March 13 – April 15 is Deaf History Month. These dates were chosen because three major events in Deaf history happened during them. These events are:
- April 15, 1817: America’s first public school for the Deaf was opened.
- April 8, 1864: Gallaudet University, the first college for the Deaf and hard of hearing, was founded.
- March 13, 1988: Gallaudet University hired its first Deaf president (after a student protest when the board decided to appoint a hearing president).
Interested in learning American Sign Language (ASL)? Check out Gale Courses, a database full of free courses. They offer a sign language course that also gives some insight into Deaf history. Go here https://www.kentonlibrary.org/resources-types/online-learning-courses/ and click on Gale Course
For even more insight and information, check out these kids and YA books featuring d/Deaf and hard of hearing characters.
Created by Lisa Clark, Youth Collection Coordinator
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