This article was updated March 13, 2024
National Deaf History Month is a great opportunity for educators to teach all students about the history, accomplishments, and culture of deaf people. National Deaf History Month runs March 13 to April 15 each year in the U.S.
National Deaf History Month was started in the 1990s after two deaf employees at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., started teaching sign language to other employees. This grew into a month promoting understanding of the Deaf community that ultimately inspired the National Association of the Deaf to propose a national month-long recognition period.
According to one estimate, about 3.6 percent of the U.S. population, or 11 million people, are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing. National Deaf History Month is a great time to teach all students more about inclusion and the accomplishments of deaf people in the arts, education, sports, law, science, and music.
Best Deaf Awareness Lessons & Activities
Share My Lesson Deaf Awareness Teaching Resources
Searchable by grade, type of resource, and standards, this excellent collection of lessons focuses on Deaf culture through the lens of history, literature, performing arts, language, science, and other education topics.
Movies and TV Shows with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Characters
You might be surprised to learn how many popular movies and TV shows feature deaf characters. Watching such programs can be a great way to engage hearing students with Deaf culture, while supporting and recognizing Deaf students’ experiences. This list from Common Sense Media can be filtered by age, from preschool to teenager.
Deaf Awareness: 9 Ways to Communicate
Most hearing people don’t know American Sign Language. What are some other methods for hearing and Deaf people to communicate with each other? In this terrific free downloadable infographic, you’ll find nine simple ways for hearing people to communicate effectively with Deaf people, even without knowing sign language.
Jessica Flores Lip Reading
Comedian and Deaf advocate Jessica Flores is not only very funny, but also a strong educator and communicator. In this video, she helps hearing folks understand how lip reading actually works. Hint: It’s not as easy as you might think.
A Decade of NFL Bad Lip Reading
More fun with the tricky business of lip reading — this time with absurd dialogue seamlessly overlaid upon video of NFL players. No way they spoke those words, right? So how come the audio seems to match their lips perfectly? Don’t worry, teachers, it’s all G-rated.
Votes for Women, A Voice for All: Helen Keller, Suffragist
Everyone knows Helen Keller for her achievements in overcoming the communication barriers she faced. But she was remarkable for other reasons as well. A social activist, she campaigned for women’s equality and the right to vote. This complete standards-aligned lesson from the American Foundation for the Blind includes primary documents, activities, worksheets and guiding questions.
Free Sign Language Videos for Beginners
Dozens of brief narrated videos effectively demonstrate the basics of American Sign Language. Featured are common words and concepts such as pronouns, colors, numbers, directions, and much more.
Alphabet Sing and Sign
From the Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel, this charming collection of videos combines songs and signing in an engaging and educational fashion. Perfect for younger learners.
Learn More About a Recent ASL Star
Justina Miles recently made history when she performed with Rihanna at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show. The 20-year-old Miles became the first deaf ASL performer in Super Bowl history and went viral on social media for her energetic performance. Discussing Miles’ performance and story is the perfect lead-in to a larger classroom discussion about what ASL is and why it is needed.
ASL University
Created by a longtime professor of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies, ASL University offers free American Sign Language lessons and videos. Be sure to meet the creator Dr. Bill Vicars (Deaf/hh) on his YouTube channels, Signs and Bill Vicars.
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
Throughout history, deaf people were often seen as uneducable and mentally deficient. A giant in the field of education, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet believed otherwise, and founded the first school for the deaf in the U.S. This biography explores his life, philanthropic endeavors, and contributions to deaf education.
Heathens Among Us: The Origins Of American Sign Language
What was life like for a deaf person in the 1800s? How were deaf people viewed by most of society in the 19th century? This resource-rich lesson about the birth and proliferation of American Sign Language emphasizes understanding the social context of the times—and how attitudes have changed.
Laura Redden Searing – First Deaf Female Journalist
Imagine the uphill battle a young woman of the 19th century must have waged to establish a career as a journalist. