DeafBlind Citizens in Action
Leveling the playing field for people who are deafblindMission:
To empower people who are deafblind through education, technology, and legislation and to ensure that deafblind persons have a strong political voice so that they may lead productive lives with equal opportunities.
Vision:
To strive to create a better world where deafblind individuals are empowered through equal opportunities to live fully and productively, including full access to employment, education and technology.
Meet the DBCA Team
Mussie Gebre
President
Mussie Gebre has been an active member since 2010. He was born in Eritrea and came to the U.S. at the age of 12 with no prior education and almost no knowledge of English. Believed by American ophthalogists to have optic atrophy with residual, Gebre began his journey through the Oakland, California public school system.
Maricar Marquez
Special Adviser
Maricar Marquez is the supervisor of Independent Living Department at Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC) in Sands Point, New York. Born in the Philippines and raised in Canada, Ms. Marquez was diagnosed with Usher syndrome characterizing a hearing loss and a progressive vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa.
George Stern
Vice President
George Stern is a 27 year old student and advocate currently residing in Lubbock, Texas, pursuing a major in French and a minor in Classics at Texas Tech University (TTU). George hopes to apply these studies into a career in law or with the Library of Congress, so he can help ensure access to the treasury of human knowledge for all people.
Amita Srinivasan
Interm Secretary
Amita Srinivasan attended the DBCA meeting as a new member in 2017. From Texas, Amita has This year she is returning as the interim secretary of DBCA. She credits her growing interest in leadership to meeting and interacting with powerful empowered women like DBCA member Divya Goel and mentors like Hunter McGowan at the 2017 DBCA summit.
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Member Spotlight: Hunter McGowan
Countdown to DBCA 2018 DBCA member spotlight – Hunter McGowan My name is Hunter McGowan and I am an individual with deafblindness due to the etiology of Usher syndrome type II. My interests include: tandem bicycling, camping, kayaking, reading, writing and learning...
read more27 And Counting, But Are We?: Reflecting on Uncertainties Around the ADA
This July 26th will mark 28 years since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act; That is to say, 28 years since Republicans and Democrats, Northerners and Southerners, liberals and conservatives united to acknowledge that: (1) physical or mental...
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