#NADHandwave: March 2014

tai jensen

Tai Jensen testified at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hearing last month, on February 20th, and advocated for all deaf and hard of hearing people with her presence. Learn more about the FCC hearing here. Tai is this month’s #NADHandwave recipient! The monthly #NADHandwave recognition program is an opportunity for everyone to meet an individual who has contributed greatly to the betterment of the deaf community.

On the right, Tai stands between the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) CEO Howard A. Rosenblum and NAD President Chris Wagner, the photo was taken after Tai testified at the FCC hearing. Currently a student at the Kendal Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) in Washington, DC, Tai learned to read thanks to closed captioning and one of her favorite channels to watch is the Disney Channel, especially Lab Rats. She felt it was important to share her experience with not only the FCC, but with the rest of the United States, about how important closed captioning quality is to her.

Tai was born in China and moved to America when she was 7 years old. She came with barely any language and learned American Sign Language (ASL) and English from her parents and sister Kaya. She loves to collect Hello Kitty, shop, read, and is quite an artist! She enjoys cooking, but not the dishes like most people. On the court, she loves to play volleyball and basketball.

She would love to see more equal opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing people. After her experience with the FCC testimony, she realized the importance of educating others.

The NAD thanks you, Tai, for representing not only the Deaf Youth but deaf and hard of hearing people everywhere, in that very important meeting with the FCC! We look forward to seeing more of you and your advocacy work in the deaf and hard of hearing community!

Read another article from the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School about Tai.