National Association of the Deaf

Submitted by Bobbie Beth.Scoggins on Sun, 08/16/2009 - 20:25

We launched this brand-new and beautiful website on June 30. Our deep gratitude goes to headquarters staff, who worked very hard to pull this off in a very short timeframe, just three months – a task that usually takes six months or more. This would not have been possible without the support of our web development team at Brilliant Echo, hosting services with DeafVision, and most of all, the strategic web sponsorship of Sprint, Purple Communications, and The Z.

We’re continuing to receive rave reviews about our new web look, structural simplicity, and ease of use. Folks appreciate the fact we update the home page frequently with the addition of external topics under Latest News as well as issues-oriented topics by external bloggers – both of these now allow for greater online interaction through submission of comments.

I encourage you to post online comments on our blog and news postings – we very much want your opinions and thoughts! Check out the issues-oriented topics that we’ve posted since web launch – these cover a wide range of subjects. We have a wonderful vlog on the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD), a far-reaching international human rights treaty that is important to our community, particularly its emphasis on sign languages. Another recent posting is on the right of deaf persons to serve on juries, which is being debated by legislators in the state of North Carolina.

We also welcome your feedback and suggestions on the new website! In the coming months, the new site will grow with the addition of much more content in both visual and text format.

So much has been happening – where has the summer gone? It’s nearly over! Members of the board and staff have been busy, taking part in state, regional and national conferences and related events across the country.

Just recently, I was at the Midwest DeaFest, held August 8, 2009 in Branson, Missouri. Our gratitude goes to the Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma Associations of the Deaf, which organized this fundraising event designed to benefit the NAD.

Registration is now open for the Second Annual NAD Leadership Training Conference (NLTC ’09), October 29-November 1, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio, with the theme of Conquering Challenges: Leadership Beyond Barriers. State association regional and affiliate caucuses will be held during the conference as well, and the NAD Board of Directors will hold its quarterly meeting immediately afterwards. For details, visit www.nad.org/nltc.

The 50th Biennial NAD Conference is July 7-11, 2009 in Philadelphia, PA with the theme of Celebrate Our Heritage. Invest in Our Future. This gathering is destined to be best ever! Mark your calendars; very soon you’ll see full details at www.nad.org/philly.

Here’s to a wonderful rest of this summer – we look forward your being with us in Columbus this fall, and again next year in Philadelphia!