National Association of the Deaf

Below is a suggested template for a justification letter you can prepare for your employer so that you can obtain workplace support to attend the 50th Biennial NAD Conference, July 6-10, 2010 in Philadelphia, PA. If you decide to use it, please make sure you include your company’s/agency’s name and insert appropriate details where specified. You can find conference registration and hotel details at www.nad.org/philly. We look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia!

----Sample Justification Letter; Edit as Appropriate----

[Date]

Dear [name of your supervisor],

I would like to attend the 50th Biennial National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Conference that will take place from July 6 to 10, 2010 in Philadelphia, PA.

I believe that attending this conference will benefit me both personally and professionally, and [name of your company/agency] will also benefit because what I will learn will enable me to become a more productive worker and a more valuable asset to [name of company/agency].

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was established in 1880 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. The NAD today ensures that the needs and concerns of the nation’s deaf and hard of hearing community are well represented on the national level through collaborative and cross disability efforts with consumer based and professional organizations.

Biennial NAD Conferences are specifically tailored for deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing and hearing consumers, educators, professionals in the field and business owners and managers, meaning that the information I receive is directly accessible and useful to me, and therefore to [name of company/agency].

Workshops and commission training presentations at this conference will include career and professional development topics as well as personal development. For instance, there may be workshops on how to advance in one’s chosen career, the development of leadership and communication abilities, how to obtain leadership skills that can be applied to the workplace, and so on. All of those will directly increase my knowledge of business and career practices, and will impact on my performance in [name of company/agency].

It is not often that an opportunity is granted that will allow me to learn and gain skills in an environment free of communication barriers. The conference will enable to me return to the office armed with additional skills and abiliites that can be applicable in mobilizing my career development. If you approve my attendance, the 50th Biennial NAD Conference will provide enormous value for money because the combo registration fee is only $XXX, if I register before May 31, 2010. This fee includes training workshops and commissions, general and business sessions and the technology-laden exhibit hall. Additional costs will involve meals ($XXX total), transportation from here to the conference location in Philadelphia, PA, ($XXX total for airfare/train/auto), the cost of a hotel guest room ($XXX/night plus tax for XX nights for a total of $XXX plus tax) and my being out of the office for a few days.

For the benefits that I expect to derive from this conference, I believe those costs are minimal, and I hope you will agree with me and allow me to attend.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]