FEATURE
Why Join the NAD Board? BY AMY GOMME, STEVE HAMERDINGER, LIZ HILL, AND KEVIN RYAN
Picture yourself at a baseball field watching your favorite team play and not being able to understand what is being said over the speakers about the player who just struck out. You sigh in frustration when you see the coach come out of the dug out with his hands waving frantically at the referee. You see your neighboring fans “booing” the referee with their hands. You’re unable to have the same full fan experience as your hearing peers. You realize you’re not enjoying the game at the fullest capacity. This is the constant experience of many deaf people, not just at baseball games, but also throughout life. We’re frustrated when there’s no closed captions on planes when we watch movies, when there’s no interpreters for emergency announcements, when there’s VRIs provided instead of in-person interpreters at hospitals, and when we’re trying to excel at interviews with potential employers. Do you wish you could make a change? Do you want to be part of a group that could start a revolution? Are you interested in being part of a decision that could be the beginning ripple that becomes a wave of change? This is why we joined the NAD board. 14
While change may not come quickly, it is still important for each of us within the deaf community to step up. While change might not come quickly, it is still important for each of us within the deaf community to step up and say something. Prior to joining the NAD, many of us first got involved with our local state associations or nonprofit organizations. We invested in these groups by being an active member. Such experiences taught us various tools and skills which eventually allowed us to take our next step – to be active as NAD members. As NAD members, we were able to contribute towards a national cause that was for all of us. From there, we decided to run for a position on the NAD Board.
