About Deaf Collab: Austin 2025

Deaf Collab: Austin 2025 emerged from a powerful demonstration of community resilience and self-organization. When the National Association of the Deaf's Leadership Training Conference (NLTC), scheduled for October 29-November 1, 2025 in Austin, Texas, was unexpectedly canceled on October 21, hundreds of Deaf leaders, advocates, and community members found themselves with non-refundable travel arrangements and a shared desire to continue learning and collaborating.

Within hours of the cancellation announcement, Kelby Brick—one of the scheduled NLTC presenters—reached out to the community with a simple question: "See you there?" The response was overwhelming. Deaf leaders from across the nation affirmed their commitment to gather, learn, and strengthen our community together.

What began as disappointment transformed into inspiration. Community members immediately stepped forward to volunteer:

• Securing meeting spaces at the Austin Deaf Club, local libraries, and university facilities
• Contacting original speakers, many of whom committed to still present
• Building this website to coordinate logistics and share information
• Organizing accommodations, schedules, and community activities
• Contributing countless hours of time, expertise, and passion

This spontaneous mobilization demonstrated something profound: when the Deaf community comes together with shared purpose, we can accomplish remarkable things in remarkably short time.

Deaf Collab: Austin 2025 exists to:

Deaf Collab: Austin 2025 represents more than just a replacement conference—it's a proof of concept. It demonstrates that our community has the leadership, expertise, and organizational capacity to create our own opportunities for growth and collaboration.

We are grateful to all the original NLTC organizers and presenters whose work laid the foundation for the content and connections we're building upon. We acknowledge that conference planning is complex work, and we respect the difficult decisions organizations must sometimes make.

At the same time, we celebrate what this moment has revealed: the Deaf community doesn't wait for permission to lead. When we see a need, we fill it. When we face obstacles, we find solutions. When we commit to gathering, we make it happen.

What happened in Austin that weekend was nothing short of historic. Hundreds of Deaf leaders, advocates, and community members gathered—not because an organization told them to, but because they chose to. They came together to learn, to connect, to honor wisdom and history, and to move forward together.

The event rekindled something powerful within attendees. It reminded them of why they fight for the Deaf community, why they believe in collective action, and why love and conviction matter more than any single institution. Participants described the gathering as "unprecedented," "inspiring," and "powerful magic"—a week that will forever be remembered in the history of the Deaf community.

The diversity of skills, perspectives, and experiences represented at Deaf Collab made the movement three-dimensional—alive, like sign language itself. It proved that when the Deaf community comes together with belief and determination, we don't just survive challenges—we transform them into opportunities that change the course of our lives.

This wasn't just a conference. It was a demonstration of what's possible when we lead ourselves, trust each other, and refuse to let obstacles define us.

Deaf Collab: Austin 2025 has concluded, but its impact continues to ripple through our community. The connections made, the knowledge shared, and the spirit of collaboration demonstrated that weekend serve as a blueprint for what we can accomplish when we work together.

Together, we are stronger. Together, we lead. Together, we create the future our community deserves.

October 29-31, 2025 • Austin, Texas