The District of Columbia Association of the Deaf (DCAD), also known as the D.C. Association of Deaf Citizens, is a community organization that empowers and advocates for equal political, social, and economic access for Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing residents in the Washington, D.C. area. DCAD has a long-standing history of grassroots advocacy and collaboration with local organizations to improve access to Deaf cultural resources and services.
- Website: dcadef.org
- About: dcadef.org/about-1
- Mission: DCAD's mission is to empower all Deaf and hard-of-hearing residents in the D.C. area and provide advocacy for equal political, social, and economic access.
The DCAD executive board for the 2024–2026 term:
- President: Sean Norman
- Vice President: Matthew Gilsbach (notable for helping open the first U.S. Signing Starbucks store as a Store Manager)
- Secretary: Nicolas Palazzo III
- Treasurer: Tianqi Zhou
- Members at Large: Omar Chung, Marissa Polvere, Alex Werner
The board page at dcadef.org lists Sean Norman (President), Matthew Gilsbach (Vice President), and Tianqi Zhou (Treasurer) with photos.
DCAD has a deep history of grassroots advocacy in the nation's capital. Historically, the organization has collaborated with groups like the D.C. Library Friends and FOLDA (Friends of the Library) in the 1980s to improve access to Deaf cultural resources and services.
DCAD has been instrumental in ensuring equal accessibility and accommodation — such as American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters — for D.C. residents for decades. The organization has consistently advocated for the Deaf community at the local government level, working with the D.C. Council on legislation affecting Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing residents.
A major recent victory was the D.C. Council's unanimous vote to establish the D.C. Office of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing, which would have six full-time staff with a budget of $836,000. Graham Forsey, a DCAD President, was interviewed about this achievement.
- Legislative Advocacy: DCAD actively lobbies the D.C. Council on legislation affecting the Deaf community
- ASL Interpreter Access: Decades of work ensuring ASL interpreters are available for D.C. government services
- Community Empowerment: Programs and initiatives to empower Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing residents
- Cultural Preservation: DCAD operates as a culturally diverse organization focused on enabling the Deaf community in the District
- Meeting Agendas: DCAD publishes meeting agendas and minutes for public transparency
- Regular Board Meetings: DCAD holds regular meetings with published agendas
- Advocacy Events: DCAD participates in D.C. advocacy events related to Deaf rights
- Community Outreach: DCAD engages with the broader D.C. Deaf community through events and collaborations
- Upcoming meetings and initiatives: Announced via Facebook, Instagram, and the DCAD website
- D.C. Office of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing — Newly established office with 6 staff and $836,000 budget
- Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Council — DCAD collaborates with this council
- ACODDHH — Advisory Council of the Office of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing (Chair: Prudence Shaw)
- D.C. Commission on Persons with Disabilities — Jarvis Grindstaff, a DCAD board member, serves on this commission
- National Association of the Deaf (NAD) — National advocacy partner
- FOLDA — Historical collaborator