Long before American Sign Language, 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.

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

Barbara Kannapell died four years ago on August 11, 2021 in Washington, DC at the age of 83. Image from Gallaudet.edu According to the New York Times , as a CODA, Kannapell considered American Sign Language her native language and... made it her life’s work to empower deaf and hard-of-hearing people with a sense of identity and an appreciation for their own distinct culture ... Throughout her early schooling, Dr. Kannapell felt the sting of what is now known as audism — reje

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 consi

Ed "Dummy" Dundon, who was born on July 10, 1859, went on to become the first deaf player to play baseball professionally After attending the Ohio State School for the Deaf, Dundon went on to play several years of professional baseball. He had two seasons with the Columbus Buckeyes before retiring and becoming an umpire. During his hitch with the Buckeyes in 1883 and 1884, Dundon had a record of 9-20 and a 4.25 ERA. Like many deaf ball players at the time, he got a common (al

On June 4, 1987, 4-year-old Holly McDonell (now Holly Taylor) of Sydney, Australia became the first child to receive a commercial...

On this date (June 1) in 1948 Bonnie Sloan was born in Tennessee. Bonnie would become the first deaf player in the NFL at the age of 25...

About 20 years before Helen Keller’s education, Laura Bridgman became first deaf-blind American to gain a significant education in the...

It was on this day (May 23) in 1862 that William Ellsworth Hoy was born. Known professionally as "Dummy" Hoy, he played in the major...

Helen Keller graduated with honors from Radcliffe College on June 28, 1904. She became the first deaf and blind person to graduate from...

Below are some facts about James Caverly who already has a number of acting credits. He was born on this day (Jun 16) in 1989. Born deaf...

It was on this date (June 23) 1943 that Vinton Cerf, who is hard of hearing, was born in New Haven, Connecticut. (image Royal Society)...

Karen Alkoby became the first deaf woman in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D. in computer science on this date (June 15) in 2008. She graduated...

Canada's first deaf Roman Catholic priest was ordained in 2012. Raised a Baptist in Michigan, Matthew Hysell lost his hearing after a bout with meningitis as a toddler. He made the decision to become a priest as a teenager after reading about the priesthood in school. He graduated from City University in New York, then earned a master's in theology from a California program. He celebrates mass using sign language. He was as Associate Pastor at Corpus Christi Parish with respo

It was on this date (May 5) in 1889 that Frederick Barnard died at the age of 80. His full name was Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard....

The Texas Archive of the Moving Image has posted footage showing a day at Austin's Texas School for the Deaf in the 1960s. The activities...

One of the first deaf actresses to have a major role on a TV series died on this day (April 22, 2015) in Fremont, California. CBS Photo...

On this date (April 20) in 1786, John Goodricke died. Goodricke only survived to the age of 21, but the deaf astronomer made a major...

It was on this day (April 15) in 1817 that the American School for the Deaf, the oldest permanent public school for the deaf, opened its...

It was on this date, April 8, 1864, that President Abraham Lincoln signed the charter to establish Gallaudet University.