Our Story

Why the Deaf Community Needs Specialized Food Access

The Challenge: Systemic Barriers

Most food assistance programs are inaccessible to Deaf individuals. They rely on spoken communication, phone calls, and written English that excludes many in the Deaf community. Interpreter services are rarely available, and culturally responsive support is uncommon. 

The Impact on Our Community

As a result, Deaf people experience higher rates of food insecurity, underemployment, and chronic health conditions, not because of individual choices, but because systems were not built for them. 

Our Solution: Deaf-Led Food Justice

Rochester Deaf Kitchen is the first Deaf-led food justice organization of its kind in the United States. We provide linguistically direct, culturally fluent access to food, health screenings, and support services in American Sign Language. 

Creating New Pathways

By removing communication barriers, we are creating new pathways to public health, rebuilding institutional trust, bringing civic activity and demonstrating how equity must be designed, not translated.

“What is different is the environment, the communication, the ease of access that gives Deaf people a taste of what hearing people experience on a daily basis. They can ask questions, make suggestions and be themselves.” - Zachary Ennis

What is “Dorsality”? 

The Meaning of the Word

Dorsality is a foundational concept coined by Deaf scholar and architect Robert Sirvage. It refers to the deeply embedded cultural practice of Deaf people watching each other’s backs, protecting, supporting, and sustaining one another in a society that often fails to account for their existence, language, or needs.

Cultural Foundation

The word itself derives from dorsum, Latin for “back.” In Deaf culture, where visual communication governs how people connect and remain safe in the world, the back is not a place of vulnerability… it is a place of trust. Dorsality describes the relational and spatial ethic through which Deaf communities survive and thrive.

Our Organizational Principle

At Rochester Deaf Kitchen, dorsality is not just an ideal. It is the premise on which our entire organization is built. Every program, interaction, and structure we design centers this principle. Our food justice work is not about charity. It is about mutual responsibility, language access, and community-driven systems change.

How Dorsality Guides Our Work

Our commitment to dorsality manifests through five core values that shape every aspect of our organization:

• Compassion - We approach every interaction with empathy and understanding, recognizing that food insecurity is a systemic issue - not a personal failure.

• Equity - We design systems for the Deaf community, not simply adapt existing models, ensuring true accessibility rather than accommodation.

• Integrity - We maintain trust through transparency, consistent service, and honoring the dignity of every person we serve.

• Collaboration - We build partnerships across sectors, knowing that lasting change requires collective effort and shared expertise.

• Agility - We remain responsive to our community's evolving needs, adapting our programs while staying rooted in our core principles.

These values aren't separate from dorsality - they are how we practice it every day.