NAD Co-Sponsors Presidential Candidates Forum:
A National Forum on Equality, Opportunity, and Access
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A News Release from the National Association of the Deaf
October 26, 2007
Contact:
Anita B. Farb
Director, Communications and Operations
National Association of the Deaf
www.nad.org/contactus
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NAD Co-Sponsors Presidential Candidates Forum:
A National Forum on Equality, Opportunity, and Access
Silver Spring, MD – The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is pleased to co-sponsor, “Presidential Candidates Forum: A National Forum on Equality, Opportunity, and Access” in Manchester, NH on Friday, November 2, 2007 at the Radisson Hotel Ballroom Center of New Hampshire, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Co-sponsorship of this event by the NAD is made possible through the support of Hands On Video Relay Service (Hands On VRS), a prominent and growing provider of video relay services and community interpreting for deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
Hands On VRS will live webcast the entire event for free at www.HOVRS.com beginning at 8:30 a.m. EST on November 2. The webcast will be captioned and will show a sign language interpreter. It will also be available as an archived file on the Hands On VRS web site following the event and can be downloaded for free.
The forum will feature live appearances by the presidential candidates and an audience of over 500 New Hampshire voters with disabilities, their families, and their friends. During the forum, each candidate will have an opportunity to present his or her vision for the future of national disability policy and receive questions from the audience through a moderator. Lunchtime keynote addresses from key Democratic and Republican leadership are also planned.
National leaders from the disability community will also be in attendance, including civil rights advocates Ted Kennedy Jr., Tony Coelho, and Cheryl Sensenbrenner. Deaf community representatives who will be attending include Cathy Minch, President of the New Hampshire Association of the Deaf, and Susan Wolf-Downes, Director of Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services. The NAD encourages affiliates and other organizations to host viewing events in their communities.
Click here to download the Webcast Evite (PDF).
National Sponsors:
AARP
ADA Watch
ADAPT
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Easter Seals
Epilepsy Foundation
National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
National Coalition on Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations
National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA)
New England Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America (NEPVA)
Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)
Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE)
Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI)
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)
United Spinal Association
VSA arts
HOSTED BY:
Granite State Independent Living (GSIL)
Co-hosted by:
New Hampshire Developmental Disabilities Council (NH DDC)
New Hampshire Disabilities Rights Center (NH DRC)
New Hampshire Institute on Disability (NH IOD)
New Hampshire Spinal Cord Injury Association
People First of New Hampshire
TASH
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About the NAD
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD), founded in 1880, safeguards the civil rights of deaf and hard of hearing Americans. As a national federation of state associations, individual members, and organizational and corporate affiliates, the advocacy work of the NAD encompasses a broad spectrum of areas including, but not limited to, accessibility, education, employment, healthcare, mental health, rehabilitation, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. The NAD website (http://www.nad.org) has a wealth of advocacy information and resources.
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About Hands On Video Relay Services, Inc.
Hands On is a recognized leader in Video Relay Services throughout the country. The company is the second largest VRS provider in the nation. Hands On VRS has been serving the needs of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community since 1992 when it first established Hands On Sign Language Services, Inc., a community based sign language services agency. The company is committed to removing communication barriers for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals while providing quality services they can rely on. Hands On is a linguistically diverse company that employs both Deaf/Hard of Hearing and hearing employees. More information is available at www.hovrs.com.