National Association of the Deaf

 

Tonight, Friday July 7th, we witnessed the last-ever Miss Deaf America Ambassador Program Finals! The event started at seven o'clock but the line was already long at six with very eager fans of family, friends and attendees. The stage was beautifully lit up with colorful lights and had two large screens on both ends of the stage creating a very professional and exciting feel to the event.

At the start, the two emcees- Jennifer Ann "JAC" Cook and Mark Ramirez- came on stage welcoming everyone to the very last Miss Deaf America Ambassador Program and pumped excitement into the audience members. They opened up with a visual presentation that showed the journey of every one of the fourteen female candidates. They then announced the best of the preliminaries and the final 6 of 14 that would be running for the title. After the final 6 left the stage, they showed a slideshow of former Miss Deaf America winners- many of whom were present at the Miss Deaf America Finals- and the program book from each one. 

The journey to the final selection and announcement began with the platform presentations of the top six contenders, of which all of them did extremely well and covered some of the important topics of which NAD and the deaf community are experiencing. After the platform presentations concluded, Miss Deaf America 2010-2012 Rachel Mazique came on stage and performed her original artistic expression which set the stage for the final six. But first they invited some of the former Miss Deaf America winners that came on stage and introduced themselves and told a little bit about what they do now- including but not limited to: Ann Billington Cassell ('72 - '74), Margo Cienik ('84 - '86), Jennifer Yost Ortiz ('95 - '96), Tyese Wright ('02 - '04), Chelsea Tobin ('06 - '08), and Michelle Lapides ('08 - '10). 

After everyone cheered for all of the former MDA winners ranging from 1972-2010, a dazzling song performance done by the Miss Deaf Arizona runner up, Sophia Stone, who impressed the audience and set the stage for the final contestants. The final six then came on stage and each did their artistic expression. After the last of the final six contestants performed, intermission then came featuring a live auction run by Dwight and Beth Benedict that sold artwork made by famous deaf artists and several featured travel packages and raised $22,000 for the National Association of the Deaf! They then showed another slideshow of the Miss Deaf Ambassador Retreat, showcasing all of the fourteen candidates working together, practicing, and participating in workshops as well as dress/make-up rehearsals. 

Next came the final event of the pageant which was the presentation and poise category where each contestant came out in a beautiful variety of colorful, sparkly dresses- all the women comandeered the stage very gracefully. After the last contestant presented, the interviews of each one began to which every one of them answered very well. The questions were:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being deaf?

If you had to give a presentation to a group of 16 year olds, what topic would you pick?

If you had an opportunity to meet Alexander Graham Bell, what would you say?

 

Jennifer Ann Cook, the co-emcee of the Miss Deaf America Ambassador Program, after watching all the presentations: "Wow, whoever the judges picks will represent the NAD well." Soon after the presentations, Allie Rice, Arlene Gunderson and the Pageant Committee were invited onstage. Arlene introduced each committee member and a special thanks to one member, Patty Wolfangle for her continuous involvement with MDA- for over 20 years. They then introduced the new vision for the Youth Ambassador Program- we'll reveal more about that as details come out! 

Rachel Mazique, Miss Deaf America 2010-2012, came onstage and gave her farewell speech- very moving- and shared her experiences with the Program. She emphasized that being Miss Deaf America made her a stronger person, and that she will continue to fight after handing down her crown. Soon after Rachel's speech, the judges have made their decisions, all 14 contestants come back onstage for the announcement!

 

Miss Congeniality goes to Miss Deaf Oklahoma - Mary Rios.

 

2nd Runner-up: Miss Deaf Texas - Sericia Jackerson.

 

1st Runner-up: Miss Deaf Kansas - Trisha Leigh Waddell.

 

And the honor of being the final Miss Deaf America Ambassador goes to Miss Deaf Maryland - Chanel Mandeville Gleicher!

 

The crowd went nuts shortly after the announcement, hands waving and feet stomping everywhere. We congratulate Ms. Gleicher on her achievement, and look forward to working closely with her as she fulfills the duties of Miss Deaf America, 2012 - 2014! 

Special thanks go to Joann Benfield and Katie Murch for their hard work during the Miss Deaf America Ambassador Program, Preliminaries, and Finals! 

The Muhammad Ali Center was an eye-opening experience for people who learned about Louisville's history of segregation and how Ali fought through that to become the best in boxing. It was also a reminder to embrace diversity and recognize valuable skills and contributions of every NAD member. We had a chance to chat with a few people about their experience at the NAD Conference.

