English translation:
Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, Interim CEO:
Hello, I want to give a summary and update of what’s happening at NAD Headquarters.
I’m going to turn this over to my staff members, so they can each share what they’re doing for NAD and for our community.
Dr. Marla Hatrak, Educational Policy Consultant:
Hello, I’ve been planning and working on preparing for my workshop, which will be at the #NAD2026 Conference in San Francisco.
My presentation is titled, “Blueprint on Excellence in Deaf Education”, or “BEDE” for short.
You might have seen my earlier video, in which I explained what this was. If you have not, I suggest you look for the earlier videos on the nad.org website.
I hope you’ll come to the NAD conference, and learn more about our efforts to improve the national system of Deaf Education!
Brittany Shrader, Esq., Director of Legal Services:
I love my work at NAD, because I get the opportunity to make systemic changes that affect Deaf lives all over the United States.
You already know about our ongoing lawsuit with the White House, but now I want to share a different case that we’ve just won!
This recently settled case involves a Deaf woman and her 11-year-old twin daughters. That situation involved a police interaction, in which the police officer was masked and refused to provide effective communication. The police officer also attempted to rely on the twin daughters to interpret for their mother. The situation escalated, ultimately resulting in the arrest of the mother.
This was an extremely traumatic for both the mother and her daughters.
The NAD’s lawsuit resulted in a settlement of $1.2 million, which is a huge number.
It is our hope that this settlement will help spread the message to police departments around the country that they cannot rely on young children to interpret; they must hire and provide professional qualified interpreters.
Nancy Bloch, Assistant to the Interim CEO:
Hello, everyone! We look forward to seeing everyone at the 58th biennial National Association of the Deaf conference, that is coming up in San Francisco, this summer!
I want to give you a quick update on our conference hotel. Our room block is approaching being 60% full, wow! This means that you should register NOW, before our May 20 deadline, and at the same time, reserve your room!
Many things will be happening AT the hotel: exhibits, workshops, the business meeting, and more!
We will be announcing more details in the near future.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Claudia Giordano, Director of Youth Programs:
Hello! I wanted to give you an update on what’s going on with the NAD’s Youth Programs!
First, the Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) will be happening, with 64 campers converging from all over the United States. They’ll be doing different activities, interacting with other campers, developing their leadership and teamwork skills, and meeting national leaders and trainers.
They’ll also have the opportunity to do outdoor activities, such as hiking, in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
The next program I want to share an update on is the Jr. NAD Pages program.
These are Deaf students from the ages of 13 to 17, who get the opportunity to go and work at the NAD conference. While they are there, they will be volunteering, assisting with workshops, and interacting with other Deaf leaders. They’ll be in workshops, and they’ll have the opportunity to see how the Council of Representatives operates and decides our NAD priorities. They get a chance to see and learn how THEY will be expected to lead in the future. Isn’t that an incredible feeling?
The third program I wanted to share about is the upcoming College Bowl. This is our biennial event where teams from various colleges convene and compete, matching wits and addressing challenging questions.
Fun, right?!?
These three programs are part of our NAD’s goal to boost and empower our Deaf youth, and build the next generation of Deaf Leaders.
I’m looking forward to all of these events!
Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, Interim CEO:
Now you can see how busy we all are!
As your interim CEO, I help support and ensure that everything is going smoothly.
I’ve been focused on the NAD conference, supporting the staff, the NAD Board, volunteers, as well as the local organizations in California, who have been doing a wonderful job of bringing all the details together. It’s just been amazing.
We are all looking forward to what will be a very successful 2026 NAD Conference. I hope you can all come!
The second thing I’ve been focusing on has been helping support the CEO Search process, and the transition that is to come. Once the new CEO has been selected, I’ll be supporting that person until July 31st.
I look forward to seeing you all in San Francisco!