Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness

What Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness does

Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) social services organization founded in 1969 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. GLAD delivers a portfolio of direct-service programs to deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deaf disabled individuals across 10 Southern California counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Mono, and Inyo. Services are provided free of charge and span advocacy, communication assistance (including sign language document translation in English, Spanish, and ASL), employment counseling and job placement, family outreach advocacy, independent living skills training, peer counseling, mental health counseling (up to 12 free ASL sessions), affordable senior housing (14 units via DAHC), emergency disaster preparedness, and the Pathway to Success (LEAD) bilingual adult education program.

Operationally, GLAD functions as a fiscal agency providing administrative and financial oversight to five wholly-owned subsidiary centers: Center on Deafness Inland Empire (CODIE), Tri-County GLAD (TCGLAD), Orange County Deaf Equal Access Foundation (OCDEAF), LifeSigns Inc. (sign language interpreting including 24/7 emergency coverage), Deaf Affordable Housing Corporation (DAHC), and Bakersfield GLAD (B-GLAD). The organization maintains 13 physical locations plus a Visual Communication Center (VCC) established in 2010 that provides free access to TTY devices, caption phones, and videophones.

Revenue is generated through charitable donations (including Amazon Smile and Goodshop programs), government grants and contracts across the 10-county region, and fiscal agency administrative fees from subsidiary centers. GLAD is led by CEO Dr. Patricia Hughes (since 2003), with deaf representation at the CEO level and on the majority of the Board of Directors. The organization partners with California State University, Northridge (CSUN) on a VITA tax-preparation program that ranked #1 nationally among 7,000+ VITA sites in 2025 with over 10,649 returns prepared. GLAD does not offer technology products or AI-powered solutions; its competitive position rests on community trust, regional distribution, and authentic deaf-led service delivery built over 55+ years.

Name

Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness

Legal name

Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc.

Website

https://gladinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969 that provides free advocacy, employment, counseling, housing, and interpreting services to deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deaf disabled individuals across 10 Southern California counties, operating as a fiscal agency over five subsidiary centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Deaf and Disability Social Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy (BPAGAFAF)

Keywords

• Deaf social services
• Sign language interpreting
• Deaf advocacy services
• Deaf employment services
• Deaf affordable housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, GLAD relies on donations from the goodwill of the community. Amazon Smile and Goodshop programs allow shoppers to donate percentages of purchases to GLAD.
2. Government Grants and Contracts: GLAD operates as a fiscal agency providing administrative and financial oversight, likely receiving government funding to support services across ten counties in Southern California.
3. Fiscal Agency Services: GLAD provides administrative and financial oversight to five subsidiary centers, generating revenue through fiscal agency relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

GLAD is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) social services agency that provides free advocacy, counseling, employment assistance, affordable senior housing, family outreach, independent living skills training, and sign language interpreting to deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deaf disabled individuals across ten Southern California counties. It functions as the fiscal/parent organization over five subsidiary centers and one outreach center, leveraging ASL as a primary communication mode and distributing services via in-person offices, videophone, TTY, and email.

