A little history before Savannah…At the Georgia Association of the Deaf (GAD) Conference in Macon during July 2005, the members voted and approved the concept of a GAD Road Tour in four cities in Georgia to recruit new members. Another purpose was to bring local issues to the board for action. A committee was formed. Manny Johnson became the Chairperson of the committee which consists of Chris Merritt (ex officio), Joy Spurlin, and Jeanette Lorch.

We started the meetings in early fall of 2005 and came up with locations: Savannah, Athens, Valdosta, and Columbus. A separate budget for the Road Tour was set up. Hamilton, Sprint, Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired, Inc./Georgia Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program, and L.I.F.E believed in us and became our sponsors for the Road Tour. Special thanks to the sponsors for making the Road Tour possible and Savannah College of Arts and Designs for donating their beautiful Red Gallery.

The first Road Tour was held on January 21, 2006 in Savannah at the Savannah College of Arts and Designs (SCAD) in the Red Gallery. The sponsors’ exhibit booths were available for the Road Tour attendees to browse through. The room was set up in classroom style to encourage participation.  The sponsors had the opportunity to talk to the community members about their organizations. Miss Deaf Georgia Karin Davis was there to mingle with the Savannah community members.

The Road Tour committee explained what GAD is all about and why they should join. The community members of Savannah were given the opportunity to bring up issues to GAD. The issues for Savannah and surrounding areas were: lack of interpreters, IP Relay calls, Six Flags, lack of Interpreter Training Programs, and much more.  The Road Tour committee is looking forward to sharing the details with the GAD Board at the next meeting in March.

Tom Galey, the new Executive Director of GACHI, explained the House Bill 698 and its purpose.  The issues surrounding the House Bill 698 were clarified along with updates about its status.  Door prizes such as $25 Blockbuster Card, $25 Target Card, LIFE gift packages, and GAD 2007 Conference Combo were given out to show our appreciation for the attendees.  The attendees received refreshments and social time before and after the event.  After the event, most of participants went down to River Street for a fun night out. 

We are looking forward to our next stop in Athens, which will be on March 25, 2006.  Check updates frequently on gadeaf.org