AADB Today

Spring 2008 Board Meeting

AADB's spring board meeting took place at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. during the weekend of April 26 - 28, 2008.

Board members approved proposals for two new AADB programs. One was for a Support Service Provider Summit, and another was for a Deaf-Blind Technology Summit. The SSP Summit will examine how SSP services can be increased and improved around the country, and the Technology Summit will investigate ways for deaf-blind people to receive access to technology that is currently out of reach for them.

Other highlights included forming an ad-hoc committee to develop a special fundraising event for 2009, approving the continuation of an AADB Lifetime Membership, available for $500, and selecting a representative for the National Task Force on Deaf-Blind Interpreting. Jill Gaus, an AADB board member and fundraising chair, will serve as the AADB representative on this task force.

Deaf-Blind Project Directors’ Meeting

In July, AADB staff Jamie Pope and Elizabeth Spiers attended and presented at an annual meeting of state deaf-blind project directors held in Washington, D.C. This meeting was sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs under the Rehabilitation Services administration, and the National Coalition on Deaf-Blindness.

The staff shared information about AADB and how AADB can attract deaf-blind teens and young adults. They asked the deaf-blind project directors for feedback on the need to continue the mentoring project for deaf-blind teens AADB had a few years ago.

Also, AADB will soon be developing welcome packets that are teen-friendly and sending them to deaf-blind project staff this fall for distribution to deaf-blind teens and their families. We welcome ideas and comments on reaching out to the deaf-blind youth and their families. They are very much a part of our deaf-blind community. Watch for developments related to deaf-blind youth in future "AADB Today" issues.

Rich McGann of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was featured in the August 13 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for his advocacy work. AADB would like to thank Rich for his time and effort on advocating for the deaf-blind community.

People can read about Rich McGann by visiting this website. If you have trouble accessing the link, please contact the AADB Office.

AADB board members and staff attended two conferences in July. They worked very hard to promote AADB through presentations, exhibits and networking with others. AADB Board Member Karyn Campbell reports on her experience at the American Council of the Blind convention, and Art Roehrig, AADB President, discusses key points of the National Association of the Deaf conference.

American Council of the Blind Convention

The recently concluded American Council of the Blind convention, which was held on July 4 to 11, 2008, offered many programs and activities for those in attendance. Programs were geared for students, teachers, computer users, Braille readers, library users and other attendees. The general sessions also discussed a variety of topics; including access to fitness equipment, the latest from Bookshare, a library update, the awarding of scholarships, an update on the accessible currency lawsuit, voting on resolutions and amendments, and elections for the Board of Directors and Board of Publications.

A task force was created by the ACB Board to look at the issue of access to fitness equipment. Someone will be involved in this effort who has not yet been identified. Lori Scharff, one of the Co-Chairs of the Sight AND Sound Impaired (SASI) Committee, will help with this matter as she indicated that she had knowledge of someone working on this issue in our community.

The SASI Committee presented a program on the new Deaf-blind Communicator (DBC) from Humanware. The DBC is the result of a partnership between Humanware and the Washington State Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH). It is not yet quite ready for release, but it promises to provide a means for members of our community to communicate with others, including the hearing public.

While the cost may be prohibitive for many, this would be one device which would be covered under the $10 million a year in funding through the Universal Service Fund (USF) that would be mandated if the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2008 (H.R. 6320) is passed. This bill would help our community obtain the necessary telecommunications equipment we need in order to be more independent and decrease our isolation. One of ACB’s resolutions supported the bill, and it was talked about several times during the convention.

The convention was a great experience and the next event will take place in Orlando, FL on July 4-11, 2009.

National Association of the Deaf Conference Report

On July 7 - 12, 2008, I represented AADB at the bi-annual conference of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) in New Orleans. Although it was hot and humid, this conference drew over 1,500 attendees, including two AADB staff (Jamie Pope and Elizabeth Spiers) and two AADB board members (Emily Vera and Tom Sprinkle). Around 20 deaf-blind people attended the conference, the largest in NAD’s history.

For the first time in NAD's conference history, deaf-blind attendees were provided with both interpreters and support service providers. All deaf-blind delegates were able to utilize these resources all day daily during the conference week.

I spent the first one and a half days attending the meeting of the Council of Representatives (COR). COR consisted of two delegates from each state association of the deaf as well as one delegate from each national organization of the deaf. It was a great experience for me to represent AADB at the meeting. The COR met to identify important issues on which the membership feels the NAD needs to focus. I learned a lot and think we should establish such a council during each AADB conference.

I was busy all week, meeting people, attending workshops, touring exhibits and participating in regional caucus meetings. I particularly enjoyed workshops on “isms” by M.J. Bienvenu, Human Rights by Roz Rosen, and parliamentary procedures by Bummy Burstein and Libby Pollard.

Also, I attended the College Bowl, the Miss Deaf American Pageant and the “Mardi Gras” banquet. And all deaf-blind delegates, SSPs and interpreters gathered at a private party one evening. It was fun meeting and mingling with them.

In closing, I very much appreciated the opportunity to represent AADB and expose a wider range of people to this organization. I hope many more of you will find it possible to attend the 2010 NAD conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Presentations

Jamie Pope from AADB and C.C. Davis from Helen Keller National Center co-presented on two workshops: “Vision Loss in the Deaf Community: Understanding Causes and Types of Vision Loss”, and “Vision Loss in the Deaf Community: How to Cope Effectively”. Both workshops were well-received with an attendance of 50 and 19 people, respectively.

Did you know?

At the College Bowl competition at NAD conference, the deaf-blind community had its 15 minutes of glory? Two questions related to the deaf-blind community were posed to the three competing teams from Gallaudet, National Technical Institute for the Deaf/Rochester Institute of Technology, and California State University – Northridge. The first question was “Who is the executive director of AADB?” The second was “Who wrote the play, ‘The Miracle Worker’?” No one got the answers right! Nevertheless, it was great to see the deaf-blind community get its 15 minutes of fame.

AADB Exhibits

AADB exhibited at both conferences, and they were highly successful. Eight people became AADB members at the ACB convention, and 36 people signed up to receive “AADB Today”, our free e-newsletter. At the NAD conference, seven people became members of AADB, and around 33 people signed up to receive “AADB Today.”

AADB received visits at both exhibits from deaf-blind people, professionals, SSPs, interpreters and others who wanted to learn more about AADB, its services, and the national deaf-blind community

Did you write your legislator yet? At the NAD conference, AADB helped distribute copies of the NAD Alert encouraging conference-goers to write their legislators to support the “21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2008”. This bill, which was introduced in Congress June 19, 2008, includes access for deaf-blind people, especially allocating up to $10 million a year for telephone equipment for deaf-blind people. Please take action now and write your legislators! For more information, visit www.COATaccess.org or contact AADB for assistance.