WAD News
WAD Roundtable Conference will be held at SLAD Clubhouse on November 19, 2011 from 10am-5pm
Everyone is invited to attend! Flyer will be posted soon!
Afflilates are invited to send a representative to Roundtable Conference. If your organization is not yet an affiliate and want to be affiliate, please contact Tom Harbison at membershipwad@gmail.com
July 5, 2011
The Wisconsin Association of the Deaf (WAD) hosted its 52nd Biennial Conference at the Tundra Lodge in Green Bay on June 16-18. Over 100 people attended the conference! The conference included workshops, business meetings, the Lambeau Field Experience and the Awards Banquet/Miss Deaf Wisconsin Ambassador Pageant.
Throughout the conference, attendees participated in the WAD business meetings giving them the opportunity to discuss concerns and propose action items for the WAD Board members to work on over the next two years. Some action items include focusing on preserving state jobs that serve the deaf community, including ODHH Regional Coordinators. Workshops were provided on Friday and Saturday, which covered a variety of topics including hospice care, international travel, Internet safety and building a signing community. The conference attendees enjoyed the variety of workshop topics.
In closing the conference, an Awards Banquet and Miss Deaf Wisconsin Ambassador pageant took place on Saturday, June 18th. President Jenny Buechner presented awards to several individuals for their dedication to the Wisconsin deaf community.
Thomas Benziger was recognized for his participation on committees concerning mental health services for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, as well as WAD’s Legislative Relations committee.
Carol Schweitzer was recognized for her commitment and dedication of ensuring deaf and hard of hearing children across Wisconsin receive appropriate educational services including interpreters in the classroom to comply with students’ Individual Educational Plans (IEP). Carol also advocated for enhancements on mental health services for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Ted Trenkamp was recognized for his excellence in participating in a number of activities for WAD, as well as the Madison Association of the Deaf (MAD). Ted served on the board as treasurer for both organizations, as well as chair of the fundraising committee for the WAD. Ted has utmost commitment in participating in various activities for a number of organizations including working at Brat Fest during Memorial weekend and coordinating the concessions stand at most of the University of Wisconsin’s football and women’s basketball games.
Tom Harbison was recognized for his dedication within the Wisconsin deaf community by serving on various organizations including Wisconsin School for the Deaf (WSD) Foundation and WAD. While serving on the WAD Board, he helped revive the Round Table Conference, a vital opportunity for affiliate organizations to meet and discuss concerns affecting the Wisconsin deaf community.
David Binning was presented with the Member of the Year award. As a new member of the Wisconsin community, relocating from Arizona just two years ago, he has already been a very active member within the WAD. He supported the board members by taking on tasks as requested by the board, and offered advice with his experience as past president of the North Carolina Association of the Deaf. David also co-chaired the Deaf Awareness Fest (DAF), hosted in Milwaukee on September 25, 2010.
IndependenceFirst was presented with the Affiliate of the Year award for their continuous support of the Wisconsin deaf community. IndependenceFirst offers programs that serve the deaf and hard of hearing community including Face to Face and AODA Project (Alcohol or Other Drug Abuse). IndependenceFirst also provided WAD with support by being an organizational member, affirming their support for our actions on the legislative front, as well as promoting independence for deaf people across Wisconsin. IndependenceFirst also supported various events hosted by WAD, including Deaf Awareness Fest (DAF) and the 2011 Biennial WAD Conference.
Katy Schmidt received the Meritorious Award for her commitment with WAD. Katy serves as secretary on the WAD board, keeping everyone accountable for their action items in between board meetings. She served on a variety of committees in organizing events for the WAD. Katy was the driving force in the success of many events including ASL Weekend in 2010, Deaf Awareness Fest (DAF) and the 2011 Biennial WAD Conference.
After the awards were presented, the Miss Deaf Wisconsin Ambassador Pageant took place. There was one official contestant, Kate Skarda originally from Green Bay, now from Madison. She is a 2009 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Art History. Her platform emphasized the inclusion of deaf art in mainstream society.
In order to be crowned as Miss Deaf Wisconsin Ambassador, Kate had to achieve a score of 70% or higher. However, she wasn’t the only person in the pageant, because four male contestants, Jairo “Johny” Tinoco, David Binning, Peter “PJ” Liberski, and Jeff Bronk competed for the title of Mr. WAD. After a great pageant of 5 talented individuals, David Binning was given the title of Mr. WAD and Kate Skarda was crowned as Miss Deaf Wisconsin Ambassador. Kate Skarda will now advance to the 2012 Miss Deaf America pageant in Louisville, KY in July 2012.
The 2013 WAD Conference will be held in Madison. Further details will be posted on Wisdeaf.org when available.
Please contact president Jenny Buechner with questions or comments at PresidentWAD@gmail.com.