Deaf Asian People and Organizations

1. Deaf Asian People and Organizations Transition Services Preparation & Training

2. National Asian Deaf Congress Formed in 1994, NADC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to define and address the cultural, political and social issues experienced by the Asian Deaf Community. NADC is strengthened by the diversity of its chapters and the members within them, who come from various geographic regions and generations and have a number of different languages, religions, and cultures. NADC also strives to provide education, empowerment, and leadership to its respective members and chapters. NADC has seven chapters located in different regions around the country to facilitate members a little closer to home. Transition Services Preparation & Training

3. Greater Washington Asian Deaf Association Developed in 1994, GWADA became the 1st chapter of the NADC and serves Asian deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals around the Washington D. C. area. Through social activities and monthly meetings, the GWADA attempts to create cultural awareness within Asian culture, Deaf culture, and the local community. Transition Services Preparation & Training

4. Bay Area Asian Deaf Association Developed in 1995, BAADA became the 2nd chapter of NADC, advocating for and serving the needs of Asian people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the northern part of California, near San Francisco. They promote important issues, enhance recognition of achievement, and empower individuals to develop self- esteem. Through various events such as the Chinese New Year and Japanese Cherry Bloom Festival, the BAADA attempts to enrich Asian Deaf traditions and culture as well as promote and support the family and community. BAADA will host the 2007 Conference of the National Asian Deaf Congress in San Francisco from June 30 - July 4, 2007. Transition Services Preparation & Training

5. Other NADC Chapters There are 3 other NADC Chapters which do not have websites. • The Asian Deaf Association of New England was established on November 5, 1998 and is located in Boston, Massachusetts. • The Deaf of the Pacific Rim was established on October 14, 1999 and is located in Honolulu, Hawaii. • The Chicagoland Asian Deaf Association was established in August of 2000 and is located in Chicago, Illinois. Transition Services Preparation & Training

6. Southern California Asian Deaf Association Originally established in September of 1999, the Los Angeles Asian Deaf and Hard of Hearing Association (LADHA) became the 4th chapter of NADC. The name was changed to SCADA in 2003 when members were coming from various locations in southern California. “The mission of the SCADA is to encourage Asian Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to explore and address cultural, educational, political, social, and economical issues, such as upward mobility and equal employment opportunities.” The organization helps the Asian Deaf and Hard of Hearing community to share and celebrate their history and traditions, become empowered, develop their leadership potential, promote collaborative relationships and alliances, and foster networking. Transition Services Preparation & Training

7. Metropolitan Asian Deaf Association MADA, was established in 2002, becoming the 7th and most recent chapter of the NADC, serving the New York and New Jersey area. It is an organization by, of, and for Asian Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing men and women, focusing on multiculturalism, advocacy, education and outreach. Through workshops, social activities, and community service projects, MADA’s goals are to advocate, educate, and network within the Asian Deaf Community. Transition Services Preparation & Training

8. Asian Deaf Women’s Association The ADWA is a charity organization which provides support for Asian D/deaf women and mothers with Deaf/Hard of Hearing children who live in London. It was established in 1992 to encourage Asian D/deaf women to become less isolated and more independent. It assists women to realize their full potential to lead fulfilling lives. Supports include: basic skills in math and English; training courses in life, health and personal skills; workshops; Deaf awareness; cultural events; social activities; peer support; and youth services. Transition Services Preparation & Training

9. Asian Clubs on College Campuses Asian clubs are offered for students at two of the main universities for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students. The Asian Deaf Club is located at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) and the Asian Pacific Association is at Gallaudet University in Washington D. C. The clubs offer many events on these campuses to raise awareness of Asian culture, such as cookouts, chopstick eating contests, Korean movies, and learning Vietnamese sign language. Both clubs have been active for over 10 years and hold meetings on campus open to all students and faculty. Transition Services Preparation & Training

10. Asian American Deaf Church They are a few churches set up around the country focusing on the Asian Deaf culture and many Asian churches that offer services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. There are a plethora of different religious places of worship for different ethnic background located all across the US: Korean, Pilipino, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese. Asian-American Deaf Church Seoul Catholic Association for the Deaf Transition Services Preparation & Training

11. Dr. Steven Chough Dr. Steven Chough was born in South Korea and graduated in 1950 from the Seoul National School for the Deaf and immediately began teaching at the Taegu Christian School for the Deaf and Blind.  Dr. Chough is profoundly deaf and is well known as the first deaf person in the United States to obtain a Master’s of Science degree in social work. He worked as a social worker in New Mexico, Texas, New York City, Minnesota and Michigan, where he fought for the advancement of deaf people such as rehabilitation, counseling, and educational services. He then joined Gallaudet University as teacher advisor, and administrator, including Dean of Student Affairs. After retiring in 1997, he has continued to teach at both Gallaudet University and George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Transition Services Preparation & Training

