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History
I came to Lubbock in the fall of 2016 searching for the Deaf culture, discover my Deaf identity and to grow as a signer. Within the first month I lived in Lubbock, I quickly realized the lack of connections to the Deaf community other than the monthly coffee chats. I craved for more events to find the Deaf culture and “my people”. I knew there were over 20 students who identified as Hard of Hearing or Deaf on campus and it became my mission to find them, befriend them and create some kind of support group for us. Before TDCA was even created, it started out as a simple e-mail passed through SDS inviting D/HH students to a social lunch. The event then became a weekly occasion and the numbers grew as the weeks passed. Regardless of hearing identities, ASL proficiency, age, class, race, religion, sexual orientation- we instantly became close friends. It helped us realize that TDCA was something we didn’t even know we NEEDED. Not just for us, but also for the students who haven’t found us, and the students who have yet come to Texas Tech. TDCA was founded to provide opportunities for D/HH students to become involved in the Deaf culture on campus and in Lubbock. We also served as a support group for students struggling with inadequate accommodations and audist staff/student interactions. We collaborated on how we could raise awareness, improve our community and expand our organization to help others learn and become involved in the Deaf culture. It started with a few lonely D/HH people seeking for belonging, and it became something great.
-Alix Gavin (founder of the Tech Deaf Culture Alliance)
Who we are
Ciera Adams
President
Hello! My name is Ciera Adams, and I'm majoring in American Sign Language with a minor in History. My expected graduation date would be on May 2022. I want to be part of the TDCA to meet more people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing and people who know sign language. I will not have to feel alone with TDCA because we recruit people who are deaf, hard of hearing or hearing people who knows ASL. It's finally nice to meet ya'll!
Janessa Gonzalez
Vice-President
My name is Janessa Gonzalez, and I am a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I will be graduating in May 2023. I am hard of hearing person, and have been learning sign language since I was a three years old after my family discovered that I was hard of hearing. I am interested in meeting new people and want to welcome them to our deaf community.
Azaria Washington
Treasurer
My name is Azaria Washington, and I am an Animal Science major with a Pre-Vet concentration. I joined TDCA to learn more about the Deaf experience and grow my ASL skills. I am still currently learning ASL at Texas Tech but I started teaching myself in high school.
Mattie Johnson
Social Media Coordinator
Hi! My name is Mattie Johnston. I am currently a graduate student working on my MA in Applied Linguistics. I first began learning ASL when I transferred to Texas Tech during undergrad and chose ASL as my minor. I ended up realIy enjoying the language and decided to concentrate on ASL throughout my MA program. I wanted to join TDCA to be involved with students who have an appreciate for ASL and Deaf culture.
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