September: National Deaf Awareness Month
Today is the last day of the National Deaf Awareness Month.
There was no event to celebrate this Awareness month around here (Morgantown, WV, the home of West Virginia University). The closest one is in Bridgeport (35 miles away), whose public library announced that it still offers an American Sign Language (ASL) class called Signing Made Easy every month. The Morgantown Deaf Night Out had no scheduled event for September.
Of course, there are more celebrations over the U.S.A. From 1997 onwards, National Deaf Awareness Month has been observed every September.
Despite the potential exhaustion from nearly three decades of educating the public about Deaf Awareness Month, the unwavering dedication of Deaf activists is genuinely inspiring. They continue to 'listen' to the experiences of newcomers in the sports field, a testament to their enduring spirit.
Swimmer Carla Cronk of Notre Dame University
The Notre Dame Athletic Department published Carli Cronk’s quote above and mentioned her swimming experience in Cronk’s Bio.
Snowboarder Lauren Weibert of California State University, Northridge
On December 20, 2021, The Lancer Feed, the online news site for Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri, interviewed Alum Lauren Weibert.
In the article “Take it From Me: Lauren Weibert,” the snowboarder explained:
“Honestly, I go to the Deaflympics for fun, because snowboarding is fun. Deaflympians do not receive recognition for their success while Olympians and Paralympians do, even though the International Olympic Committee recognizes the Deaflympics. It honestly makes me feel less of a person when I see the Olympians and Paralympians celebrating “equality” while leaving Deaflympians in the shadows.”
Watch the USA Deaf Sports Federation video — “Lauren tells us what the Deaflympics means to her!” of California State University, Northridge.
Field Hockey Player Katelyn Fairhurst of Pace University
On September 27, the NCAA released the article “Pace’s Katelyn Fairhurst gained confidence, embraced hearing loss through field hockey.”
In this article, she said:
“Disability is a matter of perception. I see it as a superpower. I've picked up body language skills and am able to lip read. It's not a disability, in my eyes."
One day earlier, on September 26, the Northeast 10 Conference ran the article “Pace's Katelyn Fairhurst Brings Attention to Deaf Awareness Month.”
It has a 9:47 video about the Deaf Awareness Month with Fairhurst. It has a transcript.
Sprinter Justina Miles of Bowie State University
Eight months after her receiving a silver medal in the women's 4×100 running relay in the 2022 Deaflympics in Brazil, Justina Miles, standing next to Rihanna during the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, wooed the stadium audience and streaming television viewers with her ultra-beautiful American Sign Language performance interpreting Rihanna's singing. Click the CNBC story about her.
Last year, on September 29, 2023, Miles wrote an article for a fashion magazine, Elle - ”Sign Language Is Often Glamorized. So Why Isn’t Accessibility Taken More Seriously?”
September is Deaf Awareness Month, and, too often, accessibility remains an afterthought. Social media can be an incredible tool to move the needle—it’s how I’ve built, maintained, and amplified relationships with people in the Deaf community all over the world. Sadly, it can also perpetuate the sharing of misinformation, misappropriation, and false realities.
Runner Emily Wilson of University of North Carolina
On May 6, 2022, Emily Wilson, 2022 Deaflympian and Silver Medalist in the 3000-meter steeplechase, answered HearingLikeMe’s question, “Why Deaf Representation on the U.S. Team is So Low?”
“We lack representation because so many people quit sports or never try it because of their fear and lack of accommodations. This is 100% the reason. It’s still baffling thinking about the lack of support available because of how many years the Deaflympics have been around. I also want to point out that almost every other country receives the same sponsoring that their Olympic teams do, the same uniforms, gear, and funding. I have no idea how or why the U.S. is behind on this. I’ve been doing a lot of research and talking to a lot of people and companies who also want to change this alongside me.“
Runner Marne Sullivan of Boston College
Surprisingly, Runner’s World printed an article on March 28, 2023 - “How Marne Sullivan Found Her Voice as an Advocate for Deaf Athletes.”
During her senior year at Boston University, Marne Sullivan broke her silence about her hidden disability after listening to Abigail Heringer, the first deaf contestant on The Bachelor.
Golfer Abigail Heringer of Linfield University (and “The Bachelor” T.V. show)
The collegiate golfer, turning to the first “The Bachelor” contestant, Abigail Heringer, selected September as Deaf Awareness Month to release her book, “The Deaf Girl.”
Watch the 2021 Daily Moth Interview with Abigail Heringer
Tennis Player Brad Minns of University of Toledo
Like Abigail Heringer, Brad Minns and his production team selected September 2023 (Deaf Awareness Month) to release the Never Give Up film. The film tells the true story of how 20-year-old Brad Minns did the impossible in the Men's Singles Tennis Finals at the 1985 Deaf World Games.
Watch the 16:27 video - “KBTV: Interview w/ Brad Minns & Rick Eldridge of film, Never Give Up,” (including the 3:05 trailer for “Never Give Up”)
“Our hearing loss does NOT define who we are or the level of success we can have. I look at my hearing loss as a superpower and am so grateful that God chose me to share my journey. Anything we dream, we can have WITH hard work and a commitment to accomplish our goals,” said Tamika Catchings, WNBA Legend, who was the former President of the WNBA Players Association (2004-16)