Note: You can look at original letter and as well as vlog at their
website,
please go to http://blogs.nad.org/president/?p=14
February 7, 2008
Karen Youdelman, President
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
3417 Volta Place, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Dear President Youdelman,
On behalf of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Board of
Directors, staff, members, and supporters, I am responding to the
recent letter that you wrote to PepsiCo representing the Alexander
Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AGBell).
Specifically, I want to express our disappointment.
In 1880, the NAD was established by deaf leaders who believed in the
right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to
congregate on issues important to them, and to have its interests
represented at the national level. These beliefs remain true to this
day, with American Sign Language (ASL) as a core value. As a
consumer-based nonprofit federation, the mission of the NAD is to
promote, protect, and preserve the civil, human, and linguistic
rights of deaf Americans.
The NAD represents children and adults who are deaf, hard of hearing,
late deafened, or deaf-blind. We welcome all people who value ASL, and
we promote opportunities for the acquisition and use of ASL in
addition to English in its various forms, with or without the use of
hearing technologies, to enable successful participation in all
aspects of American society, including the deaf community.
We are disappointed with the negative tone of your letter and obvious
lack of respect for deaf people who use ASL. We are also sensitive to
the fact that many members of the AGBell deaf and hard of hearing
section know and use ASL. We find it deplorable that AGBell continues
to perpetuate the myth that the use of ASL isolates deaf people from
mainstream society, a stereotype that is far from the truth. We know
that this is not the first time that AGBell has reacted in this
manner to high-profile use of ASL, which AGBell may perceive as
detracting from its exclusive focus on speaking and listening. As
such, we are not surprised that AGBell continues to close its eyes to
successful deaf ASL users as positive role models.
In the view of the NAD, every deaf person has a unique place in
American society, with basic human rights with respect to identity,
cultural affiliation, and self-expression. This viewpoint, with
emphasis on diversity and inclusiveness, forms the foundation for our
existence as an organization and as a community.
We expect the same respect from AGBell on behalf of the community we
represent.
Sincerely,
Bobbie Beth Scoggins
President
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