The TDI Awards
Every two years, at its biennial conference, TDI recognizes and honors those who have made a significant impact in communications and information technology access for people who are deaf and hard hearing. Bestowed by the TDI Board of Directors, every two years during the TDI Bienniel Conference, TDI recognizes and honors six individuals and/or companies for humanitarian, promotion, engineering, public policy, access, and lifetime achievement.
These individuals, organizations and companies are nominated by the general public, our members, and their colleagues.
Anyone can nominate a person or company for consideration of a TDI Award. Nominations open during an odd-numbered year (e.g. 2019, 2021) in the Spring, and are due by the second Friday in May. The TDI awards committee will review all nominees and recognize the person or company during the TDI biennial conference.
The H. Latham Breunig Award for Humanitarian Efforts
(1910 – 1999)
Achievements:
● Salvaged AT&T’s surplus TeleType machines
● Founded TTY Distribution Committee with his wife, Nancy, and Jess Smith in Indianapolis, Indiana
● Helped form TTY network
● Was TDI’s First Executive Director
● Served on the President’s Committee on Employment of the Handicapped
This award is given to individuals, organizations, or companies who have made outstanding contributions to the program or activities of TDI.
In making its decision, the Awards committee will examine the nominee’s personal and professional contribution to TDI.
2023 – TBD
Past Honorees
2021 – Chris Soukup, TX
2019 – Sheila Conlon Mentkowski CA
2017 – Drew Simshaw
2015 – Andrea Saks UK
2013 – Carol Sliney NM
2011 – Eliot Greenwald, DC
2009 – National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology
2007 – Sheri Farinha-Mutti, CA
2005 – Daniel Sutherland, DC
2003 – Pamela Holmes, WI
2001 – Swidler Berlin Shereff & Friedman, LLP
1999 – Dr. Roy E. Miller, IL
1997 – Alfred Sonnenstrahl, MD
1995 – Dr. Judy Harkins, MD
1994 – Karen Peltz Strauss, DC
1993 – Patty Hughes, KS
1991 – Steve Brenner,MD
1989 – I. Lee Brody, NJ
1987 – Charles R. Archer, TX
1985 – Robert W. McClintock, FL
1983 – Lester Zimet, NY
1981 – Paul Taylor, NY
1979 – Gordon L. Allen, MN
1977 – H. Latham Breunig, VA
The Robert H. Weitbrecht Award for Telecommunications Access
Achievements:
● Deaf physicist with an unusual avocation – amateur radio
● Invented acoustic coupler to link teletype machine to regular phone lines
● Began the TTY network in 1964
This award is given to individuals, organizations, or companies who have made outstanding contributions by any means to improve accessibility in telecommunications and media.
In making its decision, the Awards committee will examine the nominee’s personal and professional contribution to telecommunication access for deaf and hard of hearing people.
2023 – TBD
Past Honorees
2021 – Zoom
2019 – Robert Engelke, WI
2017 – Gunnar Hellstrom
2015 – Donna B. Platt, NC & Richard L. Ray, CA
2013 – James D. House, MD
2011 – Apple, Inc.
2009 – Pat Graves, CO
2007 – Brenda Battat, MD
2005 – Research in Motion & Motorola
2003 – Sprint/CSD & MCI Global Relay
2001 – Richard T. Ellis, MD
1999 – Ed Bosson, TX
1997 – Toni D. Dunne, TX
1995 – Robert Weitbrecht (posthumously)
1993 – Dick Brandt, NJ
1991 – Judy Viera, WI
1989 – Bill White, CA
The Andrew Saks Award for Engineering
(1917 – 1989)
Achievements:
● Provided start-up funds for APCOM to manufacture acoustic coupler modems
● Advocated successfully to have IRS allow the cost of TTYs and modems to be tax-deductible as medical expenses
● Determined to build a future where deaf and hard of hearing individuals could communicate easily by phone.
This award is given to individuals, organizations, or companies who have made outstanding contributions in improving accessibility in telecommunications or media through efforts in design, electronics, or engineering. The award may not necessarily be awarded every two years.
In making its decision, the Awards committee will examine the nominee’s personal and professional innovation in improving or enhancing telecommunication access for deaf and hard of hearing people.
