April is National Deaf History Month, established in 1997 by the National Association of the Deaf. This time of year was selected for Deaf History Month due to a few major events that impacted deaf education.
- The American School for the Deaf (first public school for the deaf in America) was opened on April 15, 1817
- Gallaudet University (first higher education institution for deaf and hard of hearing) was founded on April 8, 1864
- Gallaudet University hired its first deaf president on March 13, 1988, following student protests known as “Deaf President Now.”
Important Events in Deaf History
- Closed Captioning was first introduced in 1972. Availability of captioning remained limited until the Telecom Act of 1996 which mandated closed captioning on broadcast and cable programs.
- Hearing aid technology began in 1790 with the first attempt to use electricity to aid hearing. By 1984, the technology of hearing aids and cochlear implants was established and generally available in America.
- Sign language is generally traced back to early 1700s France, with Deaf educators Abbe de l”Epee and Pierre Desloges. It was adapted to American Sign Language by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet at the American School for the Deaf in the early 1800s when a deaf student traveled to Europe and brought back French techniques for sign language.
Media Recommendations
“CODA,” which won an Academy Award for Best Picture, in addition to numerous other awards, was the first film to have burned-in subtitles on screen. CODA stands for Child of Deaf Adults. The movie, released in 20201, is about a hearing child in a deaf family who finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and helping her family’s struggling business. CODA is available on Apple TV+
Watch CODA with the department on April 24th! See the Calendar invite from the Events Committee.
“Deaf U” is a Netflix reality series that follows a group of Deaf and hard-of-hearing students at Gallaudet University, a private university for the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Washington, DC. Released in the fall of 2020, the series is produced by actor, model, and deaf activist Nyle DiMarco.
“Sound and Fury” is a documentary that follows the lives of the Artinians, an extended family with Deaf and hearing members across three generations. Together they confront a technological device that can help the deaf to hear but may also threaten Deaf culture and their bonds with each other. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won the National Board of Review Freedom of Expression Award. The documentary is available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Sling TV, and Roku Channel.
“Echo” is a Marvel Comics TV show on Disney+, which presents an anti-hero who is both deaf and an amputee, played by an actress who is deaf and an amputee. Note: this show is Rated R.
PBS Shorts & Documentaries:
“Deaf Jam: ASL Poets in the Spotlight” showcases students who perform in their first American Sign Language Poetry Performance at Lexington School for the Deaf.
“A Look into the Deaf Community” is an 8-minute short which shares information on Deaf culture and American Sign Language.
“The Power of Silence” is a series on PBS that explores deafness and hearing loss through the many different lenses of education, understanding, compassion, and technological advances.
“Why Sign Language was Banned in America” is a 12-minute short on PBS as part of the Otherwords series.
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