For decades it was illegal to teach ASL in US schools. PBS explains why in this video.

Professional stuntwoman Kitty O'Neil died 8 years ago today (Nov. 2, 2018) from pneumonia at the age of 72. Among other things, the deaf daredevil set a record for land speed by a female driver in 1976. It was in Oregon's Alvord Desert that Kitty hit 512 miles per hour. Childhood diseases left her deaf and nearly killed her. She became a champion diver at a young age. Her work later as a Hollywood stuntwoman was featured in TV shows like Quincy, Baretta and The Bionic Woman a

In celebration of National Native American Heritage Month (November), here's a look at how Native sign languages thrived in North America. Hand Talk would become a major influential on ASL's formation. The Vox video below explains how it came about.

The Rhode Island School for the Deaf was founded by Mary Ann Lippitt who was born on this date (Oct. 7) in the year 1823. Her daughter became deaf after contracting Scarlet Fever in 1856. "Lippitt created her own program and founded the Providence Day School for the Deaf in 1876. Her husband, Henry Lippitt, who had become governor in 1875, used his own influence to inspire the State to take over the administration of the school the following year." Read more here.

MentalFloss has a video about the Deaf in a series called "Misconceptions." In one episode, four members of the Deaf Community offered insights on misunderstandings hearing people have about deaf people. Each of the four, Treshelle Edmond, Harold Foxx, Dickie Hearts, and Melissa Elmira Yingst "share some of the most prevalent (and weirdest) misconceptions people have about them."

Hair cells play a critical role in our hearing. When they are damaged, doctors say they act like blades of grass. When someone walks on grass, the blades initially lie down and then bounce back up. But if you keep walking the same path repeatedly, the grass stays down. Hair cells are the same way. If you send sound waves from the outside without giving the cells time to recover, you can rip them out with excessive noise. Hair cells do not grow back.

Two members of the board of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance address what they consider myths about implants. Their five myths include: Myth 1: My insurance will not cover cochlear implant surgery. Myth 2: Cochlear implant surgery involves complicated brain surgery. Myth 3: Cochlear implants are only for patients with profound hearing loss. Myth 4: A cochlear implant will restore my hearing to “normal.” Myth 5: I am too old to get a cochlear implant. Read more here.

dward Miner Gallaudet served as president (1864–1910) of the school that would become Gallaudet University. . Edward was the youngest of eight children born to Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. He died on this date, Sept. 26, in 1917. When plans were made to change the name of the school from the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, Edward Miner Gallaudet wanted the honor to go to his father, as a pioneer in deaf education, rather than to himself. So the sch

Louise Fletcher, best known for her role as Nurse Ratched in the 1975 classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, died on this date four years ago at the age of 88. image from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Fletcher won a Best Actress Academy Award for her work on the film. The second of four children, she grew up on Birmingham, Alabama. Her father, Robert Fletcher, served the deaf community as an Episcopal priest. He started dozens of churches for the deaf in Alabama. None of

Patricia Heffernan became the first deaf person to take part in jury deliberations for a criminal trial in Ireland on this date (Sept. 21) in 2020. She and fellow jurors decided to acquit a man of indecent assault. Heffernan was accompanied by two Irish Sign Language interpreters. The Irish Times has more details here.

On this day (Sept. 16) in 1973, the first deaf player ran onto the field for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Philadelphia Eagles. Bonnie Sloan played in four games at defensive tackle and only lasted one season, because of knee injuries, but he had made his mark at the age of 25. The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder was a 10th-round draft pick out of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he was the first player to bench press 500 pounds. Sloan was an All-Ohio

September Is National Service Dog Month. Here is some basic information on ADA law and service animals. image: Creative Commons What is the legal definition of a service animal? Therapy Animals are not legally defined by federal law but there is a legal definition for service animals in the Americans With Disabilities Act. Service animals are specifically trained to help the disability-related needs of their handlers and are not considered 'pets' Is using a service animal pro

Gerald “Bummy” Burstein died on this date (Aug. 31) in 2018 at the age of 91 in Riverside, California. Bummy is worth remembering for his tireless work on behalf of the deaf community even after he retired. The student center at the local deaf school carries his name. Burnstein was the certified Professional Parliamentarian for the National Association of the Deaf and the author of two books. His work for Gallaudet University led the Board of Trustees to rename the Gallaudet

It was on this date (Aug. 24) that Oscar winner Marlee Matlin was born in 1965. Some things to know about Marlee Matlin: Family: Parents: Libby and Donald Matlin (an automobile dealer). Two older brothers: Eric and Marc. Spouse: Married Burbank police officer Kevin Grandalski. Four children: Sarah (1996), Brandon (2000), Tyler (2002), and Isabelle (2003). Acting Roles: Major roles in The West Wing, Children of a Lesser God, Switched at Birth and Reasonable Doubts. Guest appea

Casterline made a major contribution in the 1950s to a book that revolutionized the study of Deaf culture. image: Gallaudet.edu Casterline was a young researcher when she begain helping Gallaudet University professor William C. Stokoe on what would become A Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles. Eventually published in 1965 with help from another professor, Carl Croneberg, it was the first comprehensive dictionary of American Sign Language and conside