My Presentation
at
the October 18, 2009 Meeting
of
Northwest Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf
(NWRAD)

McMenamins Kennedy School
Portland, Oregon

Loosely translated from American Sign Language
 

Good morning, President.

My name is Carl Schroeder. Yes, I'm Deaf. Our general society expects that if I am different, I must tell about it. I'm different because I am first Deaf, anything beyond my being Deaf is of little import.

Two weeks ago I was elected president of the Oregon Association of the Deaf (OAD), an organization founded in 1921. During my term, I have committed to building a working relationship with various agencies and organization serving the Deaf. I have viewed my election as a call for change within OAD. John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the U.S., once said: Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. As OAD president, I am here to reflect this change for the future of the Deaf in Oregon.

I believe firmly that OAD and NWRAD do have four aspects in common: cultural, political, legal, and philosophical. I would like to elaborate each of them here.