National Association of the Deaf

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) wishes to extend its appreciation to the Honorable Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico, for his recent support of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children's Educational Bill of Rights. The NAD is grateful for his leadership commitment and responsiveness to the hard work of the New Mexico Task Force on Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the deaf community of New Mexico.

"By enacting this bill, you have raised public awareness and demonstrated sensitivity to the overall educational needs of deaf and hard of hearing children," said Andrew J. Lange, president of the NAD. "This is a milestone that is long overdue and recognizes the need of deaf and hard of hearing children for communication access throughout their total educational experience," he continued.

At the federal level, the NAD continues to push for amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) to ensure that the communication needs of deaf and hard of hearing children be provided rather than merely considered. The NAD is also working to increase opportunities for training of more teachers to work with deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind students.