Deaf History Month – April 1, 2027

Expected Deaf History Month Deals

As Deaf History Month unfolds throughout April, the focus shifts from commercial deals to crucial awareness and fundraising efforts. Organizations like the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) often partner with corporate sponsors for donation matching campaigns, while educational institutions like Gallaudet University host virtual and in-person events to promote deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL). Companies such as Sorenson Communications and CaptionCall, which provide communication access services, frequently use this month to highlight their offerings and advocate for policy changes. Look for local community centers and schools to host ASL classes, workshops, and storytelling events. We encourage direct support for deaf-led initiatives and advocacy groups throughout the month.

History of Deaf History Month

Deaf History Month is an awareness month for the deaf and hard-of-hearing persons in the U.S. On March 13, 1988, the ‘Deaf President Now’ — also known as the DPN Movement — successfully campaigned for the appointment of a deaf president at Gallaudet University. Dr. I. King Jordan subsequently became Gallaudet University’s first deaf president. On April 8, 1864, America’s only higher education institution for deaf and hard-of-hearing students Gallaudet University was founded, following President Abraham Lincoln’s assent of the charter which established the prestigious college. The university is named after notable educator and minister, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, who pioneered research and advocacy for an improved educational system for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the U.S. Lastly, American School for the Deaf (ASD) in West Hartford, Connecticut — the first permanent public school for the deaf and hard-of-hearing — was founded on April 15, 1817.

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 National Association of the Deaf (NAD) designated March 13 to April 15 of every year as Deaf History Month and a month-long nationwide event. Since then, both advocacy organizations have continued to clamor for a federal proclamation of National Deaf History Month by the White House and/or Congress. In 2022, NAD changed Deaf History Month to the full month of April.