The 2023 Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing Lobby Day took place at the Minnesota State Capitol on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. 

This year, we were able to livestream the midday rally with speeches and awards, so that community members can participate remotely. If you missed the livestream, here is the recording. The recording has voiceover, captions, ASL, and a descriptive transcript. 

Recorded video

Descriptive transcript

[Video opens with a view of an empty stage with a podium off to the side. The front of the podium shows the government seal for the state of Minnesota. A dark cloth hangs behind it. Applause as the camera shifts to show Darlene Zangara on the stage, occasionally shifting the camera around to get the best view. Darlene signs.]

>>  Darlene Zangara: Hello, hello. I can't wait to get started. Welcome to the program. I'm going to introduce myself; my name is Darlene Zangara. The executive director for the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing. I want to welcome all of you to Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard-of-Hearing Lobby Day 2023. Here we are in person. Finally! So great to see you all and so excited to be here. We have a packed program today. I know we have competing schedules, we have a lot of important people coming here today so, first of all, I am going to introduce you to our first speaker, Cindi Martin.

[Darlene looks behind her and beckons someone to join her on the stage.]

>> Darlene:  How is everyone enjoying the day? Are we having a good day? Meeting your legislators, have you met your legislators? Are you learning about new bills? All right. Let's see, who do we have?

[Camera shifts to show the podium, now with interpreter Nic Zapko standing next to it. Michelle joins them, standing behind the podium and adjusting the microphone that sits on it. Michelle waves to someone in the audience.]

>> Michele: Hello. My name is Michele, and I am the former chair of the Commission and current vice chair of the Commission. I'm also hard of hearing as well as a teacher of the deaf and hard-of-hearing. The Commission believes that equitable access to the voting process is essential to our well-being and the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State has been an important partner in achieving equity. I would like to welcome Secretary of State Steve Simon to the stage.

[Applause as Secretary of State Steve Simon walks onstage to join them. He stands behind the podium and speaks while Interpreter Nic signs.]

>> Secretary Simon: Thank you so much for having me, a pleasure to be here with you today. I have Steve Simon, the Minnesota Secretary of State. I really want to emphasize how important it is that you are here physically on a day like today. I say that because before I had this job, as Secretary of State, I was in the Minnesota House of Representatives for ten years. And the one thing I always say, to anyone who wants to reach a legislator, is, based on my experience, it is far easier to do that than you might believe. It's easy to see the big white building and the marble and the fancy looking offices and believe that your state legislator is guarded behind layers of staff and security, but that's not the case. So I always tell people that it's easier than you think to introduce yourself to a legislator, to let that person know what your priorities are and I applaud you for coming here on a cold day and doing that very, very important work. So in this job, as Secretary of State, I like to say that I am in the democracy business. Because what we do at our office is we oversee the Minnesota election system. And in Minnesota, we have a lot to be proud of. As you may know, for three out of the last four elections, Minnesota has been number one in America in voter turnout.

 [Applause.]

>> Secretary Simon: And I am here to thank you because you own a big piece of that success. The reason I say that is because we have collaborated closely on many projects over many years, and I want to thank the Commission for its leadership, its hard work, its intelligent organizing, and for always being a great partner in the democracy business. For example, Minnesota, we believe, is the first state in the country to do something that we worked on together over the last few years, which is an ASL call center for elections-related questions during election season. We're very proud of that.

 [Applause]

