Presented are 20 author contributed papers on the status of deaf persons, their needs, and innovative procedures developed to meet those needs, and reported are research and demonstration activities in the field of deafness. Among topics covered in the papers are: economic factors in deafness, training needs of rehabilitative personnel serving deaf persons, technical-vocational education, multiply handicapped deaf persons, mental health services, implications of recent court decisions and legislation, counseling, community services, adult services, telephonic assistance devices, and vocational evaluation. In the second half of the document, lists and descriptions are provided of research and projects such as those of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, centers on deafness (such as the Deafness Research and Training Center in New York), the Office of Education (including professional training programs and captioned films services), the Health Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Program, and programs under the National Institute of Education. Other programs reported include those of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, the National Center for Health Statistics, the Army Audiology and Speech Center, and the Deafness Research Foundation. (LS)