One of the five human senses, hearing is something that can be easily taken for granted. But for those who can't hear, there's an element of appreciation that inspires creativity, ingenuity and a manifestation of the human spirit.

Through a wealth of services and resources, the Lancaster Center of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (LCDHH), located at 2270 Old Philadelphia Pike, Lancaster, which is a subsidiary of and overseen by Keystone Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services (KDHHS) of Reading, helps individuals with hearing loss learn to listen, communicate better and generally lead fuller lives.

LCDHH client services manager and language specialist Karen Pfortsch, who has been deaf since birth, was interviewed for this article with the help of sign language interpreter Kandy Reyes, KDHHS' president.

"Deaf individuals are happy being deaf," said Pfortsch. "We can do everything except hear. We can drive; we can work. American Sign Language is a beautiful language. What's important to us is our eyes and being able to see."

At LCDHH, individuals with hearing loss and their family members are directly and indirectly connected with services like sign language interpreters, sign language education, hearing aids, speech therapy, amplifiers, closed caption video phones, doorbell signalers, smoke and fire alarms, workshops, community activities and social events.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing also employ lip reading, facial expressions and body language as ways to receive communications, but they are more informal and learned skills that are often less accurate than sign language.

"The goal is barrier-free services and community access," said Pfortsch. "Our goal is to empower our clients with whatever services are needed. It's like a one-stop shop. When a person comes in here, they need to discuss their needs with us. Some might be looking for a job, and we'll connect them with employment agencies. Some people might be struggling with reading. Some people have limited language skills. Some might need to know how to get their pensions. We'll get them connected to the right people. There are a variety of things we'll do to get them help, and sometimes we do advocacy."

LCDHH serves about 300 clients on a regular basis. According to numbers from a recent census, approximately 80,000 Lancaster County residents have some sort of hearing loss.

"We are only scratching the surface," said Pfortsch. "Some people have a mindset about deaf people from what they've seen on TV. They label all deaf people as ignorant. We have to work to prove ourselves because it's considered a disability. But deaf people don't think they're disabled."

KDHHS employs a total of 10 individuals, two of whom work out of the LCDHH office. LCDHH is a nonprofit that receives funding from donations, grants and fees from its interpreter services.

"We are known in the deaf and hard of hearing community," said Pfortsch. "Some organizations know us, and they connect their clients with us. They'll work with us and collaborate with us. But some people don't know the services are available. We're here. People are welcome to call us."

For additional information about the Lancaster Center of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing and Keystone Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services, go to http://www.kdhhs.net.