Conference @ TSD Empowers Leaders Among Young Deaf Students

TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Keena Miller
Phone: 512-462-5328, cell: 512-658-4444
Email: [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF HOSTS CONFERENCE AIMED TO ADVANCE SKILLS AND
DEVELOP new leaders among young deaf students

STUDENTS FROM 30 SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE ATTEND 22ND JUNIOR NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF THE DEAF CONFERENCE

Austin, Texas – November 4, 2009 Almost 200 participants, from 30 different
schools nationwide – including students, advisors, presenters and special
guests – arrive at the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) today as the 22nd
biennial Junior National Association of the Deaf (Junior NAD) conference
kicks off.

With workshops, presentations and special projects scheduled through
Saturday, students will delve deep to understand the important impact deaf
leaders of the past have had on the deaf community today. One important
project will demonstrate true global citizenship, with the group conspiring
to give back to the central Texas community by joining the Austin Empty Bowl
Project to end hunger, which benefits the Capital Area Food Bank.

Representatives from participating schools compete Friday night in the
Junior NAD Pageant, when Mr. and Miss. Junior NAD 2009-2010 will be crowned.

Other highlights include an Austin Scavenger Hunt for the group Thursday
evening, and a special banquet Saturday night at the Hyatt Regency Austin.

Claira Oberrender, TSD Senior and current President of TSD’s Junior NAD
chapter, opens the conference today at 3:00 pm along with Juan Munoz, TSD’s
Junior NAD Vice President. “Students often feel they do not have a voice on
current issues,” Oberrender notes. “By being a part of Junior NAD,” she
adds, “we are given opportunities that build our confidence and encourage us
to stand up and be heard on any important and controversial matters.”

Students will hear from various leaders from the deaf community throughout
the conference, including Dr. Gertrude S. Galloway who has served as
president of three different national deaf organizations, and Ms. Michelle
Ann Lapides, 2008-2010 Miss Deaf America.

WHAT: The 22nd Biennial Junior National Association of the Deaf (Junior NAD)
Conference and Pageant

WHERE:
Texas School for the Deaf (TSD)
1102 South Congress
Austin, Texas 78704

WHEN: Wednesday-Saturday, November 4-7, 2009
(Complete conference agenda attached)

WHO: Participants from 30 schools nationwide:

American School for the Deaf (Connecticut), Arizona School for the Deaf,
Arkansas School for the Deaf, Austine School for the Deaf (Vermont),
California School for the Deaf–Fremont, California School for the
Deaf–Riverside, Delaware School for the Deaf, Florida School for the Deaf,
Illinois School for the Deaf, Indiana School for the Deaf, John Hersey High
School (Illinois), Kentucky School for the Deaf, The Learning Center for the
Deaf (Massachusetts), Lexington School for the Deaf, Louisiana School for
the Deaf, Maryland School for the Deaf, Minnesota North Star Academy,
Missouri School for the Deaf, Model Secondary School for the Deaf
(Washington D.C.), New Mexico School for the Deaf, Pennsylvania School for
the Deaf, Phoenix Day School for the Deaf, Rhode Island School for the Deaf,
Rochester School for the Deaf, The Scranton School for Deaf &
Hard-of-Hearing Children, South Carolina School for the Deaf, St. Mary’s
School for the Deaf (New York), Texas School for the Deaf, Western
Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and Wisconsin School for the Deaf.

MORE: The Junior NAD is a coalition of individual chapters established in
junior and senior high schools nationwide. As a program of the National
Association of the Deaf (NAD), the Junior NAD offers deaf and hard of
hearing students in 7th through 12th grades, many opportunities to develop
leadership skills, learn and demonstrate citizenship, and meet and interact
with students from other schools and other states. For more about Junior
NAD, visit: http://www.nad.org/junior-nad

For more about the 22nd Junior NAD Conference at TSD, see:
http://www.tsd.state.tx.us/student_life/jrnad_2009

The Texas School for the Deaf (TSD), located in South Austin, is the oldest
continuously operating publicly funded school in Texas. Established by the
Texas legislature in 1857, TSD serves students ages 0-22 and is also an
educational resource center on deafness for deaf and hard of hearing
students, their families and professionals that work with them throughout
the state of Texas. With educational excellence and a strong belief in a
culture and community allowing students to form a unique identity based on
their individual strengths and talents, TSD is an environment where students
learn, grow, and belong. For more information about the Texas School for the
Deaf, visit http://www.tsd.state.tx.us

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