Mission Statement

Provide consultation and information to the public, businesses, media, health care, government, educators and others on the needs and interests of Deaf Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Conduct research and collect data regarding: Deaf demographics, employment, and literacy; provide reports on information gathered.

Provide Employment Services to Deaf clients to enable them to seek, obtain and keep employment.

Promote and protect the use of American Sign Language through sign language classes.

Provide ASL Consultation Conferences to the Deaf community.

Provide representation on national and local boards:

• Canadian Association of the Deaf
• Coalition of Persons with Disabilities
• Disability Policy Office
• Network of Disability Organizations
• Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee (City of St. John's)
• Marine Atlantic Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee
• Interpreting Services of NL

For over 60 years, Deaf children of Newfoundland and Labrador were educated outside the province. In 1961, St. John's Association of the Deaf lobbied the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to establish a school for the Deaf in St. John's resulting in the opening of the Newfoundland School for the Deaf in 1964.

In 1987, when the Provincial Government cut all funding under the Employment Assistance for People with Disabilities, the NLAD and Coalition of Persons with Disabilities successfully lobbied Government to have it reinstated.

In 1990, NLAD and the Canadian Association of the Deaf lobbied the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to provide a telephone relay service resulting in Newfoundland and Labrador being the first Atlantic province to have the service.

In 1995, NLAD's lobbying efforts to the CRTC paid off with the first closed captioning on CBC's evening news in 1996.

In 2005, NLAD developed and implemented the first Deaf Literacy Program in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2008, NLAD implemented Employment Services for the Deaf which offers a variety of career and employment services in partnership with Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.