The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was established in 1880 by deaf leaders who

believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to

congregate on issues important to them, and to have its interests represented at the

national level. These beliefs remain true to this day, with American Sign Language as a

core value. As a nonprofit federation, the mission of the NAD is to preserve, protect, and

promote the civil, human, and linguistic rights of deaf and hard of hearing individuals in

the United States of America. The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering the

breadth of a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of early intervention,

education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth

leadership, and more.

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is the nation's premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and

hard of hearing individuals in the United States of America. Established in 1880, the NAD was shaped by deaf leaders

who believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to congregate on issues important to

them and to have its interests represented at the national level. These beliefs remain true to this day, with American

Sign Language as a core value. The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering a lifetime and impacting future

generations in the areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications,

youth leadership, and more – improving the lives of millions of deaf and hard of hearing Americans. The NAD also

carries out its federal advocacy work through coalition efforts with specialized national deaf and hard of hearing

organizations, as well as coalitions representing national cross-disability organizations.

The NAD values deaf and hard of hearing Americans with diverse perspectives, experiences, and abilities. We embrace diversity and inclusiveness as core values in achieving our mission. It is the philosophy of the NAD that diversity encompasses a wide range of human abilities and perspectives. The NAD is committed to building and maintaining an inclusive environment where differences of opinions, beliefs, and values are sought, respected, and valued.

The NAD recognizes that American Sign Language (ASL) is the backbone of the American deaf culture. The NAD values the acquisition, usage and preservation of ASL and is a recognized leader in promoting the acquisition, learning, teaching, and interpreting of ASL. The NAD was created in part to promote and preserve ASL as a legitimate language and an optimal educational tool for deaf children and adults.

For more information, please visit:  www.nad.org.

The NAD was established in 1880 by deaf leaders who believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to congregate on issues important to them, and to have its interests represented at the national level. These beliefs remain true to this day.

Early achievements by the NAD, such as securing the right to federal civil service employment and the right to drive a car, are sometimes overshadowed by the continuing and constant struggle for equal access and equal opportunities to education, employment, health care, and justice.  

Federal civil rights laws play an important role in achieving equal access and equal opportunities nationwide.  The NAD was actively engaged in the passage of key civil rights laws, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.  Today, the NAD is actively engaged in the passage of other key civil rights laws, such as the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.  The NAD also engages in national public policy development through a wide range of activities, including engagement in the regulatory process of federal agencies and the pursuit of enforcement actions through agencies and the courts.

Here you will find information about federal civil rights laws and regulations and how those laws apply to a wide range of entities and ensure the rights of the deaf and hard of hearing community to equal access, equal opportunities, and effective communication.

Developments in the field of linguistics and an emerging body of research in education have validated the historical views of the NAD on ASL and its value in the education of deaf and hard of hearing children. The inherent capability of children to acquire ASL should be recognized and used to enhance their cognitive, academic, social, and emotional development. Accordingly, the NAD supports the bilingual approach for deaf and hard of hearing children. Deaf and hard of hearing children must have the right to receive early and full exposure to ASL as a primary language, along with English. Studies have shown that when deaf and hard of hearing children are exposed to ASL at an early age, they are given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

For these children to truly benefit, we encourage people to become fluent and skilled users, teachers, and interpreters of ASL. Moreover, we welcome everyone to experience learning and using ASL. We believe that ASL is beneficial to all people, of all ages.

We value ASL. We hope you do, too.