>> Secretary Simon:  And it's received national notice and attention, thanks to you. We're also really privileged to collaborate with the Commission on materials, both written materials and online materials for the deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing community. That, too, has been one piece of our great success in Minnesota. A third collaboration which I want to name, where we have partnered for many years, is with something in our office that we call our disability advisory council. We created that group, we meet at least quarterly, sometimes more during election season, in order to collaborate and exchange ideas across the community about how to make our election system more accommodating and more accessible to more Minnesotans. This is something I take personally. I have a young son who has a profound disability and although it is not a hearing-related disability, I want him when he's old enough to vote to be able to vote as smoothly and as trouble-free as possible. And so I am really privileged to collaborate with the Commission and with many other stakeholders throughout the state on this quarterly effort, and it's not just talking, it's not just a room where we get together and talk. This is about projects that really benefit people in their voting behaviors so, for example, one of the things that we do as a Commission is we send volunteers to polling places throughout Minnesota to make absolutely sure that they are in compliance with absolutely every aspect of the law when it comes to accommodating voters with disabilities. We have a lot more work to do. We have over 3,000 polling places in Minnesota, and we can't get to all of them all at once but you have my word as Secretary of State that I, and I think all of us, will not rest until we make sure that the voting experience for every single eligible Minnesotan is as trouble-free and hassle-free as it can possibility be. So I want to thank you for being here. I want to thank you for being great collaborators and great organizers, and for being a really trusted and valuable partner in the democracy business. Thank you so much for your efforts and your time. Thank you.

 [Applause. Secretary of State Steve Simon smiles and waves to the audience as he leaves the stage, crossing paths with Darlene. They shake hands and Darlene goes to stand next to the podium. Interpreter Nic steps off to the side.] 

 >> Darlene: Yay, wow, what a partnership. Doesn't that make you all want to vote? Yes, we have the right. All right. Well, I am so excited and honored to introduce someone very special.

[Darlene looks at something on the podium.]

>> Darlene:  It is my pleasure to introduce and welcome Governor Tim Walz.

[Applause. Gov. Tim Walz steps on the stage and exchanges grins with Interpreter Nic who steps into position next to the podium. Cheering from the audience.] 

>> Darlene: Thank you. So, I want to say one quick thing really quick, come on up here. So, in 2011, way back when, on Lobby Day, Governor Walz, at the time Congressman Walz, while he was running, had an accessible campaign. And he won “most accessible campaign,” and now here we are to advocate for us and Lobby Day. Welcome. Thank you for being here.

[Darlene steps off stage as Gov. Tim Walz stands behind the podium and adjusts the microphone. Interpreter Nic stands next to him.[

>> Governor Walz:  Good afternoon and thank you, Dr. Zangara, for the kind words, and for the advocacy. I am Governor Tim Walz. I'm 5 foot 11, balding, gray suit, white shirt, yellow and blue tie,... told the Lieutenant Governor a burly build. And I'm just really honored to be with all of you today. I think when you enter this space, as the Lieutenant Governor often says, and will welcome you herself, she welcomes you to your home. The place where you belong. The place where Minnesota's communities come to make sure they are heard. And you may have heard, I talked a lot about One Minnesota, a place where every everybody belongs. There's plenty of room, plenty of jobs, plenty of space for everyone in Minnesota. But what we understand and your advocacy tells us so, feeling part of One Minnesota, accessing part of One Minnesota, being respected in all parts of One Minnesota, means that we need to be intentional to make sure that every single person feels that way. And when you come to the capitol, making sure that our budget, your budget, the taxes you pay are used in a way to make everyone feel a part of Minnesota is really, really important, and I would also say this, when we put a budget together, it is not just a fiscal or a money document, it is a moral document. What do we value? To our deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing neighbor, do they have the same access to the same services as each and every one of us? The answer must be yes, they need to. And when we fall short or when we see an area of technology that could make things better or changes to law, which have not only a moral responsibility, we have a fiscal responsibility. The contributions this community is making to our state is immense. The ability to thrive in Minnesota is dependent on that we get this right. So I have to tell you, it's a beautiful day out, you're busy people, there are many places you could be. You chose to come here. You chose to come here to make a difference not just for yourself or your family, although that's a good reason to come and an important one, but you know that it will have an impact on people who aren't here, who don't know about coming here, who maybe don't feel like it makes a difference. That's why it's so important you're here. We're going to decide what to do with the state's tax resources. And they're going to get divided up. And this space is occupied by a whole lot of people with really good causes. But fundamentally, you're here to ask that you just have access to the Minnesota that everyone else has access to. It's a pretty simple, eloquent and pretty hard-to-argue against message. So I want to ask you, as you are out talking to legislators, as you're making your case to the people in this building, to understand that we've got about nine weeks before this session is ends, this is a year to make some big, fundamental changes, to invest in the things that make a difference, to change where we have not done as well in certain areas, and I know there's folks out there working and doing this. I’m going to give a shout-out to a couple people. I wanted to recognize -- excuse me again -- Mujahid for captioning advocacy and some of the things that we know, and with my friend, Nic here, we understood and found out during the COVID pandemic that it was critically important that life-saving and important information needed to get to everyone and we needed to use every tool at our disposal, just as you heard the Secretary of State talking about voting, public health is the same way, job opportunities, access to Minnesota's assets. So I can tell you, it does matter that you're here. This community has lifted up voices, has made it clear to Minnesotans that we have a fiscal and moral responsibility. We believe and you'll hear a little bit from the Lieutenant Governor, we believe we have a budget that will serve you and this community better and, by extension, will move us a little bit closer to One Minnesota, a little bit closer where everyone can participate to the fullest of their abilities. So I want to say thank you for being here. I want to say thank you for the advocacy that you've been here. And know that this work will impact generations to come, and in this budget year, now is the moment. So thank you to each and every one of you. Thank you for the advocacy, and I'm going to turn to another advocate of ours -- I believe Cindy Martin is following me up here but enjoy your time in your house, enjoy your time in the Capitol. Thank you.

