#Community
In 90th Year of Service, New Name and Logo!
In 2008, after eighty years as "the League" the League for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing merged with The EAR Foundation and changed its name. Legally, we became Hearing Bridges, a name that never resonated with the Deaf and hard of hearing community we serve. The name failed to capture the pride the Deaf and hard of hearing community feel in their language and culture and the fact that this rich, vibrant community does not aspire to be hearing. We have been calling ourselves just "Bridges," but alone, the name doesn't speak to who we are and the values we hold dear.
In 2017, as we celebrate our 90th year of service, we have decided to change our legal name to Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, a name that respects our past, reflects our identity today, and looks to our future as we strive to be the hub of the Deaf and hard of hearing community. The name reflects our posture of empowerment and service and the vision we have for a barrier-free world in which we touch lives from birth through elder years.
We welcome and serve the culturally Deaf who communicate with American Sign Language (ASL), the deaf who have opted for cochlear implants or other devices, the hard of hearing with hearing aids or not, the Deaf-Blind, the Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs), and the hearing who are or wish to be part of the lives of those we serve. You are all Bridge Builders who make the world a richer, more open, and better place.
In late 2016, we invited members of the Deaf community to submit ideas for a new sign name for Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing because a sign name can only be given by a member of the Deaf community. We narrowed the choices to three and then asked the community to vote. On January 1, 2017, we announced our new sign name (video below).
Over the summer of 2017, we invited Deaf and hard of hearing graphic artists to submit new logo designs to match the new name we were preparing to announce. We asked for something clean, modern, and representative of who we are. We were thrilled to find that all of them chose to base their designs on our new sign name. The new logo (pictured above) was adopted on July 31, 2017, and we thank Brad Blackman, the artist who designed it. We are excited to share it with you today as we kick of Deaf Awareness Month 2017!
The Logo Designer
Brad Blackman is a fine artist and graphic designer based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Having severe-to-profound hearing loss, he learned to express himself visually at an early age. His goal is to use art and design to both inform and delight, thus effectively communicating while touching people's hearts. He holds a Bachelor's in Fine Arts degree from Harding University.
Game Day
and The Big Payback
​
Wednesday, May3rd from 10am to 2pm.
**Spoiler Alert: Watch to the end for all the info and a couple of suprises!
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Bridges' New Sign Name 2017
#SignUsUp
Voting Workshop
Thanksgiving Potluck & Workshops
Join us for a
Community Christmas Cookie Exchange & Tree Trimming
(and our 4th Idea Exchange)
on
Wednesday, December 14th from 11am to 1pm.
Bring two dozen of your favorite holiday treats to trade for other tasty morsels. You may also bring an ornament to help trim Bridges' Christmas tree.
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