2023 – TBD
Past Honorees
2021 – Joseph Duarte
2019 – AT&T / Netflix
2017 – Dr. Christian Vogler and Norman Williams
2015 – Glide
2013 – Microsoft
2011 – Google
2009 – Kevn Colwell, Madison, WI
2007- Sorenson Communications
2005 – America Online & Lormar Logic
2003 – Tom McLaughlin, Salt Lake City, UT
2001 – Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, Reston, VA
1999 – Robert M. Engelke, Madison, WI
1997 – Gary Robson, Fremont, CA
1995 – Andrew Saks (posthumously)
The James C. Marsters Award for Promotion
(1924 – 2009)
Achievements:
● Operated a thriving orthodontist practice.
● Encouraged Robert Weitbrecht to find a way to allow deaf people to communicate via telephone
● Co-founded Applied Communications Corporation (APCOM) with Robert Weitbrecht and Andrew Saks
This award is given to individuals, organizations, or companies who have made outstanding contributions in improving accessibility in telecommunications or media through promotion, marketing, or public relations. The award may not necessarily be awarded every two years.
In making its decision, the Awards committee will examine the nominee’s personal and professional innovation in raising public awareness to create, use, or implement accessible communication and information technologies.
2023 – TBD
Past Honorees
2021 – DPAN TV
2019 – Microsoft / Starbucks
2017 – CTIA – The Wireless Association
2015 – Convo Relay
2013 – Hamilton Relay
2011 – ZVRS
2009 – AT&T and Verizon
2007 – Nanci Linke-Ellis, Los Angeles, CA
2005 – Donna B. Platt, Seattle, WA
2003 – Media Access Group at WGBH & National Captioning Institute (NCI) & VITAC
2001 – Dr. Harry G. Lang, Rochester, NY
1999 – Cheryl A. Heppner, Fairfax, VA
1997 – Carol Finkle, Philadelphia, PA
1995 – Dr. James C. Marsters, Pasadena, CA
The Karen Peltz Strauss Award for Public Policy
Achievements:
● Attorney at National Center for the Law and the Deaf
● Deputy Chief, Policy, Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau at FCC
● Influenced Title II (9-1-1 Access) and Title IV (Relay Services) of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
● Helped Developed Section 255 (Access to Telecommunication Products and Services and Section 713 (Television Closed Captioning) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
● Her filings contributed to many recent strides in access
This award is given to individuals who has made outstanding contributions in improving accessibility in telecommunications, media, and information technology through efforts in public policy development. The award may not necessarily be awarded every two years.
In making its decision, the Awards committee will examine the nominee’s personal and professional public policy proposals and its inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing people.
2023 – TBD
Past Honorees
2021 – DHHCAN
2019 – Lise Hamlin MD
2017 – Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden
2015 – Commissioner Tom Wheeler
2013 – Blake E. Reid
2011 – Commissioner Michael J. Copps, DC
2009 – Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Representative Edward Markey (D-MA)
2007 – U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D), Des Moines, IA
The I. Lee Brody Lifetime Achievement Award
(1926 – 1997)
Achievements:
● Made telecommunications access affordable to the masses through his company, Phone-TTY
● Forward thinker and visionary
● Provided TTY news service for New York City
● His greatest contribution was the PC hardware and software that are used widely in TRS all over USA.
This award is given to individuals who has devoted time and energy over an extended number of years to improve accessibility in telecommunications, media and information technology.
In making its decision, the Awards committee will examine the nominee’s personal and professional lifetime contributions in communication and information access for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
2023 – TBD
Past Honorees
2021 – DHHCAN
2019 – Brenda Kelly-FreyMD Art Roehrig MD
2017 – Robert Mather, Esq
2015 – Cheryl A. Heppner
2013 – Philip W. Bravin
2011 – Ed Bosson, TX
2009 – Dr. Judy Harkins
2007 – Larry Goldberg, Boston, MA
2005 – Howard “Rocky” Stone (posthumously)
2003 – Dr. Robert Davila, Rochester, NY
2001 – Dr. Benjamin J. Soukup, Jr., Sioux Falls, SD
1997 – I. Lee Brody (posthumously)