See you at Allies 2025 allies is planning
vision for the conference Image and text link
Hi all. I’m Dr. Neisha, one of your facilitators. My focus is on “mental shift”. Rather than being stuck in a perspective, we can shift our thinking. I will bring the inspiring breakthrough work, envisioned by Nathie Marbury, to this conference. We’ve experienced “imposter syndrome” which creates discouragement, frustration, and not knowing what’s next. Whether it’s with a group of friends, family, or work environments, we can find ourselves frustrated and in disagreement. If you’ve had that experience, come to the conference! We will have conversations, experience discoveries AND find our center! Hope to see you there!
Visual Description Morrison is waring a black down jacket with blue on the inside of the hoodie, and a black baseball cap. They are standing in from of a chalk board with a drawing on it. Hello, I’m Morrison and I’m one of the “COs" for the upcoming conference in March. I’m really looking forward to it. My goal for that is to recognize how we still hold onto stuff in many different ways that really prevent us from connecting and practicing unity. “CO” (Morrison points to the sign “CO) ’ implies connection and that there are 2 or more people involved. “CO” shows up in COMMUNICATION. “CO” shows up in CONNECTION. “CO” shows up in ‘COLLABORATION’, COMMUNITY and in so many other areas. “CO” means we are meant to be together, practicing that sense of unity, working together, supporting each other….making sure that it’s a space of inclusion, where there is a feeling of equity, and accommodation for individual's various needs. It’s very beautiful that we have such a diverse community It takes all of us to recognize our thoughts and the habits that are preventing us from connecting and getting rid of those habits. We have to do that together and in a space where we can navigate and figure out how we can really work towards a sense of unity. A sense of “CO”. Many of you know, or perhaps you don’t know, the our community has create the term "co-presence” - the idea of navigating life, in partnership, together. Together, because we is human beings, we’re not designed to live alone. We are hard wired to connect, and to live together in community. Not in a way that we are so bonded that we don’t leave room for others, but to welcome others in and expand those communities. We’ll get there!
Visual Description White woman, with blond shoulder length wavy hair, wearing a long sleeve maroon t-shirt standing in front of a black background. Hi, I’m MJ Grant, CODA with 2 Deaf parents. I was born and raised in Maine and have been an interpreter here for 25 years…living for 49 years in the same town I was born in! I’m so looking forward to be one of the “COs” at the Allies Conference. I think the theme of “Finding our Center’ is a fascinating one, partially because I’ve always been passionate about our innate human ability to find truth and wisdom - that we come equipped with all we need. Over time, our experience in society, somehow, has taught us to ignore that our innate abilities and instead feel that we must follow the instincts of others. That disconnection creates that we betray ourselves. How, then, does it become possible for communities to come together and align when we are experiencing that disconnection? I believe strongly that if all of us bring to this conference our truths and our wisdom, the contributions of those gems, and the sharing that can come from it will bring us together. Those years of struggle, disconnection, and being out of sync with each other could be replaced by the experience of seeing each other with open hearts and minds. When we bring that truth to each other we can see each other. We can understand each other. And bond. And connect. And Find Our Center.
Hi, I'm Aaron Brace. I’m a middle-aged white man with short brown hair and a close-cropped salt and pepper beard. I’m wearing a black shirt and seated in front of a dark blue curtain. I’m a hearing interpreter in San Francisco, California. I’ve been interpreting for over 42 years now. Sometimes it feels like I went from a 19-year-old starting his interpreting journey at RIT to this old gray-bearded guy in the blink of an eye. My first involvement with the Allies Conference was in 1995 which I co-facilitated with Laurene Simms. The success of that conference stemmed from the participants attending with an open and sharing heart, and with a willingness to work through the difficult conversations by seeking to understand each other. It was a great experience. As we prepare to gather for Allies 2024, it’s important that we broaden our discussion to address concepts, terms, and ideas that have arisen over the past almost 30 years. We need to find a way to move into the future together. As a 60-something baby boomer, I often associate the word “ally” with “the Allies” during World War II. The member countries were bound together by a common cause— the defeat of Hitler. A common foe can be the catalyst for people forming an alliance. Our use of that same word, “allies”, leads me to wonder if we who gather also have some common foe. The Deaf community certainly battles for its rights on many fronts— in the medical system, the educational system, government, and others. I know that my place in those fights is behind the Deaf community, providing support. But there is one shared enemy that is mine to battle, one that looks a lot like, well, me. If you’re wondering how it’s possible to see an interpreter as both enemy and ally at the same time, come to the conference, where we’ll discuss that and more. I hope to see you there. Take care.
The purpose of the conference is to learn how to become an Ally by engaging in-depth conversations about difficult topics. You already see that being an Ally is not as simple as wanting to be one.
This conference is not one where you go and sit for the whole day, listening to presenter after presenter. We will spend the weekend tackling challenging conversations. Some of that work will be observing discussions modeled by people who have longtime experience in the interpreting field. The rest of the work will be done by participating in many small group discussions where each person in the group will be part of the group discussion.
Participants will learn communication tools from the facilitators and have the opportunity, repeatedly, to apply these tools throughout the conference.
Target Audience:
Sign Language interpreters (Deaf, DeafBlind, CODA and hearing) and Deaf community members
Come to the conference to be actively engaged. There will be support for those who are new to the idea of being an Ally. There will be many opportunities for participants to bring up questions, concerns, and ideas.
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS CONFERENCE! Learn More
Friday
6:30 - 9:00
Saturday
9:00 to 12:00
1:30 to 6:00
7:00-9:00
Sunday
9:00 - 12:00
Allies Conference = ASL.