The 2007 Biennial Texas Association of the Deaf (TAD) Conference will be held on June 21-23, 2007 at the Hilton Hotel in Arlington, Texas.

The theme of the conference is “Unity Today For A Better Tomorrow.”

Kathy Walters, along with co-chair Byron Bridges, perceive that this conference will be a dynamic and fascinating one! She strongly feels that this conference will help Deaf and hard of hearing Texans to enhance the quality of their lives.

The conference will begin Thursday afternoon, June 21st, with a TAD board meeting, registration, and exhibition set-up. Afterwards the conference attendees are free to go to the nearby theme parks; i.e. Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor, & the Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum. Other activities will be announced later.

On the 22nd, Friday, workshops will be all day, from 9:00 a.m. till 4:00 p.m., and the President’s Reception will be held that night.

On the 23rd, Saturday, in the morning there will be a workshop given by Libby Pollard who will present “The ABC’s of Parliamentary Procedures.” During the afternoon, the TAD General meeting and elections will commence.

The conference will wind down that night with an Awards Banquet, with Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins as the keynote speaker. Entertainment will be provided as well as the awards presentation.

We are fortunate to have some wonderful speakers for our conference confirmed. They are Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, Tim Rarus, Dr. Glenn Anderson, Dr. Gertie Galloway, Heather Bise, John Cage, Helene Cohen-Gilbert, and Libby Pollard.

Some of the topics that are confirmed so far are” “Compiling a History of Black Deaf People Before and After Integration: A Model for State Associations and NBDA Chapters” (Anderson), “Life Does Not Stop After Retirement” (Galloway), “Using VRS Effectively” (Cohen-Gilbert). Also Tim Rarus will be presenting on the Deaf Protest Now (DPN), at Gallaudet, 18 years ago and today.

In addition to the Co-Chairs, the rest of the 2007 Conference Committee includes: Marianne Sasseen (Workshops / CEU’s), Ovi Velasquez (Volunteers / Program Book), Jody Dunn (Silent Auction / Door Prizes), April Roberts (Hospitality), Jack Rosenthal (Treasurer/Budget), Cathy Edler (Exhibits), & Ann Horn (Registration).

For more information about the TAD Conference please contact Kathy Walters at laddykat127@aol.com