Open Ridge Benefit Co.
A Deaf-led Maryland Public Benefit Corporation building workforce development, educational technology, and benefits-planning services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
Coming in August 2026
Deaf Interpreter Training
A Deaf-led immersion intensive for Deaf interpreters, designed and led by a Certified Deaf Interpreter. Full details and dates will be announced July 5, 2026. For eligible Deaf candidates, it may be fundable through your state vocational rehabilitation agency.
What we do
Deaf interpreter training
An immersion intensive built and led by a Certified Deaf Interpreter. Our first cohort runs in August 2026.
ASL-first educational technology
We develop video-based professional training materials for interpreters, and we are piloting AI-assisted tools that give interpreters structured feedback on their work.
Benefits counseling
Work-incentives counseling for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people navigating work and benefits. Launching late 2026.
Deaf-led, by design
Open Ridge is Deaf-led. That is not a label on our work — it is how the work gets made. Our programs are designed by Deaf practitioners, in ASL, for Deaf people and the professionals who work alongside them.
We work with Deaf and hard-of-hearing professionals, vocational rehabilitation agencies, schools and transition programs, and the interpreting field.