Product overview

Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) is a nonprofit social services organization that operates as a fiscal agency providing administrative and financial oversight to five subsidiary centers. Rather than a unified technology product, GLAD offers a portfolio of direct service programs serving deaf, hard-of-hearing, deafblind, and deaf-disabled individuals across ten counties in Southern California. The core services include Advocacy Services, Communication Assistance, Deaf Affordable Housing (DAHC), Employment Services, Family Outreach Advocacy, Independent Living Skills, Peer Counseling, Pathway to Success (LEAD Program), Counseling Services, and Interpreter Services (via subsidiary LIFESIGNS). Additional offerings include the Marcella M. Meyer Scholarship Fund for career education and Emergency Disaster Preparedness resources. GLAD does not offer technology products or AI-powered solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocacy Services Provides advocacy for deaf, hard-of-hearing, deafblind, and deaf-disabled individuals to ensure equal access to opportunities. Addresses discrimination through education, complaint filing, and attorney referrals. Free of charge.
• Communication Assistance Provides document translation into sign language (available in English, Spanish, and ASL), access to Visual Communication Center equipment (TTY devices, caption phones, videophones), and coordinates sign language interpreting services through LIFESIGNS subsidiary.
• Deaf Affordable Housing (DAHC) Manages 14 apartments for low-income deaf and hard-of-hearing seniors over 55 at the Deaf Community Center, providing independent living housing with accessible features (visual communication systems). Income-based eligibility; waiting list application.
• Employment Services Assists deaf job-seekers with counseling, job leads, resume development, interview preparation, and workplace communication. Provides employers with tax credit information, accessibility training, and free interpreters for interviews.
• Family Outreach Advocacy Works with deaf youth and their families during IFSP/IEP/504 plan meetings, school interactions, and regional center visits. Provides ASL instruction, Deaf culture education, and support groups.
• Independent Living Skills Teaches consumers skills for independent living including money management, time management, shopping, assistive technology, transportation, housing, and cooking through workshops and one-on-one advocacy.
• Peer Counseling Community Advocates provide peer support to discuss frustrations with lack of communication access and find solutions to issues experienced in a hearing world.
• Pathway to Success (LEAD Program) Bilingual education program for deaf adult learners emphasizing ASL and English. Includes Language Employment and Assessment Development (LEAD) curriculum with communication literacy and employment preparation components.
• Counseling Services Free mental health counseling services for deaf individuals and families in Los Angeles County, provided by deaf counselors in ASL. Offers up to 12 free sessions focusing on prevention, education, and intervention. Health insurance is not required.
• Interpreter Services (via LIFESIGNS) Sign language interpreting services provided through LIFESIGNS, Inc., a subsidiary of GLAD. Offers 24/7 emergency interpreting for medical, legal, and civil emergencies.
• Marcella M. Meyer Scholarship Fund Scholarship fund established in 1990 to assist deaf and hard-of-hearing women who wish to further their career but cannot afford to do so.
• Emergency Disaster Preparedness Resources Provides emergency and disaster resources for the deaf community in Southern California, including guides, emergency kit information, apps, and local county disaster preparedness links.
• ADA Education for Businesses Education for businesses and government agencies about laws protecting deaf consumers and ADA compliance, supporting employer accommodation efforts and disability sensitivity training.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 among 7,000+ VITA sites nationally in 2025, preparing over 10,649 tax returns
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• California State University, Northridge (CSUN) VITA CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2026GLAD partnered with CSUN VITA Clinic to train deaf or hard-of-hearing CSUN students as tax preparers for the deaf community. The VITA program expanded from 15 to 18 sites and ranked first among 7,000+ VITA sites nationally in 2025, preparing over 10,649 returns.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sorenson Communications: A leading provider of Video Relay Service (VRS) and interpreter services for the deaf community. Comparable to GLAD's LIFESIGNS subsidiary in interpreter services, but operates at national scale with proprietary video technology.
• CaptionCall (by Sorenson): Provider of captioned telephones and assistive communication technology for people with hearing loss. Comparable to GLAD's Visual Communication Center (caption phones, TTY, videophones) in the assistive-technology distribution layer.
• Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD): CSD is one of the largest nonprofit providers of deaf and hard-of-hearing services in the U.S., offering interpreting, advocacy, employment, and community programs. Comparable to GLAD as a multi-service deaf-led nonprofit with a national footprint, but operating at far greater scale.
• Convo (formerly ZVRS): National VRS and on-demand interpreting platform serving deaf consumers and businesses. Overlaps with GLAD's interpreter services arm and represents a technology-native competitive alternative to LIFESIGNS.
• Easterseals Southern California: A large nonprofit providing disability services including employment, independent living, and accessibility support across Southern California. Comparable to GLAD in regional disability service delivery and employment-services focus, though serving a broader disability population.

Direct peers

• National Association of the Deaf (NAD): The premier civil rights organization of, by, and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the U.S. Comparable to GLAD's advocacy, policy influence, and deaf-led governance model, though operating nationally rather than regionally.
• Disability Rights California: California's designated Protection & Advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Comparable to GLAD's advocacy, ADA complaint, and legal-referral services for Californians with disabilities, though with a wider disability scope.
• Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA): National nonprofit advocating for people with hearing loss, providing education, support, and advocacy. Comparable to GLAD in mission and community-driven model, though serving a broader (and partially overlapping) hearing-loss population.
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center (DHHSC): A regional nonprofit providing advocacy, interpreting, employment, and independent living services to deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Closely comparable to GLAD in service mix (advocacy + interpreting + employment) and mission-driven nonprofit model, though in a different metro.

Regional players

• California Department of Rehabilitation: State agency delivering vocational rehabilitation and independent living services to Californians with disabilities. Comparable to GLAD's employment services and vocational rehabilitation programming, and a likely funder/contractor counterpart.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gladceo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/GLADeaf
• Facebookfacebook.com/gladhq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/GLADeaf
• Instagraminstagram.com/GLADeaf_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness