ALDACON 2000 Midway Thoughts

OK, I know I've been going on and on about ALDACON for a long time, and it's finally here!! Char and I took a few days vacation and drove to Santa Fe from San Diego. It's a beautiful drive for those of us who like the desert. We visited friends on the way and did some sightseeing. The most exciting thing for me (other than ALDACON, of course), was the visit to Roswell, NM. I was looking for aliens and UFOs the entire time, but didn't see any.

ALDACON got underway Wednesday evening with a welcoming party. This is the first opportunity to see old friends that you haven't seen for a long time, and also a chance to make new friends. The food was excellent, but most of us were too busy chatting to take much notice.

Thursday morning is the "official" opening of the conference. There were welcoming remarks from all the wonderful people who worked so hard to put this event on. ALDAns Ken Arcia, Edna Shipley-Conner, and Bill Zitrin welcomed us. Karen Courtney of the New Mexico Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing also greeted us.

The workshops began after the opening session, and continued until around 5PM. There was a wonderful variety of topics, with workshops directed at both the newcomer and the seasoned veteran. I attended the first part of Fred Heppner's two-part workshop for hearing partners. I was gratified to see about fifteen people in attendance, which is far more hearing partners than I remember from previous conferences. There was a great mix of "veterans" and newcomers, and a great exchange of information. I'm really looking forward to part two of this workshop, which is during the last session on Saturday.

Char and I were among the presenters of a workshop describing the family retreats that we've been a part of for the past year. That workshop was well attended, and the audience seemed engaged. This is another indication that people are starting to realize that hearing loss is a family issue at least as much as it is a personal issue for the person with the loss. After that workshop, we sat down with one of the participants to discuss a possible workshop in her area next spring.

Because of that discussion, I missed part of the next workshop, entitled "Accommodate! A Multimedia Resource for Communication: Accommodations at Work". This workshop was presented by Steve Boone and Heidi Lefebure of the University Of Arkansas Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Persons Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. This workshop focused on a soon-to-be-released CD that contains a huge quantity of information and resources related to accommodating hearing loss in the workplace. It looks like a great tool to use to raise awareness, inform employers regarding the ADA and other legal requirements, etc. It will be available soon at a cost of $25. Watch their website (www.uark.edu/deafrtc) for an availability announcement.

We had a couple of hours to relax and recoup before the evening President's Reception. This event included an opportunity for each of the ALDA past presidents to "roast" another of the past presidents. Lots of funny stories about our leaders served as a great reminder that it's so important to be able to laugh at ourselves. The rest of the evening was devoted to chatting with old and new friends.

Friday morning was devoted to workshops. I attended a wonderful workshop entitled "Healing Relationships Hurt by Hearing Loss". Laine and Rex Waggoner did a wonderful job of exploring some of the relationship issues that are aggravated by hearing loss and discussing strategies for resolving the issues.

The other Friday morning workshop I attended was entitled "Hearing Loss in the Workplace". Larry Littleton moderated a panel consisting of Jane Schlau, Christine Seymour, and Char Sivertson. This session provided a diversity of approaches to hearing loss issues in the work place.

It's now Friday afternoon. For the first time, the conference planners have scheduled a "free" afternoon for people to experience the local culture and environs. Given the beauty and history of the Santa Fe area, this seems to me like a great idea. Many folks are taking advantage of the tour that was arranged by the conference planners; others are shopping in the plaza, visiting some of the great museums or art galleries, or just wandering around on their own. And I bet more than a few are napping!

Tonight is the Awards Banquet and the presentation of the I King Jordan award. Tomorrow's schedule includes workshops, the Awards Luncheon, and the Annual Board Meeting. Sunday is a melancholy day that includes brunch and goodbyes. Then it's back to the real world!

So that's a short summary of the conference to date. I'm looking forward to another couple of days of ALDA camaraderie. I'll be writing up articles on several of the events and publishing them over the next several weeks, so stay tuned!