Deaf History Month in April recognizes the contributions of people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the U.S. now and throughout history and recognizes the achievements of the Deaf community in a variety of fields. Originally, the American Library Association (ALA) and National Association of the Deaf (NAD) designated March 13 to April 15 of every year as Deaf history Month. In 2022, NAD changed Deaf History Month to the full month of April. Celebrate this history through the resources and websites on this page.
Resources
- Kanopy: Search “deaf” to find a selection of documentaries exploring Deaf history
- Accessibility at PPLD
Biographies
Explore Deaf history through these biographies featuring several well-known deaf people in the Biographies in Context and U.S. History in Context databases. (Must have a library card that starts with a 4 to access this resource outside of the Library.)
- U.S. History in Context — Gallaudet University: Explore journals, biographies, articles, recordings, news stories, and more about Gallaudet University, the only higher education institution in the world where all programs and services are designed with the needs of the Deaf community in mind.
- Biography in Context database — Marlee Matlin: Read about actor Marlee Matlin, who lost her hearing at age 18 and went on to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1987.
- Biography in Context database — King Jordan: Learn about the history of the first deaf president of Gallaudet University.
- Biography in Context database — Nyle DiMarco: Discover biographies, magazine articles, and more exploring the life of Nyle DiMarco, an actor, model, and activist known for being the first deaf person to win America’s Next Top Model
- Biography in Context database — Lauren Ridloff: Delve into the life of deaf Black Latina actress Lauren Ridloft through an archive of magazine and newspaper articles.
- Biography in Context — Thomas Edison: Explore the life of prolific inventor Thomas Edison, who lost much of his hearing at age 12.
Websites
- National Association of the Deaf
- World Federation of the Deaf
- Deaf Historical Resources page from Gallaudet University’s National Deaf Life Museum website
- Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center from Gallaudet University
- Deaf Women in History
- The Daily Moth Deaf news briefs
Learn American Sign Language (ASL)
- Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind ASL signs of the month: Learn a few signs in American Sign Language with videos from the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. They also offer paid classes that you can register for.
- American Sign Language University YouTube: Bill Vicars is a university ASL Instructor in California and has a robust YouTube playlist of his classes from beginner to advanced.
- Handspeak: An ASL Visual Dictionary run by Jolanta Lapiak.