The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is pleased to announce that South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard will address a plenary session on Friday, July 6, at 3:45 p.m. in the Hyatt Regency Ballroom during the 51st Biennial NAD Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, July 3-7, 2012.
Gov. Daugaard will talk about political power and the importance of deaf and hard of hearing people participating in the political process. He will describe how to best advance our community's civil, human, and linguistic rights with politicians.
Dennis Daugaard was sworn in as Governor of South Dakota on Jan. 8, 2010, and it is believed that he is the first ever CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) American governor. American Sign Language was the main means of communication in the Daugaard family, and Gov. Daugaard worked as a certified interpreter at one time. He and his sister were involved with the Sioux Falls Deaf Community as youngsters, due to their parents’ membership in the South Dakota Association of the Deaf.
“We are pleased to have Gov. Dennis Daugaard present at the 2012 NAD Conference. Having grown up with deaf parents, he is a life-long friend of the deaf community – not only in South Dakota, but the entire country as well,” said Bobbie Beth Scoggins, NAD President.
The 51st Biennial NAD Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Louisville and the Kentucky International Convention Center. The theme of this year’s conference is: “Nothing About Us, Without Us!” 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 steamboat cruise and a BBQ on the closing day of the conference and DeaFestival. For the first time, NAD is partnering with the famed DeaFestival Kentucky, which will bring deaf performing and visual artists to its Conference -- a feast for the eyes!
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. Established in 1880, NAD was shaped by deaf leaders who believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, congregate on issues important to them, and 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 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.
On the international front, NAD represents the United States of America to 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.
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is pleased to announce that South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard will address a plenary session on Friday, July 6, at 3:45 p.m. in the Hyatt Regency Ballroom during the 51st Biennial NAD Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, July 3-7, 2012.