Law Student Appointed to Board of National Association of the Deaf
November 19, 2012
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Tawny Holmes, a student in the University of Baltimore School of Law, has been named to the board of directors of the National Association of the Deaf for the 2012-14 term. Holmes has been appointed to serve as an advisor on education and early intervention issues. The NAD is the oldest civil rights organization in the United States, established in 1880 to protect the civil, human and linguistic rights of the 48 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans. Its Law and Advocacy Center works on public interest law at both the state and federal levels through the organization's nearly 150 affiliates.
Holmes, a third-year law student from Laurel, Md., is focusing on education law at UB. She works as a student attorney with the Mediation Clinic for Families. She is interested in youth leadership and advocacy to promote bilingualism with young deaf children.
"I am very honored to have been appointed and view this as an important step in my career towards becoming an education legal advocate, which I have aspired to become ever since high school," Holmes said. "During my term, I will be leading efforts in creating a five-year action plan based on legal resources and my knowledge acquired to date from UB will be invaluable in doing so."
Holmes received her Bachelor of Arts degree in deaf studies and sociology from Gallaudet University, and a Masters of Arts degree in deaf education, also from Gallaudet.
For the past eight years, Holmes has been a dedicated volunteer for the NAD, including membership on the administration team of the NAD Youth Leadership Camp and service on committees advocating for civil rights, education, early intervention, as well as the organization's Youth Strategy Team. She recently completed her term as chair of the latter, which reviewed and created recommendations for all NAD youth programs.
Holmes has attended and presented at various conferences on educational topics, including the 2011 National Outreach Conference, the 2011 American Society of the Deaf conference, and the 2012 Early Hearing Detection and Intervention annual meeting, as well as its companion National Summit on Deaf Education. In addition, she recently coordinated the pilot of the National Educational Advocate Training at the 2012 NAD biennial conference.
Holmes has worked with students at every grade level, from a parents-infant program to 12th grade through her three years at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. While there, she worked as a substitute teacher, a teacher aide and a special aide. She has served as an intensive care provider for an autistic child of deaf adults. She is also currently working as a family educator at the Maryland School for the Deaf-Columbia.
Learn more about the National Association of the Deaf.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Public Affairs and the Merrick School of Business.