[Applause Gov. Walz waves to the audience and steps off the stage, shaking hands with Cindi Martin as he departs. Interpreter Nic moves to stand behind the podium and holds a paper for Cindi for easy view to read from. Cindi stands next to the podium and signs.]

>> Cindi: Hello. Hello, hello, 

[She steps up on a step platform and continues to sign.]

>> Cindi: my name is Cindi Martin. And I'm an outreach and civic engagement specialist with the Commission. As a member of the Red Lake band of Ojibwe, and a Deaf woman, I feel represented in the legislature when I see Indigenous elected officials. Today I am honored to introduce Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth band of Ojibwe. An advocate on issues that impact Minnesotans who have historically been underserved and underrepresented. Welcome.

[Applause as Cindi extends an arm out to welcome them on the stage. She steps down and exits the stage as Interpreter Nic takes her place. Lt. Governor Flanagan steps behind the podium and adjusts the microphone to speak.]

>> Lt. Governor Flanagan: Welcome. Good afternoon. Welcome to your house as the Governor would say. My name is Peggy Flanagan, I'm your Lieutenant Governor, I am 5'4, with brown hair, wearing a green plaid blazer and green dress and also wearing glasses, and I am Native American. So I want to just offer my incredible gratitude to the Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard-of-Hearing community at large for continuing to lead the way in improving equity and accessibility across our systems on behalf of all deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing Minnesotans. You know, as an elected official, I can tell you, I oftentimes call myself a recovering legislator. And now I am your Lieutenant Governor, but I can speak to the importance of showing up. The importance of engaging with our elected representatives and with our legislature, and here all of you are, students and advocates and community leaders, and educators, and I want to say a particular thank you to all of the young people who are here. You matter so much. And the fact that you are here and that you're advocating on your own behalf in this space matters. The first time that I ever came to the capitol to lobby, I was 23 years old. So for those of you who are here for the first time as young people and as students, you are wile on your way to be the Lieutenant Governor. Let me just say that. So thank you for showing up, for sharing your stories and for highlighting the issues that matter to you. We have a lot of important work that lies ahead for our administration and for lawmakers this session. As the Governor said, we've got about nine weeks left, but we can get a lot of good work done in nine weeks, and this Lobby Day is your opportunity to hold our legislators -- our legislators accountable, to advocate for the changes that you wish to see in the State of Minnesota, and I know the Governor had mentioned some of our proposals but as a state and as an administration, we realize that there is still a lot of work that must be done to improve health equity, accommodations, and to expand our reach in the digital age. If living through the pandemic has taught us anything over the past three years, it is the importance of human connection. It is the importance of community. It's the importance of our ability to efficiently communicate and share information with each other. And we continue to leverage legislation that is going to do just that, to improve communications across platforms and our ability to share information across all public platforms to all Minnesotans, including our deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing friends, neighbors and loved ones, to ensure that everyone can access the information they need to stay safe and stay connected. Our administration continues to look to our proactive and collaborative community partnerships to lead the way. The same leaders that championed the theme of today's rally and the message that accessibility is empowering. Because I can say with great certainty that the Governor and I, that we want all Minnesotans to feel empowered to do and to be their own unique and beautiful selves, each and every day. And to know what it feels like to have an inclusive and accessible education, health care and employment system that was made for them. So the Governor and I will continue to work with you to stand with you, and to strive for a more inclusive and responsive Minnesota that better serves members of the deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing community. So I hope that for those of you that this is your first time here, this won't be your last time here. If you've been here before, welcome back. There is incredibly good work to do here. Thank you so much for everything that you have done up to this point and for all of the good work that we will do together to make Minnesota more accessible. Thank you.

