National Association of the Deaf

Submitted by Margie.English on Sat, 04/03/2010 - 06:54 Blog:

• NAD Conference

Do you know what’s happening this summer, July 6th through 10th, 2010?  Did you know that many Deaf people are coming together in Philly? That’s Philadelphia, PA, for the NAD 50th Biennial NAD Conference. For many years, this conference was a triennial one and it gradually became biennial, and now it is the 50th conference! This is a historic event for the people who come together here!  

Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love. This is perfect for our community who will come together to meet and socialize to learn more about each other, and at the same time, share our experiences with each other. 

In Philadelphia, the conference hotel is the Marriott Downtown. The hotel is champ! There are many different restaurants around the hotel, including a Farmer’s Market with a variety of delicious food to choose from.

There are also bars and local hot spots. For example, there’s the Liberty Bell, the Independence Hall and the home of Betsy Ross, the woman who, as the legend goes, sewed the first U.S. flag. There are many more places to see. You can search the Internet for more information!

I encourage you to come to Philadelphia for the NAD Conference.  There are many events in store for you!  Among the highlights are:

• Five tracks of workshop covering good topics.  NAD will post the workshop schedule on its website soon.  Take this opportunity to review the topics. Many presenters are Deaf, and they will share their knowledge and skills with you.
• There’s also a first-timers’ orientation for people who are coming to this conference for the first time! Information will be shared on different events and opportunities during this conference so you know what to expect.   
• We will gather to cheer as we watch three colleges compete during the College Bowl. You can pick the college team to root for. You’ll be impressed with how smart our young deaf and hard of hearing people are.
• There’s also the Miss Deaf America pageant. Michelle Lapides from Maryland won the crown two years ago and she will pass the crown on to her successor. To find out who it is, come and watch!
• Another major event: NAD CEO Nancy Bloch will be leaving her position. There’s a CEO Search Committee looking for our next CEO. The new CEO candidates will give a presentation during this conference. You can listen and decide who you like the best. 
• The NAD Conference Exhibit Hall is free and open to everyone at no cost

The 2010 NAD Conference has many other activities, such as delegates, people who represent our members who propose motions to support the mission of NAD. Really, there are many more – you’ll have to come and see for yourself. If you haven’t gone to a NAD conference before, you’ve been missing out. There’s also a free exhibit hall for people who want to come and see latest technology, new information, and different things for sale by other deaf and hard of hearing people. If you’re curious and want to know more about or if you’ve been hungry for opportunities to meet people who use ASL, you are most welcome to join us in Philadelphia this summer, July 6th through 10th. 

Again, you can register at the NAD website, http://www.nad.org. Look for a box that says 50th Biennial Conference, and click on that. You will pull up more information there and find a link to register for this conference. 

Go ahead and buy your tickets now! I hope to see you this summer in Philadelphia!