Throughout the first half of the 2010s, Shireen Hafeez spent endless hours advocating for improved medical and educational policy for deaf/hard of hearing children. However, despite every legislative victory, a core issue still loomed large: there is a lack of career opportunities for deaf/hard of hearing folk. Shireen hoped to mitigate this problem by attacking it at its base – education.

After months of brainstorming, Shireen had an epiphany. Technological skills were swiftly becoming essential across all sectors of the labor market, and Shireen realized that the Digital Age could provide the deaf/hard of hearing community with the equality they always deserved. From that moment, Shireen decided to dedicate her life to promoting not just knowledge of Computer Science but rather a passion for Computer Science amongst deaf/hard of hearing students. In 2015, she founded Deaf Kids Code.

Since the very first Deaf Kids Code workshop, we have worked endlessly with school districts, schools for the deaf, corporations, and other partners to provide equitable access to Computer Science education. We continue to host independent and partnership workshops, provide educators with long term curriculum tools -- software, hardware, and curriculum plans -- connect students to internships, and much more! An equitable labor market is possible, and it begins with equitable education.