Vermont Association of the Deaf

Visual Description: Halloween event flyer on a dark purple and black background. Across the top, colorful autumn maple leaves frame the Vermont Association of the Deaf logo and name. Below, large text reads “You’re Invited” and “Halloween Party,” with an orange banner reading “& Town Hall.” A bright orange sun graphic appears on the left, and three glowing jack-o’-lanterns appear on the right. The flyer lists the event date as October 24, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, at Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main Street, Montpelier, Vermont. Five small jack-o’-lantern illustrations decorate the bottom. The overall design uses orange, green, cream, and white text with Halloween and autumn imagery.

Visual Description: An Afro-Latino and Brown-skinned man is centered in the frame from approximately the waist up, facing the camera and communicating with expressive hand and arm movements. He has short, curly dark hair and short facial hair. He is wearing a dark charcoal-gray short-sleeved T-shirt with a small logo on the upper chest. His facial expressions change naturally throughout the video as he signs, and his hands frequently move in front of his chest, face, and upper body.

The background is simple and uncluttered, consisting of white wall. The lighting is bright and even, with no visible furniture, decorations, or other objects competing for attention. The simple background provides strong contrast with his dark shirt and keeps the visual focus on the signer and his hand movements.

Transcription:

Hi! I’m Franly, and I have some exciting news to share with y’all!

VtAD is hosting a big event: a Halloween Party and Town Hall!

The Town Hall will run from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The agenda focuses on special elections and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Community-Driven Commitment. 

From 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM, lunch will be provided during the Halloween Party. Fun activities may include painting, scary storytelling, a costume contest, and more! Additional activities will be announced soon.

The event will take place on October 24, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main Street, Montpelier, Vermont.

Admission information is as follows:

VtAD Special Election:
During the Town Hall, the VtAD Board will hold a special election to fill the following vacant board positions: Vice President, Secretary, and 2nd Member At-Large (MAL). You must be a VtAD member to vote in the special election. Those elected will serve the remainder of the board term until August 2027.

VtAD members: FREE

Non-VtAD members: $10 for VtAD membership + $10 event admission = $20 total

Halloween Party only: $10 event admission

We are looking forward to connecting, having conversations, and having fun with you!

Thank you!

1. Vermont Department of Health: Federal Medicaid Rule Changes
2. Vermont Department of Health: Medicaid Work Reqiurement Screening
3. Vermonter Health Care and Rights: Member Information

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1. Women Health: Reproductive Health Care
2. States are at the most risk: Responding to Federal Medicaid Reduction
3. Medicare is also severly impacted: Impact of the Big Bill on Medicare
4. Reality Check on One Big Beautiful Bill Act: OBBB’s Cuts on Medicaid and Medicare

Video Description: Afro-Latino Man with a copper-dyed, faded afro hairstyle wore a tan t-shirt, white cargo pants, and green shoes. A slideshow of pictures presented the meeting setup being cleaned up and people exiting the room. Image: Black man and Afro-Man sat, smiling, and leaning against each other, shoulder by shoulder on the table. Image 2: A black guy with dreadlocks stood and signed. Image 3: Night Events shows a dinner meal, Chinese dance with tiger symbol status, Jazz Dance with 6 women, and two old white men singing their song in ASL. 

Summary: Franly introduced himself as VtAD President and explained the 58th NAD Biennial Conference. VtAD delegates were Franly and Don Petit-Homme, who participated in the voting process in the NAD Council of Representation (COR). We want to bring the Community-Driven Commitment to our VT Deaf community to decide which task we want to focus on. 

Image Description: Big navy blue font title on center of the poster: GONE GUYS in between the bridge. Subheading explained the list of production crews and website: GoneGuysFilm.com. The font above the title: Boys and young men are struggling. It’s time to talk about it. Pink background with a guy standing on the edge of a broken bridge in between gaps.

DATE: May 16, 2026

TIME: 11 AM TO 2 PM

LOCATION: Pickering Room at Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St, Burlington, VT 05401

Gone Guys Trailer: https://goneguysfilm.com

Image Description: Afro-Latino brown man with a beard and faded copper-dyed afro hair. He wore a red shirt. Background: white wall with plugging box.

Synopsis:

VtAD hosts a community event on May 16 from 11 AM to 2 PM at Fletcher Free Library! This film event is a nationwide conversation about struggle of boys and young men. We are thrilled to join this nationwide conversation, especially with our Deaf perspective on this film. The event is free for all, regardless memberships. The goal of this event is to raise awareness about stuggles in manhood/masculinity and continue the conversation through our Deaf/DeafBlind/DeafDisabled/ Hard of Hearing community. This event welcomes all types of audiences! We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Image Description: Afro-Latino brown man with a beard and faded copper-dyed afro hair. He wore a red shirt. Background: white wall with plugging box.

Synopsis:

Note: State Legislative bills’ status is progressively quicker. We step up and respond to the legislative bill rapidly.

Support Service Program (SSP) budget (B.311) remains in the state budget proposal, but we need to take action by contacting your legislators and representatives in your county. Share your perspective on how this budget proposal impacts our VT Deaf/DeafBlind/DeafDisabled/Hard of Hearing communities. Advocate for this B.311 to be part of the Vermont State budget FY2027.

H.861: It would create an ADA coordinator position in the Agency of Administration to help coordinate disability services across state agencies, with four disability organizations involved in hiring. This bill is authored by Representative Elizabeth Burrows of West Windsor, her link: Vermont legislator bio. Her testimony is powerful in the House Meeting: YouTube Video with ASL (start at 30:00). H.861 is UNANIMOUSLY passed at the House level and proceeds to the Senate Government Operations Committee.

PLEASE CONTACT THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO SEND YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS BILL.

Chair: Sen. Brian Kolamore (Rutland)
Vice Chair: Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky (Chittenden Central)
Committee page: https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/detail/2026/26

S.297- Electronic Ballot Return / Mobile Voting. This bill focuses on why accessible voting options matter for Vermont’s disability community, including Deaf/DeafBlind/Deaf/DeafBlind/DeafDisabled/Hard of Hearing members. This bill enables our decision to vote at the municipalities, counties, and state securely without any physical barriers.

Vermont ranks 49th in the country for voting accessibility for people with disabilities (MIT study). A bill proposal also allows municipalities to experiment with secure electronic ballot return. It was introduced but scaled back. Advocacy will continue next year — letters and support help keep this issue alive.
• MIT data: https://elections.mit.edu/#/data/map
• Vermont Public context: https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-10-17/voting-accessibility-gaps-remain

Please email me, vtad.president@gmail.com, if any questions or discussion. I’m looking forward to listen your ideas.