We did it! Together, we had a wildly successful year with advocacy accomplishments too numerous to list here. Our 50th Biennial NAD Conference in Philadelphia, PA exceeded expectations and plans are underway for 2012 in Louisville, KY. Thanks to your support, we now have stable operations at headquarters and we're working towards a better, brighter future for the benefit of all!
Key 2010 accomplishments:
NAD advocated for passage of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, also through Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) efforts. This new federal law will make it possible for us participate in the Internet age through captioned television programs on the Internet. The result of three years of advocacy by NAD and other groups, this new law also provides for closed caption buttons on television remote controls, hearing aid-compatible Internet telephones, communications equipment for individuals who are deaf-blind, and more.
NAD called for swift action by International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) to formally reject resolutions passed at its 2nd Congress (also known as the 1880 Milan Congress). Last summer, ICED at its 21st Congress in Vancouver made a formal announcement to this effect, with its New Era Accord which expressed deep regret for the detrimental effects of the Milan resolutions, and promoted the acceptance of and respect for all languages and forms of communication in educational programs.
NAD pushed for U.S.A ratification of the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD), an important human rights treaty which states that sign language is a human right and that education includes full acquisition of language, academic, practical and social knowledge. NAD will also represent U.S.A. at the XVI World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) in South Africa next summer. The WFD is a global human rights organization with 130 country affiliates.
NAD celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with U.S. President Obama at the White House, with national disability advocacy organizations, and at several federal agency events held throughout the greater Washington, DC area. NAD had a pivotal role in passage of this landmark civil rights law, including the ADA Amendments Act that was reauthorized last year.
NAD vigorously defended the rights of deaf and hard of hearing professionals and consumers in several court cases, such as: pharmacists can now conduct work-related relay calls in Alabama (patient orders by phone), spectators can now access information during university sporting events in Ohio (captioned public address systems), and attorneys can now access the Kentucky court system (interpreting services and other forms of effective communication).
We're proud of what we've been able to do and we could not have done it without you. Your support – both as a member and as a donor - helps NAD continue as your watchdog, keeping an ever-vigilant eye on upcoming laws, regulations, litigation, and policy work - to preserve, protect and advance the lives of the American deaf and hard of hearing community.
This is the time of the year when people celebrate Thanksgiving. Our hope is that you will continue to support NAD through your tax-deductible gift atwww.nad.org/donatenow[2] so that we can keep on making the world a better place for deaf and hard of hearing people.
On behalf of the board and staff, my warmest wishes to you for the holiday season,
