Steve Hamerdinger Award Fund

The Steve Hamerdinger Award Fund, established in honor of Steve Hamerdinger ’88, supports the creation of a financial award to recognize graduate students in the Counseling Program who are completing their degrees, and have displayed excellence in their studies.  

Through his career, Steve Hamerdinger has served as an advocate for mental health and communication access for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Steve earned his Master of Arts degree in Counseling from Gallaudet University in 1988, after gaining his bachelor’s degree at Temple Deaf College following the completion of coursework at Kansas University. 

While at the New Mexico School of the Deaf, Steve established an in-house mental health program. He also was essential in the creation of the New Mexico Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, one of the first statewide offices specifically centered on deaf and hard of hearing advocacy. Steve also served as the Director of Deaf Services at the State of Missouri’s Department of Mental Health, before transitioning into the Directorship of the Office of Deaf Services, within the State of Alabama’s Department of Mental Health. There he would serve for 21 years, retiring in 2024. 

Through the years, Steve has also had a tremendous impact on the quality and access of mental health services and resources specifically for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, and on practitioners within the field. He served within the National Association for the Deaf and the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association, and supported the Qualified Mental Health Interpreter practicum for certifying interpreters working in mental health. 

Please join us in giving to honor the work and contributions of Steve Hamerdinger, and in supporting the Counseling Program’s graduate students.