See you at Allies 2025 allies is planning
intro and welcome
Visual description: Opening slide (with stars in the background). text: “Update - Allies Conference 2024 Meet the facilitators….”
Zoom image with the 4 facilitators Upper left:
Neisha is in front of a blue background wearing an olive green turtle neck sweater. She has shoulder length dark hair and is wearing glasses.
Upper right: Aaron is front of a black background wearing a dark collared shirt. He has short dark hair and a salt and pepper short beard.
Bottom left: MJ is in front of a blue background wearing a royal blue turtle neck sweater. She has chin-length blond hair.
Bottom right: Morrison is in front of a black background wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with the word “UNITY” in rainbow colors. She is wearing a blue baseball cap with a Protactile logo on the left side of the cap, has short hair and is wearing glasses.
Neisha: I'm Dr. Neisha from (emphasized proudly) DC. I identify as a Black Deaf person. My role is “CO”. I’m excited to be part of this conference standing in the foundation that was created by Nathie. I’ve taken to heart the breakthroughs that she caused and the vision she had for the breakthoughs we can create together.
Morrison - I’m Morrison from Boston. I identify as white, DeafBlind and Queer and use they/them pronouns. My role is “CO”. My excitement about this conference is to see, feel and experience UNITY through collaboration.
MJ - I’m MJ Grant, born and raised in Maine. My identities are CODA, white and female (pronouns she/her). My role for the conference is “CO”. From the time I was a young child I’ve envisioned a future filled with unity and collaboration. That future begins with each person starting on THEIR healing journey that is grounded in individual and collaborative effort. That’s my dream.
Aaron. I’m Aaron Brace in San Francisco, CA. I’m am hearing, white, male, gay interpreter. My role for the conference, as is true for all of us, is “CO”. You may wonder what “CO” means and I’m not going to tell you now:). Come to the conference and we’ll share that with you. I'm looking forward to the conference to explore the hard shell that has surrounded/protected me as I travel through the world. I’m not sure that the term “ally” best defines what we’re talking about. I do know that the concept of taking on an ally role surrounded by a safety shell blocks my ability to truly walk in tandem with people. I want to examine this deeply with all of you.
Neisha - The conference theme is “Finding Our Center”. I’d like to hear from each of you how you sign that. Morrison - I struggle with it. I think there’s no right or wrong answer and each person will have their own way of expressing it. One could sign {Sign description: R-hand ‘b’ handshape movement signing CENTER with L-hand up-facing palm} or one could sign {Sign description: R hand b-handshape singing CENTER to the middle of the chest}. Or the coming together and supporting each other {Sign description: 2 C handshapes coming together with the signs SUPPORT, STRONG and COLLABORATION}. MJ - We all have internal wisdom. i feel strongly that finding our center is the coming together of that wisdom with action. [Sign description: both R and L arms with a ‘b’ handshape meet in the middle and align.] Aaron - I envision a tootsie roll pop that, after a lot of licking, leaves a soft sweet center. That’s the soft sweet center I want to share with you. Neisha - I think of 2 signs for CENTER meeting in the middle. [Sign description: R-hand CENTER (8-handshape) palm facing down and L-hand palm facing up touching when they get to the middle.} Sometimes it is hard for either hand to find the middle because of fear or confusion. But in that process we can bring both sides together and find the right niche that can become the torch that lights the way and carries us forward together . [Description: Neisha again signs her sign for CENTER] Neisha: We look forward to you coming to the conference. Aaron - Join us! Morrison - I look forward to connecting and having hand-on-hand connection with you. Come! All: Hugs. ILY!!
Hi all. I’m Dr. Neisha, one of your facilitators. My focus is on “mental shift”. Rather than being stuck in a perspective, we can shift our thinking. I will bring the inspiring breakthrough work, envisioned by Nathie Marbury, to this conference. We’ve experienced “imposter syndrome” which creates discouragement, frustration, and not knowing what’s next. Whether it’s with a group of friends, family, or work environments, we can find ourselves frustrated and in disagreement. If you’ve had that experience, come to the conference! We will have conversations, experience discoveries AND find our center! Hope to see you there!
Visual Description Morrison is waring a black down jacket with blue on the inside of the hoodie, and a black baseball cap. They are standing in from of a chalk board with a drawing on it. Hello, I’m Morrison and I’m one of the “COs" for the upcoming conference in March. I’m really looking forward to it. My goal for that is to recognize how we still hold onto stuff in many different ways that really prevent us from connecting and practicing unity. “CO” (Morrison points to the sign “CO) ’ implies connection and that there are 2 or more people involved. “CO” shows up in COMMUNICATION. “CO” shows up in CONNECTION. “CO” shows up in ‘COLLABORATION’, COMMUNITY and in so many other areas. “CO” means we are meant to be together, practicing that sense of unity, working together, supporting each other….making sure that it’s a space of inclusion, where there is a feeling of equity, and accommodation for individual's various needs. It’s very beautiful that we have such a diverse community It takes all of us to recognize our thoughts and the habits that are preventing us from connecting and getting rid of those habits. We have to do that together and in a space where we can navigate and figure out how we can really work towards a sense of unity. A sense of “CO”. Many of you know, or perhaps you don’t know, the our community has create the term "co-presence” - the idea of navigating life, in partnership, together. Together, because we is human beings, we’re not designed to live alone. We are hard wired to connect, and to live together in community. Not in a way that we are so bonded that we don’t leave room for others, but to welcome others in and expand those communities. We’ll get there!
