Opening Ceremonies, Buffet, Baseball Game & Fireworks

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
3:30 - 10:00 pm

Join us for the opening ceremonies of the 51st Biennial NAD Conference at the Louisville Bats baseball stadium - a spectacular start to the week! The opening ceremony will include a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet, a exciting baseball game, with the Louisville Bats against the Indianapolis Indians. And best of all, this great evening will end with spectacular firework show! Don't miss the exciting opening to the week-long NAD Conference!

Families, bring your children. Ages 0-2 get in for free, and for those 3-17, the NAD is offering a discount price [3] for the opening ceremonies, buffet, baseball game and fireworks! Your children will have a great time on the on-site playground where they will run around with other deaf and hard of hearing children and KODAs!

Get your admission to this exciting event with a Combo registration [4] or purchase an individual registration using the Non-Combo registration form [5].

Our Keynote Speaker, Emcee & Entertainers

Colin Allen, the 51st Biennal NAD Conference keynote speaker, was recently elected President of the World Federation of the Deaf [6]. He has also been involved in various development co-operation projects all over the world and has led local and national deaf associations in Australia. Currently, Mr. Allen serves as the Director of Services at the Deaf Society of NSW in Sydney and is responsible for delivery of services across five departments (Community Services, Adult Education, Employment, Interpreting Service and Advocacy & Community Development). Mr. Allen was raised in a deaf family in Sydney and graduated with a Diploma in Community Organisations from the University of Technology, Sydney. He is proud of both his granddaughter Hailey and his daughter Tara, who is currently a BSL Interpreter in London.

When you go to “Wawa’s House”, you’ll be taken to a whole new level of music through DEAF eyes! Yes, deaf as in can’t hear - but wears hearing aids and he speaks and signs - ALL VERY WELL! Known affectionately as “WAWA”, Warren Snipe has written powerful poems and songs and his passion for music grew to a point that he had to share with the world. Wawa will serve as emcee of the 51st Biennial Conference Opening Ceremonies to be held at the Louisville Bats baseball stadium, and will perform for the audience as well. His website can be found here [7].

Sean Forbes is a musician on a mission. Sean started out making music videos in his basement and today is producing professional music videos with a focus on the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. He is a voice for not only his generation but deaf culture. Sean is a co-founder of D-PAN, The Deaf Professional Arts Network, a non-profit organization that focuses on translating popular artists’ songs into American Sign Language (ASL) music videos for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Sean has written the theme song “Nothing About Us – Without Us” for the 51st Biennial Conference and will perform the song for the first time, live at the Opening Ceremonies. His website can be found here [8].

Jeremy Quiroga is a graduate of California School for the Deaf, Fremont and a recent graduate of the School for American Craft at RIT with his Master of Fine Arts in metal craft. Since graduating from Fremont, Jeremy has enjoyed many aspects of art such as performing, sculpture, painting and poetry by pushing the limits of what art can be in each medium. Although primarily a visual artist, Jeremy has many talents as a performer and has appeared at DeaFestival Kentucky on several occasions. He will portray the deaf baseball player “Dummy Hoy” at the Opening Ceremonies. His website can be found here [9].