Islay is the name of a 1986 novel by Douglas Bullard, who envisioned a place of our own: a country that deaf community calls home. We picked the name because TED requires us to name our event after a place, and if there’s a place for the deaf community, it’s Islay. On 05.15.10 in Austin, we debuted with an inaugural event that united 100 progressive, positive, and passionate thinkers and doers for a day that inspired and enthralled. We followed up with a second TEDxIslay on 04.23.11 in Los Angeles, and now in New York City. we aim to make this a regular, annual event for years to come.