Our History
Established in 2000 by Dr. Alan Cohen, National Deaf Academy is a one-of-a-kind residential psychiatric facility for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and autistic children and adults.
NDA was born out of the longstanding frustration with traditional hearing environments that claimed to adequately treat Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals in a "mainstream" program. In reality, these programs were unacquainted with the cultural and linguistic barriers that Deaf individuals frequently experience in their attempts to access mental health care.
NDA strives to embrace the differences that exist between these two populations by creating an environment that neutralizes communication obstacles and encourages growth. American Sign Language (ASL) is the primary language on campus and all staff working with our residents are either fluent in ASL or are expected to become competent signers.