Consultants present revised vision, mission and five priorities for Louisiana Commission for the Deaf

Consultants Devin Searles and Melissa Yingst of Navee Strategies presented draft revisions to the Louisiana Commission for the Deaf(LCD) vision, mission and purpose and proposed five strategic priorities, and asked commissioners to provide feedback before a planned January 2026 approval vote.

Searles told commissioners the proposed vision would expand the agency—s language to "a Louisiana where deaf, deaf blind, and hard of hearing people thrive and contribute fully," and that the 80% reach target in the draft is "not a hard number." Melissa Yingst reviewed proposed purpose and values changes, and Searles and Yingst walked commissioners through five draft priorities: (1) community communication and reach, (2) community leadership and governance, (3) inclusive service delivery, (4) generational care and advocacy (slide header originally mislabeled), and (5) educational excellence and leadership.

The presentation was framed as a consultation: Searles said the consultant team—s role was to collect commissioner feedback now so the ad hoc committee can finalize priorities and return a recommendation for the LCD to vote on in January 2026.

Commissioners raised questions about vocabulary, measurement and equity. Dr. Wimberly recommended changing the word "empowerment" to "autonomy" or clarifying the term in the purpose statement, saying the commission should avoid language that implies power is given rather than developed. Commissioner Wellens, who said he served on the original drafting group, recommended keeping "empowerment" but clarifying that it refers to tools and supports that enable self-advocacy. Secretary Ashley Argrave and others also urged attention to American Sign Language (ASL) signs and whether a given English word matches the intended ASL concept.

Several commissioners pressed for clearer definitions and data baselines. Commissioner Wellens asked how LCD currently measures outreach and what baseline would make an 80% target meaningful; Searles said the committee will work with commission staff to define reach (database counts, listserv, RSC contacts or other measures) and establish a baseline. Commissioners also emphasized the need to address seniors, late-deafened people and people with multiple disabilities when drafting implementation strategies.

Searles and Yingst thanked commissioners for feedback and said the committee will continue drafting and consult commissioners as it prepares a recommendation for the board vote in January 2026.

Ending: The board did not vote on the strategic plan at the meeting; consultants asked commissioners to submit additional written feedback and indicated the ad hoc committee will return a final proposal for the LCD to consider in January 2026.