 [Applause. Lt. Governor Flanagan smiles and departs the stage as Darlene steps back on stage. Camera view shifts around to follow Darlene as Interpreter Nic steps to the side. A line of students step up behind Darlene as she starts to sign.]

 >> Darlene: Everyone enjoying the program so far? What a wonderful day. Now we've got these wonderful speakers.

[Darlene turns to the students  and beckons them up and forward.]

>> Darlene:  I want to introduce you all to the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, MSAD students. They are going to put on a show for you all.

[Darlene steps back and encourages the students to step forward. They line up, four students in a row.]

 >> Beki Ohana: Access empowers us all. Barriers tell us what we can't do but when we break those barriers, we understand. 

>> Salma Mougni: When there's no captioning on the television, we are able to understand.  -- we aren't able to understand, but when we can read the captions, there are no barriers to our understanding. 

>> Mackenzie Paulson: When people are talking around us, we don't understand but when an interpreter interprets for me, the barriers dissolve and I understand. 

>> Javeson Johnson: Whether we're signing, talking, we're chatting, we all communicate differently but we all agree that with no barriers, access is possible for all of us. That is equity. 

>> All MSAD students: Access empowers us all.

 [Applause. Darlene rejoins the students on stage and congratulates them.]

 >> Darlene: Come on, come on, let's hear it. Wow, what a great job. This is our future. Wonderful job. Thank you so much. 

[The students depart the stage, Darlene turns to the audience.]

>> Darlene: Just love the kids. You know, we've got to take care of our future, right? That's our future. Now, our next special group is from MDS, Metro Deaf School. Metro Deaf School is here in St. Paul and here are some students to perform for you all.

[Applause. Darlene looks off stage and beckons a group of students to step up on stage. Four line up on the stage while a longer line joins them on the floor in front. The camera zooms out to fit them all in the frame. They start a rhythmic clapping routine.] 

>> MDS students: Cheetahs, Cheetahs, Cheetahs, RRRR, orange and blue, polka dots on us. Beautiful, beautiful, walking proudly. Running, fast, we take them down. Go Cheetahs!! Go Cheetahs!

[Resume rhythmic clapping followed by applause from the audience. Students depart from the stage. A pause.  Keenan Gao steps to the podium and speaks while Interpreter Nic stands next to her. Justin Smith, using a wheelchair, rolls onstage and waits to the side.]

>> Keenan: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the awards ceremony!! Whew!! My name is Keenan Gao, I'm a hard-of-hearing civic engagement specialist with the Commission.  We have seven award categories today: youth, civic advocate, civic engagement, education excellence, access, humanitarian and lifetime achievement. We have a limited time today, so we'll keep it brief. Summarize each accomplishment but I encourage you to look at your pamphlet or on our website for more details about the winners. I will begin with the youth award. This award recognizes the individual who uses his gift of writing to raise awareness about the need for accessibility. He is no stranger to house hearings and legislative forums. He travels to Washington, D.C., and has met with Senator Smith and Representative McCollum. On his blog, he documented snippets of his active life and how a person with auditory neuropathy uses assistive technology. Congratulations, Justin Smith!!

