For several months I have begun to support an association or organization who represents Deaf and Hard of Hearing people nationally here in the united states until recently as I have realized something going with the association that sickens me especially to think that for few months I was supporting something that I thought who truly represents the Deaf community. That organization I am speaking of is National Association of the Deaf (NAD) who is an alliance of the Deaf community, who is responsible to advocate for the Deaf community when it comes to oppression, discrimination or any of unlawful actions by somebody and they are supposedly to be in the front of the battle making sure that the Deaf individuals have equality since National Association of the Deaf (NAD) founded in 1880 to take activism action in Milan against an organization named International Congress on the Education of the Deaf or ICED for short when International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) discouraged the use of American Sign Language in the education of the Deaf which is the natural language for the Deaf individuals. By discouraging the use of American Sign Language for the Deaf students by forcing the Deaf students in education to not use their natural language of American Sign Language, if they are caught using American Sign Language they would be punished by either having their hands slapped or tying their hands to their back and forcing them to use oral only instead so the many Deaf individuals group were against that so National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was born.
Advocacy organizations formed National Association of the Deaf as one advocacy organization who protested against International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) as they urged them to formally reject International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) previous resolutions and embrace American Sign Language and Deaf cultures at 2nd Congress or known as the 1880 Milan Congress.
The resolutions that passed severely damaged the Deaf individuals, educators, professionals, schools and communities all around the world. You can find more information about the National Association of the Deaf and the Milan in 1880 by checking out this page at National Association of the Deaf (NAD) own website. Click here to check out that page and get a better understanding about the events at Milan in 1880 with International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) and 2nd Congress/1880 Milan Congress.
And now, National Association of the Deaf.
So far you have read about the National Association of the Deaf, it sounds good and heartwarming right? Surely it was for National Association of the Deaf in 1880 and for few decades — Until now. What do I mean until now? National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is not what they once were as they have changed in a bad way, they were getting worse a year by year but now they are seemingly to be at the worst of all-time because National Association of the Deaf seems to forget why National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was founded in the beginning by not taking any activism actions for the Deaf individuals today and they are becoming invisible more than ever now. Ever since the late 2000s National Association of the Deaf (NAD) have done nothing but displeasing Deaf individuals especially their members and even their non-members by not showing any signs of activism for over a decade when they knew several cases where the Deaf individuals were discriminated, oppressed and unlawful actions such as violating Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Past few years the police stations, hospitals, businesses violated American with Disabilities Act (ADA) by unwilling to provide face-to-face interpreters or unwilling to provide equal access for the Deaf individuals and hundreds if not hundreds of hundreds have begged National Association of the Deaf (NAD) for their help which National Association of the Deaf (NAD) supposedly to be responsible for but National Association of the Deaf (NAD) ignored all of their screams for help.
I was shocked when I did my research that I came to find that there are several Deaf individuals who either made a vlog or blog sharing their terrible experiences and every time we sees when Deaf individuals shared their experiences online several Deaf individuals sent in complaints to National Association of the Deaf (NAD) by either calling, sending them mail or email because National Association of the Deaf ignored that their screams for help so they figured that if many Deaf individuals doing their part by telling National Association of the Deaf (NAD) to help the Deaf individuals whom screamed for help but it seemed that National Association of the Deaf felt no pressure by the large numbers of Deaf individuals as they ignored every single of them. If you visit National Association of the Deaf (NAD) mission statement and their visions which says:
Mission:
The mission of the National Association of the Deaf is to preserve, protect and promote the civil, human and linguistic rights of deaf and hard of hearing people in the United States of America.
Vision:
he National Association of the Deaf embraces core, legal, and community values, as follows:
Core Values
- Language. We value the acquisition, usage, and preservation of American Sign Language.
- Culture. We value the right of deaf and hard of hearing Americans to share similar beliefs, sense of belonging, and experiences as a signing community.
Legal Values
- Civil Rights. We believe in equality, dignity, and justice for all deaf and hard of hearing Americans.
- Human Rights. We believe that acquisition and use of American Sign Language is an essential human right.
- Linguistic Rights. We believe that American Sign Language must be preserved, protected, and promoted.