12. Elaine Kam Elaine Kam was born and raised in Manila, Philippines and became deaf when she was a baby due to nerve damage. When she was eleven years old, her entire family moved to America. Elaine attended Gallaudet University and became involved in the Asian Pacific Association which led her to be involved with the NADC. She graduated in 2002 with a degree in Deaf Studies and later entered the National Asian Deaf Pageant, winning and becoming Miss NADC from 2004-2007. Transition Services Preparation & Training

13. Fat Lam Fat Lam grew up in Hong Kong, China and became a carpenter after becoming deaf at age 10. He came to the United States to attend Gallaudet University where he received his bachelor’s degree. He later received his master’s and doctoral degree. He is currently a math professor at Gallaudet University. He has returned to China a number of times to protest for democracy. Transition Services Preparation & Training

14. Eiichi Mitsui Eiichi Mitsui is Japanese and comes from a family of potters. He graduated from the Kanazawa Arts and Crafts University with a degree in ceramics. Eiichi Mitsui and his wife, Nariko Mitsui, who are both deaf, won the 2005 Laurent Clerc Cultural Fund (LCCF) Edward Miner Gallaudet Award for “recognition of national or international leaders for promoting the well-being of deaf people”. Eiichi is well known for his Kutani-style porcelain, a kind of painted pottery. Kutani porcelain was made from about 1650-1700 in Japan. “His works are excellent representations of the characteristics of old Kutani”. He has donated a collection of his works to the National Technical Institute of the Deaf (NTID). He has a pottery business in Japan that specializes in old Kutani-style. The majority of people he hires are deaf and his wife is in charge of the business aspect of the company. Transition Services Preparation & Training

15. Cynthia Plue Cynthia Plue was born in Hawaii and is of Chinese descent. She was Miss Deaf Ohio from 1989-1991. She became the president of the NADC from 2000-2004. She is currently an assistant professor at Northern Illinois University. She “is primarily concerned with the history, literacy, and policy issues of Deaf Education. In addition, she is interested in the culture, language, identity, and technology access issues among the Deaf community and related issues.” Transition Services Preparation & Training

16. Amy Wong Amy Wong was born deaf in Indonesia. It was difficult to get good schooling there, but her parents were able to find a tutor and her family started learning ASL. She moved to Canada when she was 11 and then to California when she was 14. Amy Wong was the first Asian-American Miss Deaf America; she held that title from 1998-2000. She is currently attending California State University at Northridge and majoring in Fine Arts and Animation and is an ambassador for the National Association of the Deaf. She would like to “pursue a career in the art field, whether it’s related to movie productions or book illustrations.” Transition Services Preparation & Training

17. John Yeh John Yeh and his family moved from Taiwan in 1962, when he was 15, so that he and his sister, who are both deaf, could receive a better education. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Gallaudet University and then his master’s in computer science at another college. He wanted to be a mathematics teacher but faced many obstacles because he was deaf, and therefore decided to found a software company with his brother called Integrated Microcomputer Systems, Inc. (IMS). IMS did very well and received many awards. They sold the company in 1994, but two years later John founded Viable Technologies, Inc., which offers real-time captioning transcription services to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. He is also chairman of Webbynation which is the parent company of deafbuy.com and DeafNation. He has served on boards such as the National Captioning Institute, the National Asian Deaf Congress, and the National Deaf Business Institute. Transition Services Preparation & Training

18. Asian Sign Language Each Asian country has it’s own sign language, many being very different from each other. Each language is obviously used in that specific country, but over time has been brought to America by immigrants. Although they did not influence the development of American Sign Language, many families continued to communicate through their native sign language within their own homes or in small groups. Many forms of different Asian Sign Language have specific features that make them easy to distinguish from other forms of sign language. For example, Chinese Sign Language uses wiggling fingers as a formational element in many of its words and Korean Sign Language uses handshape morphemes which function as a marker for gender. Transition Services Preparation & Training

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25. References • National Asian Deaf Congress: http://www.nadc-usa.org/ • Greater Washington Asian Deaf Association : http://www.gwada-metrodc.org/ • Metropolitan Asian Deaf Association: http://www.mada-nynj.org/ • Southern California Asian Deaf Association: http://www.dcsofsd.org/community_resources/organizations/SCADA_brochure3.pdf • Bay Area Asian Deaf Association: http://www.baada.org/What.htm • Elaine Kam: http://www.nadc-usa.org/elaine.html • Asian Deaf Club at RIT: http://www.rit.edu/~adc/Asian Deaf Women’s Association: http://adwa.uk.tripod.com/ • Amy Wong: http://www.deaflife.com/feature/amy_wong.html • John Yeh: http://www.ntac.hawaii.edu/products/Vol5%20SuccessBriefs/SSB-Vol5-Iss01-JohnYeh.pdf • Steven Chough: http://www.naswfoundation.org/pioneers/c/chough.htm • Fat Lam: http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/WorldAroundYou/jan-feb98/fat.html • Eiichi Mitsui http://artoncampus.rit.edu/artist/113/ • Cynthia Plue: http://www.nadc-usa.org/ex_officio.html Transition Services Preparation & Training