[Cheering. Keenan steps down to join Justin by standing next  to him, holding a plaque. They hold a pose for a photo snap. They depart the stage together. They slightly drag a piece of the black curtain while starting down the ramp and Interpreter Nic steps in to disentangle the curtain.]

[Applause A pause before Jade Stephenson steps up, and stands next to the podium and signs. Interpreter Nic holds up their notes. The camera zooms out to show Mujahid Zafar standing off to the side, watching her.]

 >> Jade: Hi, my name is Jade Stephenson. I'm a student at Metro Deaf School. This is the youth award. And it is awarded to a person who is very passionate about open captioning movies. He set up several open captioning movie days over the years. And also notifying students and staff at Metro Deaf School of those days that captioning would be provided so we want to recognize his leadership, Mujahid Zafar.

 [Applause. Jade brings the plaque up to Mujahid and they pose for a photo snap. Mujahid signs ‘thank you’.  They depart the stage together. Darlene returns to the stage followed by Senator Hoffman behind her.]

 >> Darlene:  Hello, I am very excited for another special alley. We have John Hoffman with us, Senator Hoffman, to say a few words to everyone. Welcome.

 [Applause. Senator Hoffman copies the hand applause before stepping to the podium. Interpreter Nic stands next to him while Darlene departs the stage.]

>> Senator Hoffman: Welcome to the Minnesota State Capitol. This is your house, this is what belongs to you. Remind us, the elected officials, that you are here to make sure that what we do is right for you, period. These are times where we talk about what's in the surplus, spend, spend, spend. I say wait. There's money that should have been spent in disability services, that should have been spent in human services, that should have been spent to equalize opportunities for people with disabilities to be employed, people with disabilities to have full access to what we do every day in the State of Minnesota. My challenge to you is this. When you're speaking with and meeting with your elected officials, remind them of their obligation to do what's right for all of Minnesota and when we talk about One Minnesota, let's make sure we include all people, including people with disabilities, including people that need access, including people that need us to level the playing field so that we are all fully participating in the rights of Minnesotans. And I thank you for your advocacy, I thank you for being here, and you know what? Let's get to work, folks, shall we? Thank you.

[Applause as Senator Hoffman departs the stage, crossing paths with Darlene. They share a hug.  Darlene turns to look off stage and walks down the ramp off-stage while Patrick Vellia and a SSP walk onstage. They are followed by Jessica Eggert and their SSP who stand off to the side. Patrick stands at the podium and locates the platform to step up on it. The SSP folds the microphone down. Patrick signs while Jessica’s SSP copy signs for them.] 

 >> Darlene:  Thank you. Wow, are you ready for our next award?

 >> Patrick:  Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Patrick Vellia. I'm a contractor with the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard-of-Hearing. And today, I am presenting an award, as an advocate in the deafblind community. This person has been advocating since 2007 to persuade Walgreens to provide accessible Braille labels for prescriptions. After advocating for 14 years, this person finally got their prescription label printed in Braille. Thanks to their advocacy, we now have a bill in session this season.  

[Cheers & Applause. Patrick adds foot-stopping and explains it is ProTactile cheering.] 

>> Patrick: So I am proud to congratulate, and if you would congratulate this person by stomping with me, Jessica Eggert.

[Applause as Patrick steps down from the podium holding the award, before taking it over to Jessica and standing next to them. They hold the award together for a photo snap.The two SSPs rearrange their position for a better view. They are led off stage by the SSPs. Cindi steps onto the stage, and an interpreter  stands behind the podium  and holds her notes up.]

