Many Deaf and hard of hearing youths are born to hearing parents who do not know American Sign Language (ASL) or the Deaf community and, therefore, no ability to communicate with their Deaf child. It can cause lifelong language delays that affect individuals academically, socially, and economically well into adulthood and ultimately impacting their ability to keep a job.

CorpsTHAT Conservation Corps will integrate cultural competencies in job-specific topics such as requesting and interviewing ASL interpreters, how to self-advocate, and what their rights are as Deaf employees. CorpsTHAT believes that it is vital to provide a space and to be able to participate in a crew with full access to their primary language and cultural identity. Hence the establishment of the first Deaf and ASL centralized conservation corps with CorpsTHAT that will connect Deaf and hard of hearing youth to conservation and outdoor career pathways.