National Deaf History Month, celebrated annually in April, recognizes the contributions of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, focusing on key milestones and achievements in deaf education, American sign language and culture.
Here are some significant historical details for Deaf History Month.
Dates:
The celebration of the National Deaf History Month is traced to two deaf employees at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington D.C. who taught their colleagues sign language on March 13, 1996. This event spurred the library management led by the deaf librarian, Alice Hagemeyer — who also initiated Friends of Libraries for Deaf Action (FOLDA) to create the Deaf Awareness Week in 1997.
In 2006, the American Library Association (ALA) and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) celebrated from March 13 to April 15 every year as Deaf History Month but the entire month of April as Deaf History Month is also celebrated.
In addition, National ASL Day celebrates both the existence and history of American Sign Language every year on April 15. On April 15, 1817, the American School for the Deaf opened.
Significance:
Let’s raise awareness about Deaf History Month focusing on the deaf community, their struggles, and their contributions to society, while also celebrating the history, culture and sign language of deaf people. Let’s highlight how deaf people made some contributions in Public Relations and Communications.
For anyone working in PR and Communications, the key to their success in this profession is becoming an advocate and in-depth knowledge accessibility such as adding subtitles/closed captions to all videos, image and visual description for both videos and images in all media such as TV, film, website, blogs, and more. To take a step further, translate written and spoken English (or any other language) content in American Sign Language (or Universal Sign Language in other countries, widely known globally) to make communications universally accessible and promote inclusivity in any place of business or organization.
Key Milestones:
April 15, 1817: The first permanent public school for the deaf, the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, opened.
April 8, 1864: Gallaudet University, the first university for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, was founded as the only higher education university for the deaf in the entire world.
March 13, 1988: I. King Jordan became the first deaf president of Gallaudet University. This resulted from Deaf President Now protest that turned into a movement in 1988 that changed the course of history.
Focus:
Deaf History Month is a time to learn about the history of the deaf community, their struggles, and their achievements, as well as to promote inclusivity and access for deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deaf disabled individuals.
Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc.
In the illustrious history of greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness has been a foundational part of the Deaf community since its founding in 1969. GLAD’s first offices were in space donated by Pilgrim tower in 1970. We later moved to larger offices donated by United Way in 1974. In 1980, Assemblyman Richard Alatorre created the Office of Deaf Access. Our journey began with a small group of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals who saw the need for a unified voices and skillset and built an organization dedicated to serving the Deaf community. Over the years, GLAD has grown into five centers in addition to eight offices for Employment Services and now serves ten counties throughout Southern California. From our humble beginnings in donated spaces to now having offices throughout the region, we have witnessed firsthand the strength and resilience of our community. Learn more about GLAD here: GLADinc.org
Post written by:
Amy Grindrod,
Director of Marketing at the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness
PRSA-LA Sunrise Honors 2022 Honoree
Follow Amy on her LinkedIn