 >> Cindi: Hello again, my name is Cindi Martin. And I'm a Deaf Indigenous woman. This award is for the citizen advocate award. This person has spent three years advocating within several hospital systems, including Fairview and HCMC, to provide accommodations to improve future outcomes regarding using clear masks, and then also to ensure that there are captions visible as well as visual descriptions on their website. So you can now check out a petition they started two years ago on change.org. Congratulations to Avi Rosen. Hello, congratulations.

 [Applause. Avi Rosen steps onto the stage next to Cindi. Cindi presents them with the plaque. They stand together for a photo snap. They both depart the stage as the audience applauds. Chandra Petersen steps on stage and stands behind the podium, speaking. Interpreter Diego steps into position next to her, alongside two other women.]

>> Chandra Petersen:  Hello. My name is Chandra Petersen and I am on the board --  the Commission Board. In 2021, the Minnesota legislature passed a law requiring the advisory committee on inheritable and congenital disorders, to include cCMV for possible inclusion in Minnesota's newborn screening. Sometimes babies born with cCMV sometimes develop hearing loss, if not at birth, then when they are a little older. Fortunately, the committee's decision was yes. This law was passed, thanks to the advocacy of parents and allies. Minnesota is the very first state to screen newborns for cCMV, which helps these babies and their families get the services and support they need. Today we recognize two of these parent advocates, Stephanie Steizl and Leah Henrikson.

 [Applause as Chandra presents them with the plaque and they pose together for a photo snap. Applause continues as they depart the stage. Jer Loudenback steps on the stage and stands next to the podium and signs. Debbie Golos stands next to him off to the side. Jer signs.]

 >> Jer:  Good afternoon. My name is Jer Loudenback. I'm a community engagement specialist for seniors and the LGBT community. This is the education excellence award. This person is known for her leadership at the University of Minnesota, coordinating Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing licensure and the MEd program. Her teaching style incorporates important principles of learning about identity development, engaging both deaf and hard-of-hearing students in opportunities, and applying the practice of self-care for teachers and students as a foundation. One unique thing about our award recipient is that in addition to teaching teachers about education, she emphasizes the need for self-care as a foundation. This is something unique to this program and so let us congratulate Debbie Golos.

 [Applause Debbie signs ‘thank you’ as Jer presents her with the plaque. They pose together for a photo snap before they both walk off the stage. Two young girls walk on stage accompanied by Michele Heise. The girls sign.]

>>  Ariel Johnson: Hello, my name is Ariel.

 >> Rebekah Hill: Hello, my name is Rebekah Hill. And –

 >> Ariel Johnson: I think we are going to give this award to a very special person who has helped us grow and is changing education.  She was always friendly and energetic.

 >> Rebekah Hill: Michele values equitable treatment in her classroom and holds high expectations of her students, making sure the students love to read and write. Her classroom was engaging and students love being in her class. She was the example of educational excellence. Congratulations. Michele Heise. 

[Both girls congratulate Michele, Rebekah presents her with the plaque. The three pose for a photo snap together. Michele gets the girl’s attention, points to them, and points to the students and staff standing up on the balcony off-screen.]

 >> Michele Heise: This is not only my award, this is really all educators awards here.

[All three sign thank you as they depart the stage together. Felicia Lee steps on the stage and stands behind the podium, while Kaylah Vogt stands off to the side. Felicia signs.] 

 >> Felicia: Hi, my name is Felicia Lee, and I am a student at Metro State University. Hold on one second while we get situated. 

[Felicia pauses and steps down and moves to the side of the podium and signs.]

>> Felicia Lee: Okay, I will start over. My name is Felicia Lee, I am a student at Metro State University and also an intern with the Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard-of-Hearing. And I am here to give an access award. This person actually won a federal lawsuit for employment discrimination. This resulted in an EEOC updating its guidelines on hearing disabilities in the workplace. In addition, she successfully advocated for a mural to be installed on the side of the Periscope headquarters building by a Deaf artist. Congratulations. The artist is YiQiao Wang and our award winner is Kaylah Vogt. 

>> Kaylah: Thank you so much, everybody.

