Miss Deaf AMERICA Pageant History
http://www.nad.org

The NAD Miss Deaf America Pageant, conducted every two years during the National Association of the Deaf Conference is a pageant in which young, deaf and hard of hearing women from across the United States represent their respective home state associations of the deaf and demonstrate their talents and accomplishments in a quest for the NAD Miss Deaf America title. The Pageant recognizes excellence in the deaf community; and the winner of the NAD Miss Deaf America title becomes a role model for deaf hard of hearing women across America.

The NAD Miss Deaf America Pageant is open to deaf and hard of hearing women from all fifty states and who are between the ages of 18 and 28 and who have won their respective state association of the deaf titles. The Pageant offers these women the opportunity to develop their personalities, self-confidence and poise, as well as to display their talents, express their opinions and share their ambitions. It also offers them the opportunity to win educational scholarships.

The NAD Miss Deaf America Pageant began as the vision of the late Douglas J. Burke. In 1966, Burke established a National Cultural Program within the NAD to discover the hidden talents of deaf and hard of hearing people in the visual arts. Despite the phenomenal growth of state contests within the structure of the Cultural Program, Burke felt there was something missing. There was one aspect of the arts that had yet to be explored-- drama. Dr. Burke visualized a “way to recognize deaf actresses at an early age” and, with the blessing of the NAD, the Miss Deaf America Talent Pageant was created as a part of the National Cultural Program.

The main objective of the NAD Miss Deaf America Talent Pageant was “…a new concept to help us elevate the image and self-concept of deaf ladies throughout the United States. This is not an ordinary contest…beauty, poise, gracefulness are desirable qualities, but the biggest point is one’s cultural talent performance.”
The first NAD Miss Deaf America Pageant was held in Miami Beach, Florida during the NAD Convention in 1972. Despite only five contestants, it was a popular event. It was then decided to hold the Pageant at the same time as the NAD Convention (now called the NAD Conference). It quickly became the most powerful drawing card for the conventioneers, even to this day. The last ten years of the Pageant has seen between 25 to 39 participants!

Since 1972, the Pageant has undergone many changes. In 1976, the word “talent” was removed and it simply became known as the NAD Miss Deaf America Pageant, closely following the structure of the Miss America Pageant. The appointment of NAD Miss Deaf America is based on five categories: private interview, platform presentation, talent performance, evening gown, and onstage interview.
Before reaching national level competition, participants compete at the local and state level, thus providing a large number of women an opportunity to test their public-presentation, stage presence, poise, grace under fire, and their ability to think on their feet. Talent is no longer the only thing, the women are judged across a broad spectrum of categories including community service, academics, current events, knowledge of deaf culture, and more.

The contestant who is crowned NAD Miss Deaf America becomes an ambassador for the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and a goodwill ambassador for approximately 28 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans.
The Pageant goal is to provide a fine, dignified and beautiful way to encourage young deaf and hard of hearing women to become the leaders of tomorrow.

A Pageant First

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