The Full Story

The Idaho Association of the Deaf (IAD), established in 1931, is the state’s premier organization safeguarding the accessibility and civil rights of Deaf and hard-of-hearing Idahoans in education, employment, healthcare, and telecommunications.

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The IAD was founded in Boise under the guidance of Otto Reins, a 1923 graduate of the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind (ISDB) and a 1929 graduate of Gallaudet College. The organization was born from a desire for Deaf individuals to take charge of their own futures and exercise their full rights as American citizens. To ensure Deaf people were actively involved in the decisions and policies affecting their lives, it was crucial to establish a unified front, transforming what had previously been uncoordinated individual efforts into a powerful, collective voice.

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Today, the IAD operates primarily as a volunteer organization. While our official home office is located in Gooding, our leadership is statewide, and the president typically resides in their own home community.

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Every odd-numbered year, the IAD hosts a state conference (formerly referred to as a convention) where resident and non-resident Deaf Idahoans can gather. These events feature workshops and symposiums addressing critical issues, and have historically included the Miss Deaf Idaho and Miss Deaf Idaho Teen pageants. Members and supporters can also subscribe to the official IAD newsletter. As part of a long-standing tradition established in 2001, the conference is hosted in Gooding every four years, with alternating host cities across Idaho selected for the biennial conferences in between.

The IAD is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors, which includes five officers and four members-at-large. Board members serve two-year terms, and elections are held biennially during the state conference.

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The IAD has achieved historic milestones for our community, and it remains vital that Deaf individuals join and support the IAD to keep our collective voice strong.