Sept is Deaf Awareness Month

Never before have we been this aware of the importance for students to be exposed to multiple cultures. With the majority of students who are hard of hearing, deaf, and Deaf being educated in their neighborhood schools, the celebration of Deaf Awareness Month in September allows an opportunity for our student’s to be recognized in a positive way in their classrooms.

This article provides some resources to share with your students, their teachers, and peers.

VIDEOS

• This infographic video shows a version of the origin of American Sign Language. It is an engaging introduction (although it is NOT captioned). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=betAZeKRpR8 (3:20)
• This video shows how the football huddle started with a deaf team from Gallaudet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4gi5ZhcS4I (1:16)
• 5 Myths About What its Like to be Deaf. Provides good opportunities for discussion with your students. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YcGev7B5AA  (6:15)
• Lou Ferrigno, the hard of hearing actor who played The Hulk, was interviewed after he received a cochlear implant in February 2021. From the ACI Alliance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhcvW9641z0&t=8s (20:13)
• The ‘Bad Lipreading’ NFL videos are always a fun way to show a short clip as an example of the challenge of relying on lipreading for understanding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxdaYxunZXg (8.07)

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Hearing Like Me has written an article, “Deaf Awareness Month: 10 Things to Know About Being Deaf,” that provides information on things to know about individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, and also how to spread awareness regarding individuals who are D/HH. (Guth, 2020). The 10 things are listed below. Go to the website link for further explanation of each point, and more information.

10 Things to Know about Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

1. If someone doesn’t respond to you, they most likely can’t hear you
2. Every deaf person has their own preferred methods of communication and language
3. Some deaf individuals may not identify as “Deaf”
   Read more: Celebrating the diversity of deafness
4. Social situations and various environments may be different for deaf individuals
5. No two deaf people are alike
6. Deaf does NOT mean “dumb”
7. Deaf people don’t often consider deafness as a disability
8. Using hearing assistive technology is a personal choice
9. Deafness is often invisible
10. You don’t need to feel sorry for our deafness

DEAF CULTURE & HISTORY LESSONS ON TAP

The Navigating Life with Hearing Loss Curriculum from the Texas Sensory Support Network at Education Service Center Region 11, in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency, has 13 units including Deaf Culture and History (page 188-199). The lessons have links to external videos and materials, differentiated learning targets, targeted vocabulary, and different teaching strategies.

Lesson 12.1 Past to Present
Lesson 12.2 Important People in the Deaf Community
Lesson 12.3 Support in the Deaf Community

DeafTEC has created a four-unit STEM awareness curriculum for secondary teachers to guide students who are D/HH towards pursuing a career in STEM. In Unit 1, Lesson 3, titled Deaf People in STEM, YES!, students learn together about adults in STEM careers who are D/HH and then research one on their own.

ROLE MODELS

• https://deafdigest.net/scientists/ has a list of scientists who were deaf or hard of hearing and what they developed or why they became recognized scientists.
• Go to https://www.ai-media.tv/famous-deaf-people-15-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-people-who-changed-the-world/ for a list of 15 deaf and hard of hearing people who changed the world.
• Google ‘famous deaf people’ and find many lists of accomplished people with hearing loss.

REACH OUT

Reach out to your local community and invite a variety of adults who are deaf or hard of hearing to present to your class in person. You can also invite them via video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, or even FaceTime.

References

• Resource Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf/Hard [RMTC-D/HH]. (2021). High-leverage practices for students with disabilities. Tech Notes. https://www.rmtcdhh.org/tech-notes-archive/
• American Cochlear Implant Alliance
• Texas School for the Deaf Statewide Outreach Center: https://www.texasdeafed.org/Page/797
• DeafTEC: https://deaftec.org/stem-employment/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-stem-professionals/

Author: Karen L. Anderson, PhD
Click here to download this article