hope and can get the message. ASL is my primary language.

How do I get the message? ASL interpreters. Special workers. I have a sponsor. I work the 12-Steps and I have service positions. We have deaf rehab here and I sponsor a couple of deaf men. Currently, I’m the Area 08 Accessibilities Committee Chair.  

Before I moved to San Diego, I lived in Berkeley and San Francisco for two years each. My grandparents lived in Berkeley for over five decades and the Bay Area is my second home. I started drinking at a young age and a judge ordered me to attend AA meetings at 16-years-old in 1985. They provided an ASL interpreter right away.  

I didn’t understand the program at the time. After that, I was court-ordered to go AA  five times and they provided me with ASL interpreters right away.  I didn’t get it in the program that time. I had no fellowship and continued to drink for 30-plus years.  

As an untreated alcoholic, I lost my career and my long-time partner because my alcoholism was making me insane. I couldn’t control my emotions and had no spirituality. I couldn’t accept my partner’s criticism and  I continued to drink more and more.  

After I lost my 15-year-old dog, Bo, I was depressed and withdrawn.  My family and friends were concerned and begged me to get help. I was miserable but I didn’t want to stop drinking. I was mad and stubborn but out of frustration, I agreed to enter in-patient deaf rehab in LA and was sober 

for three months. I had no AA meetings. No sponsor. No 12 steps. I did it for my family, and I relapsed.

Going back to drinking, the alcohol withdrawal was getting bad. I didn’t know what it was at that time but I asked for help. This time, I did it for myself and attended deaf rehab in San Diego. I look back and realize it’s the best thing that happened to me. I knew I needed AA and God in my life.  

My other grandmother died of alcoholism at 50 years old when my mom was 11-years-old. I never saw my mom drink and I got sober two-weeks after my 49th birthday. I could die of alcoholism. I’m grateful that AA and God gave me a second chance.

The only challenge for me in AA is getting the message when I visit my family in Santa Cruz. I went to the Alcoholics Anonymous of Santa Cruz Central Office in Soquel and asked for help. They were happy to help and could afford three AA meetings with the interpreter. I attended three  meetings and asked for more meetings. [I was told there was] no budget,   no Accessibilities Committee.  

My mom was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2019 and I made countless trips to Santa Cruz to visit her. I asked [the Central Office] for ASL interpreters so I could attend live meetings and I was told to use zoom meetings with Closed Captioning. I need fellowship. I know some old friends who are members of AA that I met from [the first] three meetings and I could have used it during difficult times.  

I’m grateful that I didn’t drink. [My mom] fought for three-and-a-half years.   She passed away on May 31, 2023.   

Barriers in AA are dangerous. I continue to attend zoom meetings with deaf alcoholics. We need them, and live meetings, too. I get benefits from the hearing members. I grew up in both societies.  

Tradition Three [“The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.”] and Tradition Five [“Each group has but one primary purpose–to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.”] are vital. ASL interpreters give me the message of shared experience, strength & hope. 

I still go to Santa Cruz to visit my dad, who’s 85-years-old. He got pneumonia and I had to cancel my flights to Alaska last March and take care of him for a week until my sister got back from Texas visiting her oldest son in college. I had planned to attend PRAASA there and meet my friend, Alene. She’s the ASL chair and I’m the ASL co-chair. I hope to attend PRAASA next year in Hawaii.  

General Service helps me tremendously. I learn more about myself and I know AA is the foundation of my spiritual condition. I would like to continue to attend live meetings in my hometown when I’m visiting my dad. I could share more.  

I am one of thousands of deaf or hard of hearing alcoholics in the United States. Barriers can lead to drinking and to death, jail or worse.

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RESOURCES FOR / HARD OF HEARING MEMBERS

GENERAL SERVICE OFFICE (GSO) SERVICE MATERIAL

General Service Office Service Material

The materials below are available from A.A. World Services and A.A. Grapevine/La Viña to support members facing accessibility barriers. Many of these resources are free on aa.org.

D(d)eaf/Hard of Hearing Resources 

DeafAA.org (not coordinated by the General Service Office) 

American Sign Language (ASL)

EN: https://www.aa.org/the-big-book

SP: LSM Big Book (Created by Mexico General Service Office) 

FR: LSQ: Members Share Videos

https://www.aa.org/resources/media?terms=lsq&items_per_page=24&sort_bef_combine=title_ASC (note: aa.org’s Media library contains 22 LSQ interpreted videos. Scroll down past the video entitled “Young and Sober…” to see links to each of the videos).

FR: L’accès aux AA » en LSQ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6Ke-nL58u6m7JdwOaIyloFzvlj2UFVu1

https://www.aa.org/twelve-steps-twelve-traditions

https://www.aa.org/a.a-for-the-alcoholic-with-special-needs*

AA Grapevine ASL Videos for Deaf Alcoholics – YouTube

(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL32cyZpp2liBOcLY6M6rEh1qFL7MKSFI7)

*This is an older version of the pamphlet “Access to A.A.: Members Share on Overcoming Barriers”.