 [Applause. Felicia presents Kaylah with the plaque. They pose together for a photo snap. Kaylah signs ‘thank you’ and waves as the two of them depart the stage. Migdalia Rogers steps to the stage and stands next to the podium. She signs. Anne Strootman and Jodi Peterson from the Wilderness Inquiry stand next to her.] 

 >> Migdalia: Hello. Hello. My name is Migdalia Rogers and I'm a Latina civic engagement specialist. This organization provides outdoor adventure travel opportunities accessible to the deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing. They have one deafblind staff member and trips are led by individuals who identify as deaf, deafblind or hard-of-hearing, and/or communicate in ASL. We would like to congratulate Wilderness Inquiry, and the executive director, Erica Rivers. Congratulations.

 [Applause Migdalia presents Anne and Jodi with the plaque, and they pose together for a photo snap before walking off the stage. Michele steps to the podium and asks Interpreter Diego to slide the step stool in for her. She steps up and speaks, while Interpreter Diego signs. A woman stands off to the side.]

 >> Michele: Hello. Our next award is for the lifetime achievement awards. The first award is given to a person who has served rural Minnesota in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services Division as a DHH specialist. This person has made a difference in the Duluth community, including advocating for captions on the local news, accessible smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and more. Unfortunately, due to the weather, she could not join us in person, but she is watching on livestream so congratulations to Cheryl Blue, and we have Sherri Rademacher accepting her award.

 [Applause. Michele presents Sherri with the plaque. Sherri leans forward and signs on behalf of Cheryl Blue.]

 >> Sherri: Cheryl Blue did want to say hello and thank you all for this award. This is awesome. Thank you so much.

 [Applause Sherri leaves the stage, and Michele and Diego resume their positions for the next award.]

>> Sherri:  Thank you, everyone.

[A pause as they wait for Mary Bauer to join them on the stage, standing off to the side.]

 >> Michele:  The second award is given to a person who retired after working at the state DHH Metro Division  as a hard of hearing specialist. During her career, she provided resources and support and helped improve the lives of people in the metro and Minnesota with varying hearing levels. This person did a lot of work on age-related hearing loss, the change of hearing loss and accessible venues for people with hearing loss. And very honored to give this award to Mary Bauer. Congratulations.

 [Applause. Michele presents Mary with the plaque, they pose together for a photo snap. The two depart the stage as Darlene steps up. She stands next to the podium while Ralph Fuechtmann joins her onstage, standing off to the side.]

>> Darlene:  Hello, everyone. Next, I have the lifetime -- the next lifetime achievement award, this is the third award, and is given to someone who is a community-centric person. Come on a little bit closer. This person is known for his commitment to the Deaf community for over 40-plus years. He was fondly known as the go-to for most needs in the Deaf community. He is known -- you know that you're the go-to person. 

>> Ralph: Everyone knows Ralph never met a stranger. 

>> Darlene: Everyone knows that he has a heart of gold, his valuable volunteerism and leadership is a model for others. And is said to have passed that value on to his children. Is that right?

 >> Ralph: I sure did.

 >> Darlene: And grandchildren?

 >> Ralph: Not yet, but they will.

 >> Darlene: Yeah, I disagree. Your grandchildren already have done some testifying. Ralph is an athlete and won gold at the Deaflympics for basketball in 1973. As well as in 1987. Congratulations, Ralph Fuechtmann.

 [Applause]

>> Ralph: Thank you, everyone.

[Darlene presents Ralph with the plaque. He starts to walk off but Darlene stops him.]

 >> Darlene: We got to take a photo.

 [They pose together for a photo snap. They depart the stage as Michele comes back onstage and resumes her place at the podium. Paul Deeming stands off to the side.]

 >> Michele:  This person is known for his work with the deafblind community for over 30 years. He has been an advocate, communications and language specialist, independent living skills instructor, conference presenter, rehabilitation counselors, senior program manager, support services provider and interpreter. He also co-founded and has run the professionals serving deafblind consumers Listserv since 2006, so congratulations Paul Deeming.