WFD President Colin Allen said that what hit him most was how welcoming Louisville and the NAD were to the WFD Board, who flew in from all over the world. Judith Gilliam, conference chairperson, absolutely loved the reunion at every NAD Conference and feels right at home! Former Miss Deaf America Michelle Lapides mentioned how the 2012 Conference is her sixth conference, and that she cannot imagine missing even one conference. Purple Communications representative Norman Chan talked about how he travels a lot for his job and found Louisville to be one of the best cities in the United States! Miss Deaf America preliminary emcee Jennifer "JAC" Cook expressed her love for the community and seeing us all come together to celebrate our identity and culture as the best part of the NAD conference. Region II representative Michael Berger adored how members have come together to collectively work towards our goal of civil and human rights for all deaf people.

Don't forget to check out the Muhammad Ali Center website here!

 

Remember the "US" in Usher Syndrome

Rene Pellerin

There was an very interesting and different workshop held by an individual named Rene Pellerin. What's unique about Pellerin is the fact that he has Type 2 Usher Syndrome but is fluent in ASL and has a wonderful sense of humor. He opens up his workshop by explaining several different types of Usher Syndrome; one being an individual that was born with the syndrome and a lack of balance, two being an individual that was born without but later obtained it with age and three being an individual that was born hearing but loses both the sense of hearing and eyesight. Pellerin kept the workshop audience stimulated by constantly asking and accepting questions. He then explained the many ways to communicate with an individual with Usher Syndrome including single and double hand-tracking methods with a variety of sitting settings. He then shared funny and personal jokes and stories that had the audience crying tears of laughter and receiving a better understanding of the syndrome. Throughout the presentation, he paused several times so the audience could try on the Usher Syndrome goggles which limited the eyesight of the user to get a better idea of how people with Usher Syndrome feel! He concluded the workshop by saying that he is pleased that there are improving technologies out there that are making it easier for people with Usher Syndrome to function in life, such as reading.

 

Social Security for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals: What to Expect

This workshop was held by two members of the Social Security Administration (SSA) that came with a pleasant attitude ready to answer questions. The audience was quiet at first when the presenters began to explain an overview of the SSA and how they are committed to ensuring that deaf and hard of hearing individuals are completely aware about the benefits, programs and services that they offer. They also explained common misunderstandings and misconceptions of Social Security. The audience then began to fire questions away, including questions such as: What to do about Medicare and Medicaid, What do I do if a spouse passes away, and What if something happens to me that leads to the usability to work? The presenters made sure that every question was thoroughly answered which left the audience satisfied with a better understanding on how Social Security works.

 

How to Understand Policy Development Theories and Leverage It for Success

Fred Weiner and David Bahar

Fred Weiner and David Bahar are both intellectuals within the deaf community and have experience within the policy and law world. During the workshop both men focused on several theories of policy development process. "You have to think about all of the factors within and how they have an impact," said David Bahar on the policy development process. They both explain that in order to develop a successful policy or law, you must start with an issue and explore it thoroughly and think about all the factors within the issue and how they may have an impact. You must then explain why the issue has a big impact, and also think about how every policy is different due to location, and so forth. Lastly, anticipate the outcome to be so you can prepare and perfect the policy. The presenters concluded their presentation and everyone seemed really impressed and entertained by the workshop.

 

Mental Health Services for Deaf People in 2012

Michelle Niehaus and Karen Millsap

There is a critical shortage of mental health professionals who are fluent in American Sign Language and/or are familiar with the needs of deaf and hard of hearing individuals. So, Michelle Niehaus and Karen Millsap hosted this workshop focusing on the mental health services here in the United States and what we can do to help. They began the workshop by touching on a lot of the challenges that deaf and hard of hearing individuals have when trying to find mental health help with people that understand and are comfortable their needs. Mrs. Niehaus reminded the audience that there are coordinators in most states who we can communicate with about certain issues and stakeholders/advocates that are working for a stronger service system. Both presenters then moved onto talking about implementing managed care across all mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability services and working closely with NAD to reach more state affiliates. They then closed with mentioning the need for mental health services to prioritize deaf people who are usually low on the list and how this can be achieved if we work together.

 

Healthcare settings: Effective Communication is a Right, Not a Privilege

Jody Gill

Even though access to healthcare has been poor but improving over the years with the help of ADA and deaf rights, deaf and hard of hearing people are still facing challenges with their own healthcare. Jody Gill made a point in her workshop that effective communication should not be hard to get and should always be considered a right, not a privilege. Throughout her workshop, she asked a number of questions that got the audience thinking. Of those questions, she asked one that truly stood out and that was, "What is effective communication and who decides what it is?" She mentioned that medical professionals often do not know how to provide deaf and hard of hearing individuals with the correct mode of communication and often resort to communicating with family members rather than talking directly to the individual and how that leads to misconceptions and miscommunication. Gill explained that every single deaf individual has the right to request the exact effective communication they feel is right for them and emphasizes not to let other people decide. She also pointed out that our deaf and hard of hearing population need to start coming up with creative and effective ways to challenge and educate professionals like doctors and lawyers.

