Welcome to Deaf Self-Advocacy Training (DSAT)!
The NAD is proud to partner with the deaf community to bring you the Deaf Self-Advocacy Training program. The NAD also thanks the National Interpreter Education Center (NIEC) for providing the content for us to use.
Effective advocacy for interpreting services has been a long-time concern of deaf community leaders. With RSA funding support since 2005, DSAT is a curriculum designed to be taught by deaf, hard of hearing and DeafBlind trainers to other deaf, hard of hearing and DeafBlind consumers.
This specialized curriculum is devoted to teaching deaf individuals to self-advocate for effective interpreting services. The content of the curriculum includes concepts of self-esteem and self-determination, the law, ethics of working with interpreters, video relay interpreting, preparing for self-advocacy, and how to effectively tap resources.
The curriculum was first unveiled in 2010. Since that time more than 2,000 deaf, hard of hearing and DeafBlind consumers have attended a DSAT consumer training and more than 250 deaf, hard of hearing, and DeafBlind individuals have been trained a DSAT Trainers.
![One row of people sitting and one row standing in the back.](https://www.nad.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/dsat_trainers-250x92.jpg)
The curriculum is free to anyone upon request. However, the NAD is available to help you or your agency host a DSAT training.
This initiative promulgates an “…of, by, and for the deaf, hard of hearing, and/or DeafBlind” philosophy in all aspects of its programming. The DSAT curriculum was developed by individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or DeafBlind and designed as a peer-led training.