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Category: Famous Deaf People

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About ASL
American Sign Language vs Israeli Sign Language

Did you know American Sign Language is not universal? In the article, “Is American Sign Language Universal”, it talked about whether or not American Sign Language is universal, in other

ASL Careers
Marvel Studios Eternals Movie

American Sign Language and Deaf roles are becoming more and more a popular in the media industry. Whether it is a major role or supporting role, Deaf actors are getting

Famous Deaf People
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Athletes

  Deaf people can do anything except hear. There are famous Deaf entertainment such as acting, signing music, comedians, inspirational speakers, but there are also many famous Deaf or Hard

Deaf Accessibility
CODA Wins An Award for Best Cast

This movie CODA made history with its win for the 2022 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards’ top prize of Best Cast and the actor, Troy Kotsur wins an award for

About ASL
Do You Speak American Sign Language?

Have you ever been fascinated when people say, “Do you speak sign language?” Sign language isn’t a spoken language, so it does not really make sense to say “speak” as

Deaf Accessibility
Deaflympics 2022

Deaflympics 2022 Deaflympics occurred between May 1 – May 15, 2022. It occurred in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. There were 73 nations who joined Deaflympics and list of medals each

Deaf Accessibility
Deaf People at the Movies

  It is exciting to go to the movies and watch newly released movies; however watching movies in theaters may or may not be a fun experience for D/deaf people.

Deaf Accessibility
DeafNation World Expo in Las Vegas August 2022

Joel Barish hosted the 4th DeafNation World Expo & Conference at the Bally’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 1-4, 2022. About 15,000 Deaf people from around

ASL Careers
Deaf-Owned Businesses

  Deaf-owned businesses and American Sign Language (ASL) are spreading and becoming widely popular. There are many Deaf-owned business all over the country. Here are some Deaf business that you

Be Inspired to Learn ASL from Five Deaf Celebrities
American Sign Language
Be Inspired to Learn ASL from Five Deaf Celebrities

Five Deaf Celebrities Who Will Inspire You to Learn ASL  Stories of Deaf celebrities who use American Sign Language (ASL) daily may encourage you to learn ASL yourself. Doing so

Bob Hiltermann

by Anonymous | March 2, 2013 Bob Hiltermann is a well known Deaf actor and is known for: Founder of Deaf West Theater (Fountain Theater) in North Hollywood California. All

Deaf Accessibility
3 Deaf Performers Perform at the 2022 Super Bowl

(Photo credit NAD Facebook post from 2/13/2022, https://www.facebook.com/NAD1880/photos/a.10152795501263810/10159783398858810/)   This was the big moment. The big moment when three famous deaf performers got the spotlight at the 2022 Super Bowl.

Thomas Alva Edison

by Kamalakannan (India) Another famous deaf person is Thomas Alva Edison who was born on February 11, 1847. He was an American scientist, inventor, and businessman. However, many people don’t

Deaf Culture
Deaf Community Entertainment, What’s it like?

One of the most popular entertaining activities in the Deaf community is storytelling and expressive poetry. Since American Sign Language (ASL) is very visual, storytelling contains a lot of exaggerated

Henry Kisor – Famous Deaf Author

Henry Kisor is the author of What’s that Pig Outdoors? and other novels based on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan locales. Deaf all his life, blogger, professional editor and writer

Famous Deaf Actors – Bringing ASL to Life

Truly Inspirational There have been several famous deaf actors in the media that have made significant contributions to the deaf community and hearing society. If not for them and their

An Interview with Jamie Berke

An Interview with the Famous (Now Former) About.com Deafness Guide If you have ever researched deafness, deaf people, or sign language online, you have most likely landed on one of

Laurent Clerc

Laurent Clerc played a significant part in the history of American Sign Language and was the first deaf teacher of the deaf in America. He was also among the first

LeRoy Colombo – Famous Deaf Lifeguard

LeRoy Colombo was a famous deaf lifeguard entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for saving 907 lives. Leroy Colombo Articles by Students LeRoy Colombo by Leah Ward (Williamsburg,

Sean Berdy

Sean Berdy is a deaf actor, comedian and dancer. He was in Sandlot 2, Legend of the Mountain Man, The Deaf Family, and is best known for his role as

Laura Bridgman – The First Helen Keller

Laura Bridgman was the first deaf-blind person to learn language. When you think about the first deaf-blind child to be educated, you will most likely think of Helen Keller. In

George William Veditz

George Veditz was a former president of the National Association of the Deaf of the United States and was one of the first to film American Sign Language. George William

Sue Thomas

Sue Thomas was a deaf undercover specialist for the FBI. She was the inspiration for the TV series Sue Thomas: FBEye, an international speaker, author, and founder of Kennels of

Linda Bove – “Linda the Librarian”

Linda Bove was born on November 30, 1945 in Garfield, New Jersey to deaf parents. She majored in library science at Gallaudet University and received her bachelor’s degree in 1968.