 

Reports from the FCC on the Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA)

Gregory Hilbok

Gregory Hilbok opened up with talking about accessibility and how it is a previous and an current and ongoing issue. He emphasized how CVAA will help with this issue and hopes it will dissipate soon. Hilbok brought up the recent Netflix lawsuit between Netflix and the National Association for the Deaf and mentioned that the CVAA will greatly help with moving forward in terms of captioning films and videos. He hoped that the CVAA will help expand accessibility on the internet and all the devices that use it such as smart phones, laptops, and other devices. "Videophones provided by Video Relay Services are currently considered the best interoperable devices compared to off-the-shelf devices," said Mr. Hilbok. He along with the rest of the audience, hope for the FCC and the CVAA to be put into action and improve accessibility for all types of disability including deafness and blindness.

 

Obtaining Employment in the Federal Government

Nick Pezzarossi

Nick Pezzarossi is a Human Resource Specialist that works with the Federal government and held an very interesting workshop! He explained to the audience that it is not as difficult to get a job working for the government as you think it is. The government is actually always looking to help people with disability find jobs and succeed in the working field. Pezzarossi explained the difference between US Jobs and and jobs for the Federal government. He mentioned that there are a variety in levels of jobs within the government that range in pay and there are jobs for those who have basic college degrees up to their doctorates. He then showed a couple slides explaining what a Schedule A letter does for you and how to modify your resume to be more suited to applying for a government-related job. He closed with offering one-on-one meetings with anyone who would be interested into finding a job.

 

Empathy + Social Media = A Stronger Community!

Smitha Hanumantha

Don't you ever wonder why there aren't many collaborative efforts within the deaf community? Smitha Hanumantha explained in her workshop that being collaborative means to be 'understanding' of each others which is being empathetic. She mentioned that social media has been an amazing tool that people can use to spread out messages with convenience online and off. But are the messages that people send always positive? She made a striking point that on-line people can alter or conceal their identity and post things without being empathetic and may hurt other people. During the rest of the presentation she expanded on what empathy means and split the audience into groups and had them discuss a statement that she found online. The groups analyzed the statements and detected how empathy is shown, or needed. She gave the audience a definite better understanding of empathy and why we need it not only in terms of hearing and deaf but among ourselves as well.

 

Empowering Survivors, Empowering the Community

Stacy Gainok and Tara Holcomb

Gainok and Holcomb took the time to explain the legal system for domestic violence and rape cases, mapping it out as best as they could, for the legal system is very complex and involves many levels and people. An audience member commented that it is very important to know who your local District Attorney (DA) is, since it is an elected position and the DA's values may not reflect your own values. The two advocates explained about different situations and how they are usually handled. In a domestic violence case, for example, that includes a deaf person and a hearing person, most of the time the police officer believes the hearing person -- simply because the deaf person cannot communicate, and may even be using his or her voice in desperation. This led to the discussion of male survivors, and the lack of a strong support network for them. The root of this issue is society's belief that men hold power over women, and that it is "impossible" for men to be survivors of rape and domestic violence. The audience was shown different videos and ads that perpetuated the "male privilege" and position of power over women that, oftentimes, leads to domestic violence. The bottom line is: change the thought of "don't get raped" to "don't rape."

 

Deaf Entrepreneurship: A Snapshot

W. Scot Atkins

Fourteen deaf entrepreneurs were interviewed for this workshop about their experiences in the business world. A similar theme in most of the interviews was passion. Experience and skill will get you nowhere without passion. Some entrepreneurs had the good fortune of meeting with angel investors to get venture capital, and Atkins stressed the importance of not focusing just on money, because that will hurt you in the end. The best way to succeed as a deaf entrepreneur is to follow your passion, learn as you go, begin networking early, and broaden your scope. Don't limit your customer base to the deaf community only. Build a deep understanding of your market and how quickly their needs change. Entrepreneurship is what you make of it, and how you sell it -- and it all requires passion!

 

Nothing Diverse About Us, Without Us

Donalda Ammons, Glenn Anderson, Elvia Guillermo, Leah Katz-Hernandez, Thuan Nguyen, Benro Ogunyipe, and Judy Stout

This panel consisted of seven well-known deaf leaders who strongly value and advocate for diversity. The full spectrum of the human race must be recognized and understood in any community, and especially in the deaf community. Particularly in the deaf community, often people are asked to prioritize their identities, i.e. asking you how you think of yourself first: deaf or a woman? Deaf or American? Glenn Anderson said that people should not ask "Black or deaf, which is first for you?" It is impossible to separate the two identities, and for Anderson the two are deeply ingrained into each other. The panel emphasized that diversity is not only about skin color, but also includes money, hearing loss, skills, contributions, sexual orientations, religions, and different social backgrounds. Yet we are all the same: deaf- and we must incorporate a multitude of deaf voices into the NAD.

