January - March 2006

Greetings! I hope all of you had a great holiday season, and that 2006 will be a wonderful year for you.

My new administration had its first board meeting on November 11 to 13, 2005, in Laurel, MD. This was an extremely productive meeting. We worked hard on a number of important issues, and passed over twenty motions. Below are some highlights.

Board vacancies: The board approved the nomination of two deaf-blind people for two board vacancies on the Board of Directors of AADB. They are Emily Vera and Bruce Visser. Ms. Vera is from California and has been involved with the Northern California Association of the Deaf-Blind. Mr. Visser resides in Seattle, Washington and is active in the deaf-blind community there. Their expertise will contribute greatly to AADB and we look forward to working with them!

Conference: The board reviewed, discussed and voted on issues regarding the 2006 AADB national conference, and particularly on a theme, conference schedule, and fee structure. We have approved a new theme: "AADB on the Move: No Deaf-Blind Left Behind.” You will receive a registration package and more details about the conference soon. We hope that you all can come to Towson University in June!.

DBA and AADB E-News: The board approved changes in disseminating news about AADB. Starting in January 2006, AADB will publish a smaller DBA, which will still come out quarterly. Also starting in January, a new monthly publication called AADB E-News will be published on a trial basis. The AADB E-News will be about 4 to 6 pages long, and will be sent through regular mail and e-mail. We are confident that they will enable you to keep you informed on AADB happenings.

AADB Listserv: The board approved a new listserv for AADB members and the AADB Office, which will start also in January. Randy Pope has worked hard to establish the listserv, and to develop new guidelines. We know many of you want to become more involved with AADB. We welcome your feedback, views and thoughts, and look forward to sharing information with you through this exciting listserv.

Manpower: The board approved the addition of two new positions to AADB's office: a webmaster and a graphic designer. I am pleased to announce that Randall Pope is our webmaster and Judy Groner is our graphic designer. Both are deaf-blind, are skilled in their areas of expertise, and have done volunteer work for AADB for several years. Welcome aboard, Randy and Judy!.

International Membership Fees: The board voted to reduce the international membership fees to $20 per person, starting in November 2005. More and more international deaf-blind people have computers and are able to access e-mail and the internet. Also, AADB can reach other deaf-blind people living in third-world countries who can't afford computers.

The spring board meeting will likely be held in March, 2006. Again, I look forward to working with all of you as your President.

Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund: I am pleased to announce that the AADB board voted to give $2,500 to Telecommunications for the Deaf for its Hurricane Katrina Relief fund. This fund will assist deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind Katrina and Rita survivors. Survivors can receive replacement pagers, cell phones, TTYs (if theirs were lost during the hurricanes), webcams, videophones, and visual and vibrating phone alert systems. They can also receive, video relay service equipment.

Donation from Louisiana Association of the Deaf: I am pleased to announce that Louisiana Association of the Deaf has presented us with a check for $1,250 to be used for AADB’s advocacy work and to increase the number of trained, certified SSPs around the country.

Here’s to a wonderful new year!