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ASK ACCESSIBILITIES

Q: What Accessibilities-related questions do you have? 

A: This is where we will print them and do our best to answer.

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS: HEARING LOSS

Types of Hearing Loss

• Conductive: Problem with outer/middle ear (e.g., earwax, infections).
• Sensorineural: Damage to inner ear (cochlea/nerve) or auditory nerve; often permanent.
• Mixed: Combination of conductive and sensorineural loss.
• Asymmetrical/Symmetrical: Different/same loss in each ear.
• Unilateral/Bilateral: Loss in one/both ears.
• Progressive/Stable/Fluctuating/Sudden: Worsening/unchanging/changing/rapid onset. 

Degrees of Hearing Loss (dB) 

• Mild: 25-40 dB.
• Moderate: 40-60 dB.
• Severe: 60-80 dB.
• Profound: >90 dB (often considered “deaf”). 

Communication & Culture

• Deaf (D): Refers to the cultural identity, community, and language (often ASL, but in North America/Canada also LSM and LSQ).
• deaf (d): Refers to the audiological condition of hearing loss.
• Hard of Hearing (HoH): Partial hearing loss; may use speech/hearing aids.
• ASL (American Sign Language): Visual language with its own grammar.
• Finger Spelling: Using handshapes for letters, often for specific words.
• Manually Coded English (MCE): Signs representing English words/grammar (e.g., SEE).
• Total Communication: Using a mix of methods (signs, speech, fingerspelling).
• Bicultural: Part of both Deaf and Hearing cultures. 

Technology & Services

• Hearing Aid: Amplifies sound.
• Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs): FM systems, etc., for better hearing.
• Closed Captioning (CC): Text for audio on TV/videos.
• TTY/TDD: Text telephone devices.
• TRS (Telephone Relay Service): Connects TTY/voice users. 

Medical Terms

• Tinnitus: Ringing/buzzing in ears.
• Auditory Neuropathy: Normal outer ear function but poor nerve signals to the brain.
• Otolaryngologist (ENT): Ear, Nose, Throat doctor. 

Acquired Deafness – loss of hearing that occurs or develops some time during the lifespan but is not present at birth.

American Sign Language (ASL) – manual language with its own syntax and grammar, used primarily by people who are deaf.

Audiologist – health care professional who is trained to evaluate hearing loss and related disorders, including balance (vestibular) disorders and tinnitus, and to rehabilitate individuals with hearing loss and related disorders. An audiologist uses a variety of tests and procedures to assess hearing and balance function and to fit and dispense hearing aids and other assistive devices for hearing.

Congenital Hearing Loss – hearing loss present at birth, due to either genetic or environmental (non-genetic) factors.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

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JANUARY 17, 2026

Special Forum for Deaf Alcoholics Anonymous Members: This General Service Office event will be held online and facilitated by Deaf A.A. members.

A Language and Cultural Special Forum for Deaf A.A. Members who use American Sign Language (ASL), Langue des Signes Québécoise (LSQ) & Lengua de Señas Mexicana (LSM)

All A.A. members are welcome to attend (ASL, LSQ, LSM, English, Spanish and French language interpretation) There will be Deaf/hearing panelists and Q&A/discussion. Please note that the Q&A/discussion participation will primarily be dedicated to Deaf members as this forum is to provide a platform for the Deaf members to ask questions and to communicate with the General Service Board and the General Service Office.

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DISTRICT 2 DISTRICT (D2D) and GROUP 2 GROUP (G2G)

Send your Accessibilities-related observations, thoughts, and best practices and we’ll share them here.

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“[The community in which I live] does not have resources for deaf A.A. members. I’ve been in A.A. long time and am very familiar with the Traditions. I understand open vs. closed meetings. I’m sharing my experience to hopefully bring awareness to the struggles that the D(d)eaf have in being able to attend meetings, let alone closed A.A. meetings.

I met an alcoholic woman in a meeting who had moved to [my community] from the East Coast.  She was completely deaf and was struggling in her sobriety and really needed the support of meetings, AND women.  

She attended a closed women’s meeting but was asked to leave because her interpreter was not a member. She was told that she was welcome to instead attend any open meeting she chose but couldn’t attend the closed women’s meeting unless she brought an alcoholic interpreter. 

This seems exclusive. I showed up to many business meetings expressing my frustration. I understand that closed meetings are restricted to those with a drinking problem and/or those who have a desire to stop drinking but an interpreter is not “the general public.” We don’t exclude in AA and her being unable to attend the meeting unless “The interpreter takes an oath or affirmation and MUST accurately assess their ability to competently perform the interpretation for a given assignment” felt exclusionary. [Interpreters] are impartial and neutral. They are not there to participate in the meeting, but to interpret.

–Rhonda W.

Have you had a similar experience in one of your groups or meetings? –Ed.

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Thank you for reading. Please “pass it on” by sharing this newsletter with other members of your district / group.

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CONTACT CNIA 07 ACCESSIBILITIES COMMITTEE

Click Here to learn more on the Accessibilities Page

You can contact us via email at: Accessibilities@cnia.org