 

Deaf Self-Advocacy: Perception, Abilities and Tools - Effective Practices and Curriculum

Lillian Garcia Peterkin

The National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers (NCIEC) at www.interpretereducation.org has worked on a grant to develop a curriculum for deaf self-advocacy. What is deaf advocacy training (DAT)? This training teaches deaf people how to effectively advocate for communication access, particularly for interpreting services. Over the past five years, the NCIEC has been working with Communication Service for the Deaf and T.S. Writing Services to mine data collection, develop curriculum, and deliver training materials. The data collected included surveys, focus groups, interviews, and literature reviews. The DAT team's philosophy is "Of, By, and For Deaf People," and this is reflected in their mission to have at least 51% deaf board members and 51% deaf staff members. In their training sessions, deaf people learn how to negotiate with hearing people, in a space where they feel safe. No hearing people are present at any deaf self-advocacy training sessions. This new curriculum will be introduced and implemented in centers across the country in the months to come.

 

Deaf Leadership in the 21st Century

Kelby Brick

Brick explained about former NAD President Dr. James Smith from Minnesota, who issued a call in 1904 for the preservation of sign language. The needs that motivated humans in 1904 are vastly different than the needs we face today -- but our values remain the same. Brick referred to Maslow's Hierachy of different needs and compared it to modern deaf leadership. An initiative to collectively campaign for deaf people's civil rights is essential for continued leadership and collaboration to advance the deaf community's language and human rights.

 

Deafness Among Physicians and Trainees: A National Survey

Alok Doshi

This survey was distributed to 56 respondents across the United States, including 25 physicians and 31 trainees (medical students, residents, and fellows). All of them responded with some degree of hearing loss varying from deaf, hard of hearing, to identifying with simply having a hearing loss. Out of these 56 respondents, 31 use a type of hearing device at work, which are either FM systems, hearing aids, or cochlear implants. Doshi mentioned that many respondents who use a FM system also have an interpreter present in the room to ensure 100% communicaton. Interestingly, when the respondents were asked what their preferred phone communication was, five people answered that they do not use the phone at all, one uses VCO, one uses VRS, three use TTY, eight use regular phones, and 12 use amplified phones. This range of deafness, identity, and communication barriers is very diverse.

 

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities

Colin Allen

The World Federation of the Deaf has been instrumental in getting deaf people linguistic and cultural recognition under the United Nations Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD). As an nongovernmental organization (NGO), WFD's aim was to recognize deaf people's linguistic rights -- which they have succeeded. Their strategy to achieve this goal was to participate in negotiations and meetings with state delegates, giving joint presentations with other disability persons associations, and having WFD members lobby for the WFD's goals in their respective countries. Thanks to their efforts, the term "Sign Language" was mentioned for the first time ever in an United Nations convention -- and is mentioned eight times in five different articles! Now, the next step is to get each country to sign the convention, so that the linguistic and cultural rights of deaf people worldwide are recognized an protected as true human rights.

 

Tonight, the Kentucky International Convention Center will become alive, as the College Bowl Finals take place! For the first time, the NAD College Bowl expanded to include three new challengers for the three “legacy” schools who have participated since the competition’s inception in 1988. Students from Howard College/Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf; the University of Texas at Austin; and the University of Minnesota joined traditional rivals California State University, Northridge; Gallaudet University; and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf/Rochester Institute of Technology to prove their smarts.

In yesterday's preliminary round, the six teams battled to see which three would advance to the finals on Thursday night.

With topics ranging from deaf culture and heritage to science, nature and technology, the collegiate competitors were expected to know the full name of the count in Alexandre Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo” and which metal is an alloy of copper and zinc, as well as what year the International Congress on Education of the Deaf issued sincere regret for its resolutions concerning sign language and Deaf education at the 1880 Congress in Milan.

Each question was met with serious deliberation by each team and a buzz in the audience as spectators debated amongst themselves. By the final preliminary session question, fans and supporters in the back of the room were standing with anxious anticipation to see which three teams would emerge as finalists.

In spite of their valiant attempts, the three newcomers were unable to overcome the legacy teams. Final scores for the preliminary round are as follows: Gallaudet (170), NTID/RIT (162), CSUN (72), University of Minnesota (63), University of Texas (61) and SWCID (23).

Gallaudet, NTID / RIT and CSUN moved forward into the Finals, and will battle it out in just two hours- be there at 8 pm! 

College Bowl finals are TONIGHT at 8 p.m. in KICC Cascade Ballroom AB. See you there!