Wonderful Deaf Awareness Month Event
Nearly 150 people came out for a Deaf Awareness Month event at the end of September, hosted by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.
In a large room at D&HHS’s new home at the SOMI Unified Sports and Inclusion Center, attendees gathered at tables and stood in small circles, excitedly catching up with old acquaintances and making new friends, as smiles and laughter filled the room.
Along the outer edge of the perimeter a number of local organizations had display tables and brought information and resources to attendees. Vendors and sponsors included:
All during the celebration, both inside and outside the venue, children and often their parents played games, and as D&HHS staff and board members mingled and greeted attendees and vendors, a spirt of play and community filled the air.
Nancy Piersma, the D&HHS community education & advocacy coordinator, appreciated the chance to host an event where Deaf people could come with a sense of pride about their language and culture.
“It is good to have the hearing world, including hearing family, friends and co-workers be able to learn about the culture, language and history of the Deaf,” she said.
D&HHS executive director Deb Atwood agreed.
“Educating and raising awareness of our Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of hearing communities is at the forefront of what we do,” said Atwood. “This was one more opportunity to raise awareness and to celebrate together.”
Atwood had a chance early in the evening to greet and welcome attendees before sending them off to enjoy good food and good conversation.
At various points during the celebration attendees also received words of welcome from D&HHS board members, including Megan Howe and Mickey Carolan, who is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and working on a memoir of his life as the son of two Deaf parents.
He spoke movingly about growing up in the Deaf community and how gatherings similar to the one hosted by D&HHS were formative experiences in his childhood.
“My parents are superheroes to me. It’s one of the reasons I wrote my book. I’m all about putting the spotlight on the community I grew up in,” he said.
Atwood said that estimates show about 13 percent of the U.S. is Deaf or Hard of Hearing. In addition, more than 90 percent of Deaf children are born to hearing parents.
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