 [Cheers & Applause. Michele presents Paul with the plaque, they pose together for a photo snap. Paul signs ‘thank  you’. They depart the stage together, and Darlene comes back onstage. She is joined by Amy McQuaid-Swanson, who stands off to the side.]

 >> Darlene:  Hello again. We have a wonderful -- another wonderful recipient for lifetime achievement award. This person has been with DHHSD for almost -- Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services Division for almost 40 years. She is the glue that held things together through several transitions. There's been lots of organizational change through these transitions, and all kinds of things that this recipient has held the organization together through. She has also fought and overseen -- just overseen the distribution of millions of dollars of grants that serve the deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing community. She also ensured that the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services Division stayed as its own division, separate from the Department of Human Services.

 [Cheering]

 >> Darlene: Congratulations, Amy McQuaid-Swanson. 

[Darlene presents Amy with the plaque. They pose together for a photo snap before Amy departs the stage. Darlene asks Diego to hold her notes as she signs ‘can’t memorize my lines, obviously!’.]

>> Darlene: I almost lost my place in my script but now we are very fortunate to live in Minnesota. We have accomplished many wonderful things here. Within the community, we have all of these awards because of all of these accomplishments. And so, again, consider if there are other people who should be nominated for awards, again, next time for our Lobby Day. We do want to thank the committee who reviewed and selected the awardees, it is a very difficult job. We're not closing quite yet, we do want to also bring the team who has worked so diligently for this event. This is the civic engagement team. 

[Darlene extends an arm to the team walking up to join her on the stage. Applause.]

>> Darlene: And their leader is Jessalyn Akerman-Frank. Also, if you wouldn't mind, later, we would like to get a picture so everyone will have you look up at some moment but not quite yet. Is everyone -- are we ready for that now or not yet? I'm sorry, I messed it up. I messed up the program. If everyone could please look up, right behind me here, there's going to be a picture taken right now. 

[Darlene points up with both arms. The team looks up and smiles as the camera zooms out to show the audience looking up as well.]

>> Darlene: All right, great. Now, I'm going to turn it over to Jessalyn.

[Applause. Jessalyn Akerman-Frank steps up and signs.]

 >> Jessalyn:  Thank you, wow, thank you so much for coming. This event is successful because of all of you and all of the contractors who have worked so hard doing this work. Reaching out to various communities, reaching out to the deaf, deafblind, hard-of-hearing communities, the voters, the legislators, they've worked so hard and we're so happy that all of you have shown up today. This is a year's worth of work. This event happens biennially but it takes a year to plan it so now you know where we'll be in two years. Thank you to my contractors. You made my life easy. You have worked so hard for so long; I so appreciate you. It's been a wonderful day so far. The day is not yet over. If you want to go on a tour, meet Mike Cashman, as well as Rachel Eggert, we have hard-of-hearing tours, we have deafblind tours, we have various tours, we have a walking captionist who will be a walking captioner during the tours. And if you want to join later, we will have a reception tonight at the Hotel Radisson. From 4:30 to 6:00, free food, if that's not reason enough, come on out. We will see you in two years. Unfortunately, this event is not yearly, it's every two years so we'll see you in 2025. 

[Applause. The team moves off stage while Darlene reappears.]

>> Darlene:  Hold on, don't go. I want to say thank you to our CART providers, many, many interpreters who worked hard to make this day possible. Thank you all. Thank you for your patience, we have many volunteers, as well, we can't forget any of the volunteers. I want to make sure to not forget anyone, so I want to look at my list here. Oh, we also have SSPs, of course.  Support service people.  We have photographers, we have videographers, everyone that helped make this day possible. Thank you so much. And, again, I know some of you were wondering where we should go after, it's the Radisson hotel that's across the street. Directly across the street. And someone lost their keys. 

[Darlene holds up a set of keys.]

>> Darlene Zangara: Who lost their keys? Have a wonderful evening. Thank you all for coming. I hope to see you again in two years.

[Applause. The camera zooms out to show the audience before fading out. Video end.]