Deaf History Month is celebrated each year from March 13 to April 15 to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The month is celebrated over these dates in recognition of three key events in the history of the deaf community in America.

These events include:

• the first public school for the deaf, the American School for the Deaf, opening on April 15, 1817,

• the world’s first institution dedicated to advanced education for the deaf and hard of hearing, Gallaudet University was founded on April 8, 1864, and

• Gallaudet University hiring its first deaf president on March 13, 1988, in response to the students’ Deaf President Now movement.

A month of celebration was first introduced by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) in 1997 and in 2006 the American Library Association and the NAD partnered together to announce March 13 through April 15 as National Deaf History Month.

Deaf History Month is a time to celebrate and learn about the culture and contributions of the deaf community but also serves as a time for advocacy and awareness of the struggles and difficulties many deaf and hard of hearing people still experience in America. For more information about the deaf community and for ways to advocate for deaf and hard of hearing people visit the National Association of the Deaf website.