Consultants from Navee Strategies (presented as NEV) on Tuesday gave the Louisiana Commission for the Deaf a draft revision of the commissions vision, mission, purpose and five strategic priorities, and asked commissioners for feedback ahead of a planned vote in January 2026.

The presentation opened with Devin Searles, a consultant with NEV, saying the goal of the session was to "describe, and really kind of go over the results of our strategic plan" and to collect commissioner feedback before the plan returns for approval. Melissa Yingst, also a consultant with NEV, presented proposed wording changes to the vision, mission and purpose statements and summarized five priority areas: community communication and reach; community leadership and governance; inclusive service delivery; generational care and advocacy (slide header initially mislabeled); and educational excellence and leadership.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said clearer, more inclusive wording will guide outreach, data collection and service design for deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing Louisianans statewide. NEV told the commission the revisions are intended to broaden audience inclusion and to shift some tactical language into purpose statements, while the commission will set final reach and measurement targets.

Most significant details: NEV proposed changing the vision to emphasize that "deaf, deaf blind, and hard of hearing people thrive and contribute fully," and recommended moving the three "E" words (engage, empower, enrich) into purpose statements. The consultants described the first priority as aiming to "build modern multichannel communication infrastructure that expands LCD's reach by 80% across all demographics," but acknowledged in discussion that the 80% figure is not a finalized baseline and that commissioners will need to define how "reach" is measured.

Commissioner discussion focused on three topics:
- The word "empowerment." Chairperson Doctor Natalie Delgado and several commissioners said the English term aims to signal self-empowerment but raised concern that the sign used in American Sign Language may not match the intended meaning. Doctor Wimberly suggested using "autonomy" or "resilient" as alternatives; Mr. Wellens urged retention of "empowerment" with clarifying language to indicate "self empowerment."
- Data gaps and reach. Commissioner Wellens pressed NEV on the baseline behind the 80% target and the lack of reliable counts for the hard-of-hearing population; NEV acknowledged data gaps and said priority No. 2 (community leadership and governance) anticipates building a data-driven approach to close those gaps.
- Service scope and senior care. Commissioners asked that the priority focused on seniors be broadened to include deaf and deafblind people with comorbidities and to clarify how services address health and wellness beyond the senior population.

NEV said the priorities are not final recommendations but a working draft: "these aren't formal recommendations, but this is just, visibility for any feedback," Searles said. The consultants asked commissioners for written feedback and said the plan will return for a formal vote at the January 2026 meeting.

The presentation generated several follow-up items commissioners asked staff and the NEV team to deliver, including: clearer definitions for "reach," a data plan for counting hard-of-hearing populations, and alternate ASL signs or wording for "empowerment" if the commission decides to keep the English term.

Looking ahead: NEV and LCD staff will incorporate commissioner feedback and return a revised document for action at the January 2026 meeting.