Marty Jansen Remembered by Those Who Loved Him

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services exists because of a leader in the Deaf community named Marty Jansen. In 1995, Marty awoke to a heart attack. His wife Dianne tried to call 911, but because she is severely hard of hearing, the 911 center kept hanging upon them. She finally did get through and Marty was rushed to the hospital. There, because the hospital did not have a roster of interpreters for the Deaf, one interpreter was stuck interpreting for hours on end. When the interpreter had to leave, the Jansens were left wondering when they would get the next interpreter, if at all.

When word spread, it was the final straw for many. Interpreters, hearing service providers, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing consumers, including the Jansens, came together and said, “Enough is enough. We need a comprehensive, full-service agency addressing the needs of our Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities.”

In September 2020, Martin Conrad Jansen passed away at the age of 81. We wanted to collect some remembrances of Marty and were overwhelmed by the response. See below for memories of Marty’s life and legacy.