National Deaf History Month Celebration

"Celebrate Deaf Legacy @your library" is the theme of a program on Monday, April 10, which recognizes National Deaf History Month (March 13 - April 15). The event is sponsored jointly by the National Association of the Deaf and the American Library Association and will be hosted by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress in cooperation with the Library's Office of Workforce Diversity. The program, which is free and open to the public, takes place at 11 a.m. in Dining Room A, sixth floor, James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Speakers at the April 10 program include Dr. James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress; Alice L. Hagemeyer, Chair, NAD Ad Hoc Committee on National Deaf History Month; Nancy J. Bloch, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of the Deaf; Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director, American Library Association; Ernest E. Hairston, Education Research Analyst, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education; T. Alan Hurwitz, Vice President and Dean, Rochester Institute of Technology; I. King Jordan, President, Gallaudet University; and Ricardo Lopez, President, National Literary Society of the Deaf.

Andrew J. Lange, President of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), announced in January 2005 the establishment of the NAD Board of Directors Ad Hoc Committee on National Deaf History Month in January 2005 to develop a resolution for the U.S. President's proclamation; a Deaf Culture Calendar; and a plan for publicizing and celebrating this special annual event.

"We are proud of the committee's work to gain recognition for National Deaf History Month", said Lange, "and we thank everyone involved that brought us to this celebration."

A program highlight will be the introduction of a kit designed to provide information and resources for the nation's libraries across the country for celebrating Deaf History Month. The kit includes: Program Planning Suggestions; Resources (deaf professional services, library membership organizations; 2006 annual deaf-related events, notable deaf pioneers; Library References; and Glossary of Terms Related to the Deaf Identity; and the National Deaf History Resolution approved by the American Library Association in 2005. The website of the Friends of Libraries for Deaf Action makes the kit available online at:
http://www.folda.net [2] (click on "Library.")

"The Center for the Book is privileged to host an event that honors the instrumental role that libraries have played in promoting public awareness of the history of the deaf community, deaf culture, and American Sign Language," said John Y. Cole, the center's director.
"With the American Library Association, one of the center's national reading promotion partners, we look forward to encouraging libraries throughout the nation to celebrate National Deaf History Month."

"This is an important milestone in recognizing the many contributions of the deaf community to American society," said Alice L. Hagemeyer, founder and president, Friends of Libraries for Deaf Action and chair of the National Association of the Deaf Ad Hoc Committee on Deaf History Month. "We are grateful to the Library of Congress for stepping forward to host the event and to the American Library Association for its approval of a National Deaf History Month Resolution on June 25, 2005 during its annual conference in Chicago."

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress was established in 1977 by Public Law 95-129 to use the Library's resources to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. For information about its activities and those of its 50 state affiliates, visit:
http://www.loc.gov/cfbook [3]