The Full Form of NFSD is‍ National Fraternal Society of the Deaf.

Members of the division had the opportunity of learning from the book Robert’s Rules of Order how to conduct meetings and how to act as an officer, trustee, chairman, delegate, and such. Members developed leadership talents and abilities to carry out their duties. The Salt Lake City division, like many others, had brought happy hours of enjoyment to Deaf people in Utah through its activities, such as banquets, outings, swimming, softball games, plays, movies, to name a few (Walker, 1966). 

Since the late 1980’s, many different kinds of insurance had begun to be made available to Deaf people. Life insurance companies, in competition with each other, began selling insurance policies at lower rates, and over time, offered them to deaf people (Walker, 2006). The reason Deaf people can purchase insurance today is because of the work begun in 1898 by a group of thirteen young men who formed the NFSD. 

As of January 1, 2007, the NFSD’s Board of Directors decided to cease operations and turn over its insurance business to the Catholic Order of Foresters. After 105 years, the NFSD had gone out of business (DeafWeekly, February 21, 2007).  Upon its closure, Jerry Taylor was the last president of the Ogden Division No. 127, while Willis Morton was also the last president of the Salt Lake City Division No. 56. 

The National Fraternal Society of the Deaf was one of the oldest deaf organizations in the nation. For more than 100 years, the NFSD was the world’s only insurance organization managed by Deaf and hard of hearing people for the exclusive benefit of deaf and hard of hearing people and their families. Thousands of Deaf people benefited from the insurance provided by the fraternal society.

Since its founding in 1901, NFSD had built a financially successful business, ensuring that Deaf people no longer encountered the kind of difficulty in purchasing insurance coverage that the founders themselves had experienced. The NFSD contributed to the elimination of such discrimination and invited stiff competition from other insurance providers.  The organization set a fine example of the successful achievement of a determined group of Deaf people. Additionally, the NFSD had proven that deafness need not be a barrier to one’s success in the business world (Gannon, 1981).