GIOCONDA EGAN, herself profoundly deaf, founded the San Mateo County Branch of Deaf Counseling Advocacy Referral Agency, known as DCARA (pronounced D-Acara as two words) in 1978 and served as its executive director until 1982. She is a trained paralegal and introduced sign language to the courts and community colleges so that those with hearing impairment are not neglected when seeking assistance. Through her persistence, a class specifically designed for the hearing impaired is now offered at one of the colleges. She was instrumental in developing the Disability Services Program which presently operates through county government. She ran the program alone from 1985 to 1991 when the program was expanded, and she still serves as a disabilities advocate. She worked with Congresswoman, then supervisor, Anna Eshoo to develop the County Disabilities Task Force, serving on it for years and working toward its merger with the Developmental Disabilities Coordinating Council to establish the San Mateo County Commission on Disabilities.
