National Black Deaf Advocates

News and Events

The Regional System: A New Direction for Black Deaf Advocates

by Pam Lloyd, Committee Chair

When NBDA was founded in the 1980s, the Board of Directors was composed of a representative from each chapter as well as the elected NBDA officers. However, with the rapid growth of chapters impacting the increasing number of board members, it must be understood that a board of over 25 people severely limits effective productivity and is financially disastrous to the operations of the NBDA as a whole.

In 1999, the regional system was first presented at the general meeting in Houston, TX. Members voted to support this concept but needed further details. The committee, which includes Tom Samuels, Kristi Merriweather, Richard McCowin, and Jerry Webster, has worked long hours to prepare a feasible plan for implementation.

The Purpose of the Regional System

The primary goals of the Regional Systems are:

to save money for NBDA & all BDA chapters
to increase productivity at national board meetings
to promote leadership development on local/regional levels
to develop programs which focuses on education and advocacy
to promote better interaction, communication and cooperation
between the NBDA and BDA chapters.

How the Regional System Will Work

NBDA Regional System (in alphabetical order)
Eastern Regional (eight)	DC Area BDA, Philadelphia BDA, New York BDA, Rochester BDA, New Jersey BDA, Boston BDA, Delaware BDA, North Virginia BDA (Pending- Baltimore BDA)
Midwestern Regional (seven)	Cleveland BDA, Chicagoland BDA, Detroit BDA, Indianapolis BDA, Columbus* BDA, Dayton* BDA, St. Paul/Minnesota BDA (Pending: Kentucky BDA, St. Louis BDA; Future possibility- Kansas City BDA)
Southern Regional (seven)	Atlanta BDA, Nashville BDA, Memphis BDA, Jackson, Mississippi* BDA, South Carolina BDA, North Carolina BDA, Virgin Islands BDA (Future possibility- Orlando BDA)
Southwestern Regional (four)	Dallas BDA, Houston BDA, New Orleans BDA, Little Rock BDA (Future possibility- Austin BDA)
Western Regional (four)	Oakland BDA, Los Angeles BDA, Seattle* BDA, Sacramento BDA
* denotes inactive status

The regional system will be divided into five regions. As you will see in the chart at right, each state will be assigned to a specific region. Each region will have a representative that will sit on the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will now be composed of five regional representative and the elected NBDA officers.

Each region will have a bi-annual workshop/ conference with each participating chapter receiving a share of the profits. NBDA will give a one time award of $500 to each region to help with the initial expenses. The regional conferences will occur on even years (2004, 2006, etc.) while NBDA conferences will occur on odd years (2005, 2007, etc.)

The Benefits of Having a Regional System

The mission of NBDA is to “promote the educational, cultural, social and economic advancement of deaf and hard of hearing African Americans.” Currently, the NBDA’s emphasis on annual conferences has distracted us from providing important services for our deaf brothers and sisters who continue to be unemployed, underemployed, lack motivation, and have limited access to positive Black deaf and hard of hearing role models. Looking at the table below, you will see the amount of money used to host meetings and annual conferences. Clearly, with a priority on providing advocacy and education, these funds can be better spent.

The Benefits of the Regional System for BDA chapters and NBDA
Item Description	Current System	Regional System	Cost Savings
Cost to NBDA or host chapter for lodging (hotel) during NBDA Midterm meeting	$3,612 (14 rooms at $129 per night for 2 nights)	$774 (3 rooms at $129 per night for 2 nights)	$2,838
Annual cost for BDA chapters to send delegates to NBDA Midterm and Conference Board meetings	$53,352 (transportation, lodging, and meals)	$0 (transportation, lodging, and meals)	$53,352
Cost of waived Conference combo tickets	$4,050 ($150 for each of the 27 delegates)	$750 ($150 for each of the 5 delegates)	$3,300
NBDA or host chapter savings = $6,138 Combined BDA chapters savings = $53,352 Total Savings = $59,490

New Respresentatives

The election for the five regional representatives was held during the 2004 NBDA Conference. The new board representatives are:

Eastern Region: Laurene Simms, Washington DC

Midwestern Region: Kim WassaneerSt Paul Minnnesota

Southern Region: Marilyn Edwards, North Carolina

Southwestern Region: Glenn Anderson, Arkansas

Western Region: TBD

Originally published in NBDA Connections, Spring/Summer 2004, revised with updated informaton for the web.

Michael E Graziano