How does the nomination process work for the Golden Hand Awards?

Purpose

Many individuals have constantly strived to increase opportunities for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the State of Washington for several years. They have contributed a significant amount of time and effort to enhance the lives of this population. WSAD has committed to recognizing these individuals.

Who Can be Nominated?

Any person, Deaf or Hearing, can be nominated for a Golden Hand award. However, the results of the individual’s efforts must have occurred in Washington State.

How Does One Nominate an Individual?

If you have an individual in mind that you believe should be recognized for their several years of work enhancing the lives of Deaf or Hard of Hearing, contact the Chair of “Recognition Awards” for an application form. After completing the application, please return it to the Chair for action.

Who Selects Nominees for An Award?

A committee selected by the Chair reviews all nominations submitted. After this review, the committee decides whether to award or not. If the committee needs more information, they may contact you. All committee decisions are final.

How are Selected Nominees Recognized?

Selected nominees are honored at the WSAD Conference and given a Commendation Letter from the President of WSAD and a “Golden Hand Award.” They are also recognized in the WSAD Newsletter, which is distributed throughout the state.

You can apply the Golden Hand Award here.

2019 Lifetime Honory Member Award for Allie Joiner. Allie Joiner attended the Arkansas School for the Deaf. After 8 years there, she transferred to the Louisiana School for the Deaf in Baton Rouge. After taking 2 years of Algebra, she entered Gallaudet College in 1952. She graduated with a major in Education for the Deaf.

Allie taught at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind in Spartanburg for 2 years and at the New Mexico School for the Deaf for 6 years. She taught for 5 more years at Colorado School for the Deaf. Even though she enjoyed the kids, she was unsure about staying in the field. She decided to pursue a different career, so she attended the University of Arizona and earned her M.S. in Rehabilitation with a focus on Deaf Adults. She chose Seattle for her internship with DVR over St. Louis and Rochester. Allie might have ended up at NTID in Rochester, but she disliked the snowy East and considered going to Alaska at that time with Estie.

Fate changed when Seattle Hearing Speech Center offered Allie a job as a vocational counsellor with Deaf Adult Services. Allie calls the days there the golden days, as the work was rewarding. During that time, she was also a member of the Local Evaluation Team as an RSC interpreter (the same as a CDI). She learned about lobbying in Olympia and shook hands with every Governor. Currently, Allie thinks Gov. Inslee has been very, very supportive of our cause for quality education. During those six years, she attended many workshops and became involved with the Governor’s Committee on Handicapped and Employment Issues (old term), before it changed to GCDE.

Allie decided to try for CSUN Leadership Training in the Area of Deafness in Northridge, CA (1978) and was inspired by her Political Science professor, who saw in Allie an advocate. Allie was not sure if advocates would get paid in the 1970s – little did she know, she would become the first paid advocate in Seattle for the Hearing-Impaired in 1980. Her first advocacy work involved filing a complaint against the City of Seattle because she was discriminated against for the job. The rest is history.

Thanks to Deaf Services Coordinator Leon Cutis for his proposal for community service centers in four locations (Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Spokane). Allie was involved in the long process of obtaining Referendum 37 monies for CSCSDHH. After one year with Troubleshooters (Washington State Advocacy System), she worked as a Consumer Advocate in the Legal Advocacy Project at CSCDHH. Thanks to Temmie Brier, Legal Advocate, a wonderful mentor for Allie, Temmie would take her to many legal workshops. Twelve years at CSCDHH permitted her to travel all over the state, supporting parents of Deaf children in making PL 94-142 work for them. The NAD workshop on Section 504 was also great. Allie attended many workshops on PL94-142, State Law Against Discrimination, and ADA.

After 12 years at CSCDHH, Allie worked at the Tacoma Coalition of Individuals with Disabilities Center as Deaf Services Coordinator for five years before transferring to ADWAS for another nine years as a Community Advocate.

In December 2007, Allie retired, only to accept a part-time job one month later at the Deaf Blind Service Center as a Senior Citizen Advocacy Specialist. She has been at it for nearly 11 years. Everyone asks when she will FINALLY retire. She does not know; she will see how it goes. She is still on the board at WSD, now known as the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (the new name since it is a state-level board).

As one of our oldest members, her numerous experiences and involvements have become so important to us, young leaders. Thank you, Allie!

2019 Lifetime Honory Member Award for Larry Petersen received the lifetime honorary member award from WSAD for his lifetime contribution to WSAD as well as to the Deaf Community at the local and state level. He has been a member of WSAD for nearly 60 years and continues to be involved with the WSAD Endowment Fund, having previously served as a Trustee and currently as Custodian for over 30 years.  Larry was WSAD President for 6 years, 1981- 1987. He missed receiving his award before the Deafies in Drag performance and had gone home, as he had already seen them perform before. So, WSAD presented the crystal award to him during our business meeting, and he was surprised!

Larry Petersen received the lifetime honorary member award from WSAD for his significant contributions to WSAD and the Deaf Community at both the local and state levels. He has been a member of WSAD for nearly 60 years and continues to be involved with the WSAD Endowment Fund, having previously served as a Trustee and currently as Custodian for over 30 years.

Larry was WSAD President for six years, from 1981 to 1987. He often attended Olympia for legislative hearings, which positively impacted the welfare and rights of Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the state of Washington. In 1973, Larry was the Chair of the WSAD/WSRID legislative committee, which eventually led to the passage of a bill requiring court and legal interpreting services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

Larry’s last administrative employment positions were Director of the Program for the Deaf at Seattle Central Community College for five years and Interim Superintendent of Washington School for the Deaf, his alma mater. Larry enjoys socializing with family and friends, especially over a glass of wine. Larry’s hobbies are fishing, gardening, and reading. As one of our oldest members, his experiences and involvements have become so important to us, young leaders. Thank you, Larry!

2019 Lifetime Honory Member Award for Michael Izak has been actively involved in numerous WSAD committees and meetings over the years. As an attorney, he has generously provided invaluable legal guidance on our bylaws, endowment and mutual funds, parliamentary procedures, and other legal matters. With over 22 years of experience as a trial attorney, Michael has focused much of his work on legal issues affecting Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals, making his contributions to our organization especially impactful.

Michael Izak, also known as Mike, graduated with a Juris Doctor degree with honours from the University of Washington School of Law. He clerked for Justice Charles Z Smith at the Washington State Supreme Court for a year, then was accepted to the Washington State Bar in 1998 and to the Oregon State Bar in 2002. He is an experienced trial attorney, having worked on legal matters involving deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals for the last 22 years. Thank you, Mike, for all your time in helping and working with us and for your legal advice!