AADB Financial Problems Force Staff Layoff

July 2010

Editor: Times are tough for our service agencies as well as for individuals. The American Association of the Deaf-Blind has just laid off their staff due to budget problems. Here's their announcement.

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Dear AADB members, colleagues, and supporters,

With deep sadness, the Board of Directors is letting you know about some changes at our Silver Spring, Maryland office. Unfortunately, as what is happening with other nonprofits in this difficult economy, AADB's projected 2010 revenues have gone down, necessitating layoffs of all staff effective July 16, 2010.

The Board greatly regrets having to make this decision and is taking steps to remedy this situation as soon as possible. e We appointed Randy Pope to provide direction and management of AADB without pay, effective July 17, 2010. He will run AADB's office and programs until cash flow is consistent to hire staff. Randy will be delegating a lot of the work to other volunteers to make sure the business of AADB is done on time and in an effective manner. We are working to identify new funding that may help bring up AADB's cash flow as soon as possible.

Please note that AADB is not closing; it will just be running on a smaller budget for now. All of AADB's programs will still be intact. The AADB 2011 National Symposium is still being planned. AADB is still an active collaborator on the National Task Force on Deaf-Blind Interpreting. Support Service Provider and deaf-blind technology programs are still being developed. The summer issue of The Deaf-Blind American magazine will be sent out to current members in August. Other publications, AADB Today and AADB Symposium News, will be sent out as scheduled.

The AADB Board wishes to express deep gratitude to Jamie Pope, Executive Director, Elizabeth Spiers, Director of Information Services, Chad Metcalf, Outreach Coordinator, and Katie Logan, Administrative Assistant, for their excellent work and dedication to AADB spanning over eight years. They have all worked very hard to advance AADB to a level it has never been before and earn the high respect of members, colleagues, and donors, from the deaf-blind community, national consumer organizations, federal government agencies, deaf-blind related service agencies, interpreting agencies, universities, and corporations. Please join us in thanking them from the bottom of our hearts, for AADB would not have come this far without them.

If you have any questions, want to make a tax-deductible donation or would like to volunteer a special skill, please contact:

AADB
8630 Fenton Street, Suite 121
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Email: aadb-info@aadb.org
Phone: 301-495-4403 voice
301-563-9107 videophone (VP)
301-495-4402 TTY
www.aadb.org

Be of good cheer, AADB shall arise again soon! Thank you all for your support of AADB!