Nikole DeGraw
03/27/2008
Miss Deaf America Pageant
Every two years, the National Association of the Deaf, or NAD,
holds a pageant for young women between the ages of 18 and 28. The
pageant allows "young, deaf and hard of hearing women from across
the United States represent their respective home state associations
of the deaf and demonstrate their talents and accomplishments in a
quest for the NAD Miss Deaf America title." (NAD)
The pageant was started from a vision that the late Douglas J. Burke
had. "In 1966, Burke established a National Cultural Program within
the NAD for the purpose of finding the hidden talents of deaf people
in the visual arts." (UAD) After establishing the National Cultural
Program, Burke felt like there was an aspect of the arts that had
yet to be explored. That being the world of drama. With this, the
Miss Deaf America Talent Pageant was made. The first Miss Deaf
America Talent Pageant was held in Miami Beach, Florida, during the
1972 NAD convention. This pageant had a total of 5 contestants. Even
though there were only 5 competitors, the pageant was still a
popular event. In 1976, the word "talent" was taken out, so it
became the Miss Deaf America Pageant. In the past ten years of the
pageant, there has been between 30 to 40 participants.
The structure of the Miss Deaf America Pageant is very similar to
that of the Miss America Pageant. Contestants must compete at the
local and state level, before competing in the Miss Deaf America
Pageant. The pageant offers contestants the opportunity to develop
their personalities, self-confidence and poise, as well as to
display their talents, express their opinions and share their
ambitions. (NAD) Contestants are judged on community service,
academic performance, knowledge of deaf culture and knowledge of
current events. (Drummond, 2008) Throught the competition, each
contestant is required to give a 3 minute presentation to test their
ability to think on their feet and to see how they handle themselves
when they are put under pressure. Each contestant is judged in 5
categories; private interview, platform presentation, talent
performance, evening gown, and onstage interview. (NAD)
"The Pageant goal is to provide a fine, dignified and beautiful way
to encourage young deaf and hard of hearing women to become the
leaders of tomorrow." (NAD) Throughout the years, the pageant has
helped many young women with self-esteem, public speaking, and many
other life skills. Along with winning the pageant, the crowned Miss
Deaf America gets the title for 2 years, as well as an educational
scholarship. The winner also becomes the ambassador for the NAD
approximately 28 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans. (NAD)
Chelsea Tobin is the current Miss Deaf America. As Miss Deaf
America, Chelsea takes part in question-and-answer sessions, offers
welcoming remarks at NAD events, along with various other activities
that she might be asked to do. (Valnes, 2006) At the end of this
year, another Miss Deaf America Pageant will be held, and another
young women will take over Chelsea's crown and have the
responsibilities of Miss Deaf America.
For more information about the deaf culture, or deaf events, go to
http://lifeprint.com.
References:
http://deafness.suite101.com/article.cfm/miss_deaf_america
http://www.uad.org/mdup/mdap_history.htm
http://www.nad.org/mdahistory
http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Garr/miss_deaf.html