ALDA's Beginnings Creates CART ALDAcon ALDA News ALDA Grows Historical Resources

 

WHAT IS ALDA


The Association of Late-Deafened Adults is about communication and acceptance of every deafened individual. Some people lip-read, some sign, some use hearing aids, some have cochlear implants, and some need to have others write down what they are saying - and at ALDA all the above is okay! ALDA's official communication philosophy is "Whatever works, works!" What is most important about ALDA is that there are no membership restrictions, no ties to a specific mode of communication. ALDA reaches out to deafened individuals regardless of age of onset who are seeking their place as a deafened person. ALDA gives late-deafened adults a chance to mingle without being uncomfortable about their deafness and - perhaps for the first time - a chance to confront and accept their deafness (Deaf Life, May 1991). ALDA also provides a place for deaf/hearing couples to socialize with other couples who are facing similar communication issues. While many couples stop socializing when one spouse loses their hearing, couples find a comfortable place at ALDA to socialize where communication is easier. (ALDAcon 2006 Proceedings/Bill Graham).

ALDA'S BEGINNINGS


In 1985 in Chicago, Kathie Skyer Hering, a deafened social worker, facilitated a time-limited support group for late-deafened adults that met for a several weeks and then disbanded. Bill Graham, one of the members of that support group, did not want to see it end. In 1987, Bill hosted a pizza party in his apartment that thirteen adventurous late-deafened adults attended and before long, the group felt this overwhelming sense of joy at being able to fit in regardless of the fact that they had different communication needs. Some had never met each other before. Some did not know how to sign, and realtime captioning (CART) did not yet exist. They had never before experienced a place where asking someone to repeat or to speak slowly, or the act of pushing a pencil and paper in front of someone, was not met with a rolling of the eyes. The party was a hit. Everyone communicated! There were more parties - pool parties, house parties, and so ALDA began!

CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) (Insert picture "Captioned Board Mtg 1999")


In the beginning, there was no realtime captioning. There was typing paper with carbon paper, and copies passed around at the support group every five minutes so that everyone could understand what was said. Believe it or not, it worked. Then Steve Wilhelm, one of the first members of ALDA, had an epiphany. Steve discovered a way to hook up a television to a computer that a hearing typist used and the result was - ALDA Crude! The typist keyed what was being said, and the words magically appeared on the TV screen. Thus was the beginning of the first realtime captioning. The second step was to use court reporters, and Jerry Miller - then President of the National Shorthand Reporters Association - became involved. Volunteer court reporters captioned for ALDA meetings. This was a win-win situation as the court reporters donated their time to help ALDA, and at the same time they created a new niche for their services. Regardless, the court reporters then, and the captioners and interpreters today, have become our heroes.

ALDAcon


The creation of CART was a major innovation and led to the success of the first ALDA Leadership Workshop, ALDAcon I, in 1989, at Saint Mary's hospital in Chicago. There were problems, of course, with the first realtime captioning of a conference, but it was the start of new technology and a very exciting time. During the second ALDAcon, also in Chicago, each workshop had both realtime captioning and a sign language interpreter. The rest is history.

Marylyn Howe, who founded the second official chapter of ALDA in Boston and became a driving force in ALDA, organized the first Karaoke Night at an ALDAcon, which has now become a tradition at every ALDAcon. Bill Graham said in his speech at ALDAcon 2006, reminiscing about that first Karaoke Night in Boston, "That was one of the most powerful memories of all for me, standing on that stage and singing "If I Had A Hammer" with Marylyn, Jerry Barnhart, Steve Larew, and all my brothers and sisters. Wow, that was precious. I cried then, I really did, and I still get weepy thinking about it. A powerful moment, unforgettable, and it happens every year at the "con..."

Academic and industry leaders, such as Drs. I. King Jordan and Robert Davila from Gallaudet University, and Dr. Alan Hurwitz from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, are honored guests at ALDAcon. Professionals as well as knowledgeable ALDAns in the fields of hearing and telecommunication technology, service animals, self-help and coping mechanisms, interpersonal relationships, and much more facilitate workshops.

People come to make new friends and reconnect with old ones. Testimonials are given. People laugh and cry. It is an emotional and cleansing experience. The conference is rejuvenating and empowering. It reminds us who we are and that we are not alone. No one is the same afterward. No one wants to be the same afterward.

ALDA NEWS


Bill Graham began writing a monthly newsletter to everyone who attended the parties in the beginning, which then introduced more people to the fledgling organization. It began as a way to connect people in between the social events. Bill wrote the newsletter to tell stories about deafness that people could relate to or laugh at. Soon, requests for information about the organization came in from deafened individuals and from other organizations wanting to know about ALDA. More than 150 people were on the mailing list a year after the newsletter was created (Gallaudet Today). The newsletter became ALDA News, the member's link to ALDA. For many people, ALDA News is the reason they stay committed to ALDA.

How can a newsletter be so powerful? The articles range from the informative to the whimsical. They can teach about advocacy, talk about services for people with hearing loss, share personal stories, or be about something as impressionable as Bill Graham's wife's nose or Randall Canote's hat. The articles all relate to deafness, and we all relate to the articles. ALDA News is us!

ALDA GROWS


Forty-two people attended the first ALDAcon from all over the United States and Canada (ALDA Notes #1) who wanted to start chapters. The following year, there were 300 attendees. Interest in ALDA has been growing ever since. Today, ALDA is an international organization with members throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. Its members are from various economic, racial, religious, age, and occupational groups. As Bill Graham says, ALDA's diversity is one of its greatest strengths.

ALDA strives, as it continues to grow, to provide education, role models and support for late-deafened adults. ALDA also advocates on behalf of late-deafened adults in promoting public and private programs that support their needs, and encourages research into the various aspects of late-deafness.