Editorial

EDITORIAL Consumer Organizations National Association of the Deaf As this editorial is being written the most important organization representing deaf people, the National Association of the Deaf (N.A.D.) is having its convention and its election of a president and other officers. Since the tragic death of past Executive Director, Fred Schreiber in 1979, the N.A.D. has faced a decline in the effectiveness of its overall role in serving deaf people. This has been due, in part, to financial mistakes, but it goes deeper than this. Without the genius of Fred Schreiber and despite the deep commitment and positive intentions of subsequent leaders, efficiency and foresight have been lacking. In the face of these problems , its role in the Gallaudet University protest, the political follow-up of the protest and the N.A.D.'s gradually improving financial situation represent significant recent progress. We hope the leaders elected at the 1988 convention will return the N.A.D. to the high national and international status it attained under Fred Schreiber. For deaf people, such success is crucial. Self Help for the Hard of Hearing (Shhh) While the N.A.D. has struggled, Self Help for the Hard of Hearing (Shhh), under its dynamic leader, Rocky Stone, has made amazing progress. Shhh's membership and financial resources have grown steadily. Its journal is outstanding and its political effectiveness is exceptional. Mr. Stone and his colleagues have also shown remarkable farsightedness . Rather than jumping from one crisis to another , much like the Dutch boy putting his finger in holes in the dike, Shhh has developed meaningful long-range goals and plans. American Association of the Deaf-Blind, Inc. (A.A.D.B.) Persons who suffer both a hearing and a visual loss are the third of the trio of consumer groups of the hearing impaired . The American Association of the Deaf-Blind, Inc., (A.A.D.B.) is their organization. Under President Roderick MacDonald, A.A.D.B. has made amazing progress over the decade. Because deaf-blindness makes communication, mobility , fund raising, leadership development and all that goes into molding a successful organization more difficult, A.A.D.B.'s political impact has been more modest than that of its counterparts Shhh and the N.A.D. Like the other two organizations, A.A.D.B.'s maximum growth and effectiveness has taken place under the reign of a remarkable leader. Fortunately, the N.A.D., Shhh and A.A.D.B. have had cooperative, if not intimate, working relationships. We need powerful consumer organizations if the interests of hearingimpaired people, including those who are blind, are to be met. Ultimately, it is they more than anyone else, including professionals, who know and care about the needs of their members. Commission on the Education of the Deaf (DOED) Report The report* of the COED was released this spring. It is a major document of our time. A committee of nationally recognized authorities and leaders in the field of deafness worked for one year gathering the data for the report. They heard testimony from literally hundreds of deaf and hearing educators, parents, rehabilitation specialists, physicians and deaf consumers. Because the Commission comprised professionals of diametrically opposing viewpoints on certain issues, the final report is of necessity a compromise. However, it also documents many issues on which there is almost universal agreement. It is now time to take the key recommendations of the Commission, put them in form for legislation and move the bills through Congress. DeafFolklorists Deaf folklore has been a long neglected aspect of deaf culture. The recent work of Simon Carmel and Stephanie Hall represents a significant pioneering effort in this field. Dr. Carmel's contributions have been recognized by the Smithsonian Institution, where he will participate in their general folklore festivals. Ms. Hall's study of folklore in a deaf club is soon to be completed. The information scholars have made available needs to be put into books and videotapes understandable to average deaf youth and deaf adults. The National Association of the Deaf's focus on this general area has been positive. National Technical Institute for the Deaf's (N.T.I.D.) Anniversary This...