Vermont Proposal 3 and 4 Explained in ASL

VTAD MAL Don’s Vlog

Visual Description: an adult Black man taking a close-up outdoor selfie while standing in a natural setting. He has a bald head, a short mustache, and a neatly trimmed beard that is predominantly gray and white around his chin and jawline. He is wearing a bright royal-blue fleece jacket with a high collar and a front zipper pulled up toward his neck. The background features several tall evergreen trees, leafless deciduous trees, and shrubs with reddish-orange autumn foliage. The sky is partly cloudy, with patches of blue visible between the white and gray clouds. Natural daylight illuminates the scene, creating a slightly overcast outdoor atmosphere. The video is taken from a close, slightly low angle, with the man’s face and upper body occupying most of the frame while the surrounding trees and autumn landscape remain visible in the background.

Vermont Proposal 3

Vermont Proposal 4

Visual description for both videos: The image shows an brown-skinned man sitting in library, facing the camera. He has medium-length, naturally curly dark hair, a full dark beard and mustache, and a neutral, composed facial expression. He is wearing a gray, long-sleeved crewneck shirt with horizontal white stripes and a small embroidered design on the left side of his chest, along with blue jeans. The background features several light-gray office cubicles and partitions, additional workstations, office chairs, and beige-colored walls. A light-colored desk extends across the foreground, while rectangular fluorescent ceiling lights provide bright indoor lighting. The videos are taken from a relatively low, desk-level camera angle, with the man positioned centrally and occupying most of the frame.

Background information: Vermont Public

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Halloween Party & VtAD Town Hall

Visual Description: Halloween event flyer on a dark purple and black background. Across the top, colorful autumn maple leaves frame the Vermont Association of the Deaf logo and name. Below, large text reads “You’re Invited” and “Halloween Party,” with an orange banner reading “& Town Hall.” A bright orange sun graphic appears on the left, and three glowing jack-o’-lanterns appear on the right. The flyer lists the event date as October 24, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, at Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main Street, Montpelier, Vermont. Five small jack-o’-lantern illustrations decorate the bottom. The overall design uses orange, green, cream, and white text with Halloween and autumn imagery.

Visual Description: An Afro-Latino and Brown-skinned man is centered in the frame from approximately the waist up, facing the camera and communicating with expressive hand and arm movements. He has short, curly dark hair and short facial hair. He is wearing a dark charcoal-gray short-sleeved T-shirt with a small logo on the upper chest. His facial expressions change naturally throughout the video as he signs, and his hands frequently move in front of his chest, face, and upper body.

The background is simple and uncluttered, consisting of white wall. The lighting is bright and even, with no visible furniture, decorations, or other objects competing for attention. The simple background provides strong contrast with his dark shirt and keeps the visual focus on the signer and his hand movements.

Transcription:

Hi! I’m Franly, and I have some exciting news to share with y’all!

VtAD is hosting a big event: a Halloween Party and Town Hall!

The Town Hall will run from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The agenda focuses on special elections and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Community-Driven Commitment. 

From 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM, lunch will be provided during the Halloween Party. Fun activities may include painting, scary storytelling, a costume contest, and more! Additional activities will be announced soon.

The event will take place on October 24, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main Street, Montpelier, Vermont.

Admission information is as follows:

VtAD Special Election:
During the Town Hall, the VtAD Board will hold a special election to fill the following vacant board positions: Vice President, Secretary, and 2nd Member At-Large (MAL). You must be a VtAD member to vote in the special election. Those elected will serve the remainder of the board term until August 2027.

VtAD members: FREE

Non-VtAD members: $10 for VtAD membership + $10 event admission = $20 total

Halloween Party only: $10 event admission

Fill out RSVP for the food count: https://forms.gle/8LxxQ3YA4RJt2oCS9

We are looking forward to connecting, having conversations, and having fun with you!

Thank you!

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Medicaid Rules Changes in Effect by Jan 1, 2026 ASL version

  1. Vermont Department of Health: Federal Medicaid Rule Changes
  2. Vermont Department of Health: Medicaid Work Reqiurement Screening
  3. Vermonter Health Care and Rights: Member Information

Learn more about the impact of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) severe cut on our communities

  1. Women Health: Reproductive Health Care
  2. States are at the most risk: Responding to Federal Medicaid Reduction
  3. Medicare is also severly impacted: Impact of the Big Bill on Medicare
  4. Reality Check on One Big Beautiful Bill Act: OBBB’s Cuts on Medicaid and Medicare

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A Synposis of 58th NAD Binneial Conference

Video Description: Afro-Latino Man with a copper-dyed, faded afro hairstyle wore a tan t-shirt, white cargo pants, and green shoes. A slideshow of pictures presented the meeting setup being cleaned up and people exiting the room. Image: Black man and Afro-Man sat, smiling, and leaning against each other, shoulder by shoulder on the table. Image 2: A black guy with dreadlocks stood and signed. Image 3: Night Events shows a dinner meal, Chinese dance with tiger symbol status, Jazz Dance with 6 women, and two old white men singing their song in ASL. 

Summary: Franly introduced himself as VtAD President and explained the 58th NAD Biennial Conference. VtAD delegates were Franly and Don Petit-Homme, who participated in the voting process in the NAD Council of Representation (COR). We want to bring the Community-Driven Commitment to our VT Deaf community to decide which task we want to focus on. 

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Gone Guys Film & Community Dialogue

Image Description: Big navy blue font title on center of the poster: GONE GUYS in between the bridge. Subheading explained the list of production crews and website: GoneGuysFilm.com. The font above the title: Boys and young men are struggling. It’s time to talk about it. Pink background with a guy standing on the edge of a broken bridge in between gaps.

DATE: May 16, 2026

TIME: 11 AM TO 2 PM

LOCATION: Pickering Room at Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St, Burlington, VT 05401

Gone Guys Trailer: https://goneguysfilm.com

Image Description: Afro-Latino brown man with a beard and faded copper-dyed afro hair. He wore a red shirt. Background: white wall with plugging box.

Synopsis:

VtAD hosts a community event on May 16 from 11 AM to 2 PM at Fletcher Free Library! This film event is a nationwide conversation about struggle of boys and young men. We are thrilled to join this nationwide conversation, especially with our Deaf perspective on this film. The event is free for all, regardless memberships. The goal of this event is to raise awareness about stuggles in manhood/masculinity and continue the conversation through our Deaf/DeafBlind/DeafDisabled/ Hard of Hearing community. This event welcomes all types of audiences! We are looking forward to seeing you there!

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