Delaware Association of the Deaf (DAD)

Hi everyone!

As we get closer to the ASLRT 2026 Conference, we’re putting the final pieces together and could use a little help from our wonderful community!

Do you have plans to shop at Costco or BJ’s anytime soon? If so, would you consider picking up a few items from our conference needs list as a donation?

We rely on donations to keep our Snack Den well-stocked throughout the conference! Our goal is to make sure attendees, presenters, and volunteers have snacks and refreshments available to keep them energized throughout the event. Every contribution helps us make this possible!

We’ve put together a Google Form listing the items we need. If you’re planning a trip to Costco or BJ’s, we’d be so grateful if you’d consider picking up a few items from the list.

No time to shop? No problem at all! Monetary donations are also greatly appreciated and will help us purchase the remaining items we need.

Whether you donate a few snacks, contribute financially, or help spread the word, every bit of support makes a difference. We’re so grateful for everyone who is helping bring the 20th ASLRT Conference to life!

Here’s the Google Form with our list of needed items and donation information:

Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWQ-iSN84eNue4jhg80ENzPCECG7xO_17bNzaEBani62lCXA/viewform?usp=header

Thank you so much for considering supporting us! Your generosity helps keep our Snack Den stocked and our conference community fueled. We truly appreciate your support as we celebrate this special 20th conference milestone!

With gratitude,
Kelli Adasko
ASLRT 2026 Conference Coordinator

The ASL Program in the Department of Linguistics at Penn and the Wolf Humanities Center are pleased to announce the fall ASL Lecture Series event to be presented by Dr. Rachel Kolb, author of Articulate.

Rachel Kolb’s presentation is titled, “The Practice of Articulation” The lecture will be held on Thursday, November 12, from 5:30-7:00 PM as an in-person only event at the University of Pennsylvania, David Rittenhouse Labs Building, Room A-1, 209 S 33rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19104.  A book signing will follow the lecture and Q&A.

The abstract and bio are detailed below and a flier is attached.

The lecture will be presented in ASL with ASL/English interpretation provided.  It is free and open to the public.  No registration is required to attend.

If you have questions, please contact Dr. Jami Fisher, Director of ASL, Department of Linguistics: jami@sas.upenn.edu

Abstract:

Deaf experience is inherently multimodal: it can involve many different forms of communication, including visual and physio-spatial practices that diverge from common cultural expectations for spoken language. In this talk, Rachel Kolb, the author of the recent memoir Articulate: A Deaf Memoir of Voice (Ecco, 2025), will recount stories from a life spent practicing various types of articulation, both in English and in American Sign Language (ASL). Through her lived experiences as well as through the process of writing this book, Kolb has come to understand deafness as a source of insight, one that can deepen our analysis of the stakes of human connection, as well as illuminate more equitable and flexible ways of shaping our relationships with others.

A book signing will follow the lecture and Q&A.

Bio:

Rachel Kolb is a writer whose work explores communication, language, and disability as central components of human experience. Her first book is Articulate: A Deaf Memoir of Voice (Ecco, 2025), which received starred reviews from both Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and The Atlantic, among other publications.

A graduate of Stanford University, she was the first signing deaf Rhodes scholar at Oxford before receiving her Ph.D. in English literature from Emory University and then completing a junior fellowship in the Society of Fellows at Harvard University.

In her free time, Rachel enjoys the outdoors, long conversations, pleasure reading, travel, museums, new fun facts, and spicy food.