Visual Description White woman, with blond shoulder length wavy hair, wearing a long sleeve maroon t-shirt standing in front of a black background. Hi, I’m MJ Grant, CODA with 2 Deaf parents. I was born and raised in Maine and have been an interpreter here for 25 years…living for 49 years in the same town I was born in! I’m so looking forward to be one of the “COs” at the Allies Conference. I think the theme of “Finding our Center’ is a fascinating one, partially because I’ve always been passionate about our innate human ability to find truth and wisdom - that we come equipped with all we need. Over time, our experience in society, somehow, has taught us to ignore that our innate abilities and instead feel that we must follow the instincts of others. That disconnection creates that we betray ourselves. How, then, does it become possible for communities to come together and align when we are experiencing that disconnection? I believe strongly that if all of us bring to this conference our truths and our wisdom, the contributions of those gems, and the sharing that can come from it will bring us together. Those years of struggle, disconnection, and being out of sync with each other could be replaced by the experience of seeing each other with open hearts and minds. When we bring that truth to each other we can see each other. We can understand each other. And bond. And connect. And Find Our Center.
Hi, I'm Aaron Brace. I’m a middle-aged white man with short brown hair and a close-cropped salt and pepper beard. I’m wearing a black shirt and seated in front of a dark blue curtain. I’m a hearing interpreter in San Francisco, California. I’ve been interpreting for over 42 years now. Sometimes it feels like I went from a 19-year-old starting his interpreting journey at RIT to this old gray-bearded guy in the blink of an eye. My first involvement with the Allies Conference was in 1995 which I co-facilitated with Laurene Simms. The success of that conference stemmed from the participants attending with an open and sharing heart, and with a willingness to work through the difficult conversations by seeking to understand each other. It was a great experience. As we prepare to gather for Allies 2024, it’s important that we broaden our discussion to address concepts, terms, and ideas that have arisen over the past almost 30 years. We need to find a way to move into the future together. As a 60-something baby boomer, I often associate the word “ally” with “the Allies” during World War II. The member countries were bound together by a common cause— the defeat of Hitler. A common foe can be the catalyst for people forming an alliance. Our use of that same word, “allies”, leads me to wonder if we who gather also have some common foe. The Deaf community certainly battles for its rights on many fronts— in the medical system, the educational system, government, and others. I know that my place in those fights is behind the Deaf community, providing support. But there is one shared enemy that is mine to battle, one that looks a lot like, well, me. If you’re wondering how it’s possible to see an interpreter as both enemy and ally at the same time, come to the conference, where we’ll discuss that and more. I hope to see you there. Take care.
Morrison (they/them) identifies as a non-binary DeafBlind activist with disabilities who recognizes the significant gaps in accessibility for all people within the disability community, especially for DeafBlind community members. Morrison is particularly passionate about enhancing knowledge and resources on how DeafBlind individuals navigate and connect in this world. In recent years, they have become an avid activist to ensure awareness and accessibility is present for our community where a sense of unity exists. In the field of disability rights, accessibility, and accommodations, far too often the DeafBlind community falls through the cracks due to a system that is not working, ignorant, or in which accommodations are exclusive versus inclusive. Morrison strives to bring about awareness of DeafBlind existence as work towards building a more equitable and inclusive society, along with a genuine sense of unity in the commUNITY.
Niesha Washington-Shepard, MA, DI
She is a Black Deaf interpreter, anti-racism and social justice activist, LGBQTIA advocate, consultant, educator, and trainer in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV metro region). Niesha Washington-Shepard is a Louisiana native who currently lives in the DMV metro area. When she is not working, she spends her spare time offering her consulting and translating skills to local coalitions that advocate for the DeafBlind, Deaf, hard of hearing, and late-deafened populations in the DMV metro regions.
Mary Jane ‘MJ’ Grant is the youngest of two daughters born to Deaf parents in Sanford, Maine. With deep connections to both family and community, MJ has dedicated herself to fostering relationships and encouraging open dialogues.
Beginning her professional interpreting journey in 1997, MJ later deepens her involvement by mentoring aspiring interpreters as an instructor at the University of Southern Maine. In 2010, her commitment to community gave birth to Mary Jane Grant Sign Language Interpreting Services.
Beyond her work as an interpreter, MJ's passions also lie in the realm of conscious healing. She envisions a future characterized by holistic and shared growth. Her life's mission revolves around forging connections, a principle that is further highlighted in her role as a mother to four children and a caregiver to her mother, who is living with dementia. MJ’s life story serves as an evocative chronicle. By sharing wisdom gleaned from her journey, she aspires to become a catalyst for positive change in broader conversations.
While MJ still resides in Sanford, Maine with her family, her journey has wings and she is enthusiastic about participating in collective dialogues.
Aaron Brace began interpreting before he should have— 1 year after learning his first sign. That’s how it was at RIT in 1981. Since then, he has spent most of his career trying to unlearn the self-preservation habits he learned in those early days. He is grateful to the the Deaf communities of Rochester, NY and the San Francisco Bay Area for making him the interpreter he is today. He has worked in academia, including as a designated interpreter for a Deaf professor, in theater, and at numerous conferences (local, national, and international). He is proud to have been involved in the early days of the Allies Conference, and is honored to be back for more learning— and unlearning.