The host committee of Maryland Association of the Deaf (MDAD) and Frederick Association for the Deaf (FAD) are very excited and proud to have the conference at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.  The conference begins on July 24th at 9:00 a.m. with Dr. James Tucker as the keynote speaker.  He will be kicking off the conference to an exciting start with workshops and presentations starting at 10:30 and continuing to 5:00 p.m.    That night, we will be able to enjoy the Miss Maryland Pageant with what promises to be excellent candidates running for the position.  The next day will wrap up with the Business meeting, President’s luncheon, and forums. 

MDAD, since 1956, has been serving more than 575,000 Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals in the state of Maryland. Growing deaf/hard of hearing populations is quickly changing the face of the communities’ demographics and will transform the arena of politics, business and services in the decades to come. This special population has its own specific communication and cultural issues due to its severity of hearing loss, environmental surroundings, and other factors.

The conference will adhere to the theme, “The Past … the Present … The Future” by bridging across all generations, all kinds of issues and topics, as well as concerns shared by residents of Maryland.

The purposes of the theme are:

• Provide unique opportunities.
• Bridge between different generations.
• Learn and implement strategies to work with various groups of people.
• Develop a stronger relationship among different communities.

The conference strives to bring different issues to the table and to bridge the gaps between the generations.  We will have a great variety of workshops and presentations focusing upon ASL, education, economical issues, and so forth.

We hope to see you there.