Marie Heurtin – the French Helen Keller

by Alyssa Weeks | November 14, 2017 My favorite person in deaf history is Marie Heurtin. You might know her as the French Hellen Keller but to many she is

Marlee Matlin – Deaf Academy Award Winner

Marlee Matlin was born in Morton Grove, Illinois on August 24th, 1965. After she came down with the German Measles at the age of eighteen months, she lost her hearing

Regina Olson Hughes

by Cynthia Brainerd | February 27, 2017 Regina Olson Hughes (1895-1993) became fully deaf at the age of 14, due to the effects of scarlet fever. She could still speak

Teresa de Cartagena

by Jack | April 7, 2017 Teresa de Cartagena was a nun in 15th Century Spain. She is remarkable for being Spain’s first feminist writer as well as for being

Ferdinand Berthier

by Catherine Ritchie | July 22, 2017 The Deaf community has a rich culture with many prominent figures in its history. Some whose names are fairly well known such as

Dr. Candace McCullough

by Anne (Richmond, VA) Dr. Candace McCullough is the first Deaf psychologist to set up a counseling business. She makes counseling services accessible to Deaf people all over the states. Dr.

Nanette Fabray

by Nanette Kaufmann (Kissimmee, Florida) Award winning actress and advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. Her honors representing the handicapped are many, including the President’s Distinguished Service-vice Award

Gertrude Ederle

by Natalie Picone | August 27, 2016 In 1926 at the age of 19, Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim across the English Channel.  Twenty-one miles from Dover,

Kevin Lucas Smire

by David Cooper | October 13, 2016 The deaf person wrote about was Kevin Lucas Smire who was also known as “Deaf Kev.” He was born on October 28, 1996

Louise Fletcher

by Lisa | February 3, 2016 I’m going to talk about someone here who first opened my eyes to sign language, and that is the actress Louise Fletcher. Louise Fletcher

David Michalowski

by Anonymous David Michalowski, profoundly deaf since birth, grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He competed at the United States Figure Skating National Championships from 1978 until 1982, including the 1980

Joseph Henry Sharp

by Kristyn Murray (Houston, Texas) Joseph Henry Sharp was one of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists, a group that produced some of the most significant artwork

Lou Ferrigno

by Hannah (Indiana) Lou has been an inspiration to many deaf, he played the Hulk in the original series, he also appeared in “I love you, Man” and appeared as

Granville Redmond

by Grace (Canada) My favorite deaf historical figure is Granville Redmond. His struggle to be accepted by the common man is fairly touching, and his paintings are simply out of

Robert Hoskin

by Joseph Heenan (Frankston, Australia) | March 8, 2013 The 48 year old Australian named Robert Hoskin is a well-known deaf filmmaker who has won several film awards from his

Rodger Young

by Anonymous Rodger Young was a deaf man who faked his Army hearing test in World War II. He won a Posthumous Medal of Honor in the Soloman Islands. Rodger

Joel Barish – Contemporary Deaf Performer

by Sara Huang (Taipei, Taiwan) | March 12, 2013 I have read a lot about the oppression of the Deaf, but I really appreciate people who have embraced Deaf culture

Matt and Kay Daigle | That Deaf Guy

by Karri Kimery | August 18, 2016 As I was reading about people in the deaf community, I came across Matt and Kay Daigle.  These two met in 1993, at

famous deaf people title
Deaf Culture
Famous Deaf People

No Hearing People Here! Deaf people have been more in the spotlight than you know. There are so many famous deaf people and famous hard of hearing people who have

Braam Jordaan

by Anonymous (03/25/2020) Braam Jordaan was born in Benoni, South Africa in 1981. He was born “profoundly deaf to deaf parents”. Jordaan and his family moved to Cape Town, South

Shoshannah Stern

Shoshannah Stern is a well known deaf actress who is best known for her roles as Bonnie Richmond in Jericho, Holly Brodeen in Threat Matrix, and Megan Graves on Weeds.

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