Leaders from across Oregon are collaborating to address access, social, and communication concerns. By partnering with various agencies statewide, we are working towards making Oregon more accessible every day!
Our History
The first meeting of the organizing group was held on July 2, 1921, at the Oregon School for the Deaf, with Bird L. Craven chairing. The Constitution and Bylaws were voted on article by article over the course of three days. Initially named the Oregon Association for the Advancement of the Deaf, the organization elected Mr. Thure A. Lindstrom as its first President. Key leaders and contributors included Bird L. Craven, Jack Bertram, Maurice Werner, Marion Finch, John O. Reichle, Henry P. Nelson, Charles Lynch, Bud Hastine, Guie Cooke, among many others whose contributions, though not named, were invaluable to the foundation and growth of the association.
Our Mission
The mission of the Oregon Association of the Deaf is to preserve, protect, and promote the civil, human and linguistic rights of the Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, Late-Deafened and those individuals with additional disabilities or intersectional identities in the state of Oregon.