Community Values
- Diversity. We value deaf and hard of hearing Americans with diverse perspectives, experiences, and abilities. We are committed to the elimination of audism, linguicism, racism, and other forms of discrimination.
- People. We value advocates and allies as the builders of the American deaf community.
— About Us | National Association of the Deaf
So I don’t know if that makes National Association of the Deaf (NAD) a hypocrite themselves since that what National Association of the Deaf (NAD) said in their mission statement and in their vision? Because National Association of the Deaf (NAD) sure as heck isn’t doing what their mission statement or vision says especially if they have ignored many Deaf individuals screams for help when they are oppressed, discriminated and unlawful actions such as violating American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Two recent mistakes for National Association of the Deaf was that their president Chris Wagner clearly wasn’t following National Association of the Deaf own mission statement as Chris Wagner made a video where he said that the Deaf community should unify with a Deaf institution Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) who oppressed Deaf individuals while Deaf individuals protests against Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and I wrote an article about it which you can click here to read it. Second one was the very recent when National Association of the Deaf posted a picture with a quote saying that the Deaf individuals should be patient, that it takes an attitude and a time for them to reach a goal of theirs which is having equal access to communication, proper education for Deaf individuals or jobs for Deaf individuals with the hashtag of #NADMM. Because of that picture with a quote posted by National Association of the Deaf (NAD), it angers the Deaf community and at the same time it shows that National Association of the Deaf (NAD) once again forgets why National Association of the Deaf founded in the first place.
National Association of The Deaf.. You!
I am Deaf individual myself, or in medical term I am hard of hearing but I view myself as Deaf individual because I am proud of Deaf culture that I have with Deaf community and shares a very beautiful natural language of our own — American Sign Language. With that being said qualify me to share valid opinions of my own or my view of National Association of the Deaf (NAD) who supposedly to represent for the Deaf community which have miserably failed to do so for many years. You shamed yourselves as an organization in the eyes of Deaf community for unwilling to lend a hand to Deaf individuals when they come asking for some help even if it means a little help but by ignoring that shows that you are elitism where you only willing to help is if it has a numbers of Deaf individuals in the group or the Deaf individuals that most of you who are on the board are closes to or personally know and not willing to help out a single unknown Deaf individual. For several years now most of you on the board including the president or CEO of National Association of the Deaf (NAD) only care about very one thing and that is your status quo. All what you all are doing at National Association of the Deaf is tarnishing the reputation of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) organization itself by not helping any Deaf individuals who isn’t well-known, showing no activism actions but only for yourselves such as suing NFL team Washington Redskin for not providing Closed Captions per to American with Disabilities Act (ADA) under equal access to communication because one of your board members is a diehard fan of Redskins team and what makes yourselves look bad is not suing NFL themselves which who represents for all 32 NFL teams instead of suing just one NFL team which is Washington Redskins just because one of your board members favorite NFL team is Washington Redskins.
What about proper education for the future Deaf children? Nothing. Deaf jobs? No thanks. What about internet providers such as Sudden Link Communications and Comcast for violating American with Disabilities Act under equal access to communication by adding data cap which that limits Deaf individuals for their freedom in use of video relay service since their video phones requires internet connection while the hearing individuals have no caps on their landline service for their phones therefore they have the freedom in use of communication? No thank you… Really? Okay. How about demanding the white house administrations media team to add closed captions for their videos on their Facebook page since I am sure that you have heard of the #WHccNow movement by Braam Jordaan? Thank you but no.. What? Okay.
National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was founded to fight for all of these for the Deaf individuals but now you are not doing what National Association of the Deaf was mean to do when they founded in the first place. If that is all you do is ignoring most of Deaf individuals screams for help then I urgently suggest that you remove the mission statement and the vision on National Association of the Deaf page. While you are at that, change the name of the organization to something such as National Association of the Hearing or National Association of the… Nothing. Or better yet resign yourselves and let Deaf individuals who believes in the National Association of the Deaf statement and the vision that National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was set for. I believe I can speak for many of Deaf individuals that it is enough and that we are tired of the lies that we were put up with most of you at National Association of the Deaf (NAD).
Sincerely… Wait you honestly think I am going to be sincere after all what you all have done? I beg differ.
~ Joshie.
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