Award-Winning Deaf Actors to Appear at DCARA 40th Gala in San Francisco

From: DCARA - 27 Dec 2002

AWARD-WINNING DEAF ACTORS DEANNA BRAY AND TROY KOTSUR
TO APPEAR AT DCARA 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

Stars of "Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye" Series and Deaf West Theatre to be Honored
at Gala For Nation’s Oldest Agency "Of, By, and For" Deaf and Hard of
Hearing.

San Leandro, CA – December 27, 2002 – Deanna Bray, star of television's
new "Sue Thomas F.B. Eye" series, about a deaf undercover agent for the
FBI, and Troy Kotsur, Bray's husband and an acclaimed actor with Deaf
West Theatre and National Theater for the Deaf, will entertain the Bay
Area's deaf and hard of hearing community on March 1st in San Francisco
at the 40th anniversary gala for Deaf Counseling Advocacy & Referral
Agency (DCARA). The two will also be honored for their groundbreaking
work on behalf of the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Bray's biography is available at
http://www.pax.tv/shows/suethoma/Bio.cfm?bioID=147
and Kotsur's may be found at
http://www.csdf.k12.ca.us/student_life/drama/drama2002/director.htm .

At the event, to be held on March 1, 2003, at the Argent Hotel in San
Francisco, Bay Area deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind
people will gather with friends and family to celebrate the founding of
DCARA, the nation's oldest agency run "of, by, and for" the deaf, to
give special awards to community champions and allies, and to mark how
life has changed since 1962, when DCARA was established.

Edna Shipley-Conner remembers what life was like before deaf people
started demanding the right to participate in public life without
compromise: "A car was a means of communication--deaf people had to
drive to each other’s homes to share information."

"It’s time to celebrate how far we’ve come," said Rob Roth, Chief
Executive Officer of DCARA. "In 1962, we didn’t have pagers, TTY
machines, relay services, captioning, or ADA rights, but we did have
each other. Now, we’re taking care of each other by empowering
ourselves, and who better to join us than Deanna and Troy, two brilliant
actors who have achieved great success without compromising either their
craft or their community. That too is something to celebrate, and
something to be thankful for. "

Headquartered in San Leandro with fourteen offices in Northern
California, DCARA provides job training, legal aid, computer classes,
and other services to deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, and deafened
individuals and their families. To learn more about DCARA, visit the
agency’s website at www.dcara.org.

DCARA’s 40th anniversary dinner will take place on Saturday, March 1st
at the Argent Hotel, 50 Third Street at Market in San Francisco
(www.argenthotel.com). Real time captioning and voice interpreting will
be available. Other accommodations will be provided on request.
Tickets are on sale at DCARA's Deaf Store, and online through
www.dcara.org. Early-bird ticket discounts are available through
December 31st - see http://store.yahoo.com/dcaradeafstore/hap40birdcar.html
for more information on ticket discounts or to buy discounted tickets.
Call 510 483 0753 v/tty for sponsorship information, or email
deafstore@dcara.org for ticket sales information.

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