National Association of the Deaf

Submitted by NAD Conference on Fri, 06/08/2012 - 09:46 Blog:

• NAD Conference

Attention foodies, coffee and tea lovers! It is a great thing when you can order your food or drink and know that you are making a contribution -- to the NAD!

We are thrilled to announce that two local spots in Louisville have agreed to donate a percentage of their proceeds to the NAD. We encourage you to stop by these establishments during your stay in Louisville, and enjoy their offerings!

• All day on Friday, July 6, Ri Ra Irish Pub (at 445 S. 4th St, Louisville) will be donating 20% of their proceeds to NAD! You can also get a 20% discount with your badge on July 3, 5 and 7.
• On July 3, 5, and 6, at VINT Coffee (at 2309 Frankfort Ave, Louisville), 10% of your purchases will be donated to NAD.

You must have your badge with you. Please visit these two businesses whenever you need food or drinks during the Conference, so that NAD will benefit from the much needed donations - every dollar counts!

Submitted by NAD Conference on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 14:03 Blog:

• NAD Conference

Tickets for the Steamboat event are sold out, but there are plenty of other family-friendly events happening on the Fourth of July! If you registered for a combo ticket, but did not buy the optional Steamboat ticket, here are some ideas for you and your family to celebrate Independence Day in “the ‘Ville,” as Louisville is locally known.

• Visit the Waterfront Independence Festival, July 3 and 4, at Great Lawn of Louisville Waterfront Park, 301 River Road. This park is very close to the hotel and conference center, and is well known in Louisville as the region’s largest Fourth of July celebration.

• If you have kids, the Science Center is a must. Located at 727 West Main Street, they are open from 9:30 am to 5 pm. A good place to visit before watching fireworks at the park!

• Walking along Main Street, you can’t miss the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. The museum at 800 West Main Street, near the Science Center, is also a factory where they produce the famous Slugger baseball bats. Great photo op! Open captioning devices are available in their theaters.

• Have a car? You can always visit Kentucky’s well-known gem and home of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs. Just go south on 3rd Street and you’ll see it (at 700 Central Ave)!

• The Louisville Zoo! They are located at 1100 Trevilian Way and are open 10 am to 5 pm.

There are also many other museums, restaurants, and shopping spots in the area that you can check out. As a former Mayor of Louisville once said, “Louisville is a place where you can come for a weekend and stay busy all the time!”

We’ll see you in Louisville for the Fourth!

Submitted by Bobbie Beth.Scoggins on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 11:55 Blog:

• NAD Conference

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) wishes to respond to the outpouring of concern, opposition, and support regarding the choice of South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard as a plenary presenter during the 51st Biennial NAD Conference to be held July 3-7, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. As announced previously, Governor Daugaard is unable to attend the NAD Conference.

In line with its topmost priorities, the NAD remains committed to working with elected officials, legislators and policy makers in red and blue states, to save our deaf schools and the educational rights of our deaf and hard of hearing children. Collaboration is necessary with deaf leaders and advocates dealing with rapidly dwindling budgets and changing priorities in certain states.

The NAD is also committed to equal rights for every member of the deaf and hard of hearing community, including those who are also members of other communities. Our focus this year is on creating an inclusive conference with more diverse presenters, emcees and luncheon keynoters than at any previous conference, and ensuring the success of our youth luncheon, our senior citizens luncheon, and our first-ever GLBT luncheon, all of which have been planned well in advance of the conference. We recently released a comprehensive statement in support of marriage equality.

It was never our intention to make any individual feel marginalized at our conference, and the NAD apologizes to those who feel that our plans had this effect. We reiterate our call to action for the entire diversity of our community to work toward achieving equality in all aspects of life. We ask you to join us in promoting and advancing the civil, human and linguistic rights of deaf and hard of hearing people across the nation.

Established in 1880, The National Association of the Deaf is the nation's premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States. The NAD is shaped by the deaf leaders of today who believe in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, congregate on issues important to them, and represent community interests at the national level with American Sign Language as a core value.

The advocacy scope of NAD is broad, impacting future generations in the areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, and more, transforming the lives of millions of deaf and hard of hearing Americans. On the international front, NAD represents the United States of America in the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), an international human rights organization.



The NAD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by the generosity of individual and organizational donors, including corporations and foundations.

Submitted by NAD Conference on Thu, 05/17/2012 - 10:36 Blog:

• NAD Conference

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has made education a central focus of its 51st Biennial Conference on July 3-7, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to an entire track of workshops dedicated to education and educational advocacy, one of our plenary sessions will feature CEASD President Dr. Ronald J. Stern on Wednesday July 4, 2012 at 3:45 pm.

Dr. Ronald Stern is renowned for his expertise and experience in the field of deaf education as the Superintendent of the New Mexico School for the Deaf, as well as the current President of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD). He was born in Philadelphia and grew up in New York City attending a variety of schools, and then earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Gallaudet University and a master's degree in deaf education from California State University, Northridge. He obtained his doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of New Mexico in 2008. Prior to his current position, Dr. Stern was a classroom teacher, principal, and Director of Instruction mostly at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont spanning 25 years.

In his role as CEASD President, Dr. Stern began and leads the Child First campaign, in partnership with the NAD, to prioritize the determination of the individual deaf child’s language and communication needs and to ensure that the child’s individual strengths and needs drive the IEP and educational placement decisions. He will share the vision and plans for the Child First campaign in his plenary presentation.

“CEASD President and NMSD Superintendent Dr. Ronald Stern is the ideal keynote speaker to present on the need for educational advocacy at our 51st Biennial NAD Conference,” said NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins. “The NAD and CEASD are partners in this initiative to promote quality education for all deaf and hard of hearing children.”

The 51st Biennial NAD Conference, with the theme of “Nothing About Us, Without Us!” will be held at the Hyatt Regency Louisville and the Kentucky International Convention Center from July 3-7, 2012. Workshops, plenaries, exhibits, and traditional events such as the NAD College Bowl, Miss Deaf America Ambassador Competition are on the schedule along with Opening Ceremonies at a baseball game, 4th of July Kentucky Association of the Deaf steamboat benefit cruise and a NAD Benefit BBQ on the closing day of the Conference and DeaFestival. For the first time, the NAD is partnering with the famed DeaFestival Kentucky, which will bring deaf performing and visual artists -- a feast for the eyes!

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is the nation's premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America. Established in 1880, the NAD was shaped by deaf leaders who believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to congregate on issues important to them, and to have its interests represented at the national level. These beliefs remain true to this day, with American Sign Language as a core value.

The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, and more – improving the lives of millions of deaf and hard of hearing Americans. 

The NAD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by the generosity of individual and organizational donors, including corporations and foundations.