Release Notes

The Past, The Present, The Future: Highlights from the 2009 MDAD Conference

Directions to Hood College
Click here for direction
Online Maps

Registration
The MDAD registration committee will not be accepting any online payments. At-door registration will be accepted starting at 8am on Friday, July 24.

The Elections Committee is seeking motivated, passionate candidates to make a difference for the Maryland Deaf Community!

MDAD is an organization whose mission statement is to safeguard, maintain, and advance the civic, educational, and social welfare of people who are deaf and hard of hearing in the state of Maryland. The MDAD membership includes deaf and hard of hearing people; hearing parents; hearing children of deaf adults; and professionals working with deaf people, all working together to support and learn from one another.

To make this short and simple, we need exciting and dynamic people like you on the board!  It would be great if you have had experience serving on a non-profit board, fundraising, and community service.  But if these do not apply, your energy and passion for the deaf community are just what we need!

Positions available are:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Board Member at Large

Description for each position can be found in the Article V of the Bylaws (http://www.mdad.tv/files/bylaws.pdf). The MDAD conference (www.mdadconference.org) is to be held July 24-25, 2009 at Hood College but you are highly recommended to apply now to throw your hat in the ring! The elections will take place during the MDAD business meeting on July 25th!

Please contact Edna at im4asl@yahoo.com to submit your nominations today!

MDAD Conference

About MDAD Conference: Check out the conference website at MDAD Conference 2009 to see the complete schedule of events and bios of the presenters.

About MDAD: Check out the MDAD website at MDAD and be sure to come back often; information will be updated over time.

This year will host in the 41st biennial conference for MDAD. The conference will be held at Hood College in Frederick, MD from July 24th to July 25th.  The conference promises to be exciting and educational, unifying a community of diverse backgrounds to form a new future for deaf people of Maryland.

Behind the scenes, MDAD has been hard at work to ensure that Deaf people in Maryland are not left behind.  During the last decade, for instance, Maryland has come a long way to recognize American Sign Language as a language and provide credit for secondary school students. Since the advent of the Maryland Relay Service in the early 90’s, technology has developed rapidly to allow more people than ever before to communicate with each other. With the economic woes happening, MDAD has been hard at work to ensure that budgets for programs serving the deaf are not cut and to keep ODHH a viable department for Marylanders.

As the theme for the conference “The Past... The Present... The Future...” shows, our community needs to build a pipeline by honoring the past, working on the present, and creating a future for the continuity of the community in Maryland. Dr. James Tucker, Superintendent of Maryland School of the Deaf will speak at the Opening Ceremony at 9am, on July 24, 2009.

During the conference on Friday and Saturday, MDAD will explore the history of Deaf identity, celebrate the successes and remember the hardships in our community, understand how technology impacts our future, and discuss the future of the Maryland Deaf community through various workshops and meetings.

Not to worry, we will have merriment and pleasures with the Miss Deaf MD pageant on Friday night from 7 to 9 and entertainment will be provided on Saturday night with what promises to be exhilarating performances by deaf performers.

Come visit the exhibitors on Friday and Saturday to learn about what’s new out there and to support many deaf-friendly businesses. These businesses and non-profit organizations are what keeps MDAD strong and preserves the future for all Deaf Marylanders.

Announcements

Volunteers Wanted

Please contact Elisa Bennie-Valles and Lenore Swartzwelder if you are interested in volunteering for 2009 MDAD conference.

Under Registration: Registration

Under Program Schedule: TBA

Under Workshops: Program

Under Hospitality: Hospitality

Hotel: Hotel

Hood College: Hood College

Directions to Hood College: Direction

Shopping: Hood College is located near the heart of Downtown Frederick. There are many unique shops and small businesses along with incomparable coffeehouses and exceptional restaurants. To explore what Downtown Frederick offers, click on this link, Downtown Frederick.

Transportation: There are cabs and city buses in Frederick, MD. To find out more about services, go to this link, Transportation.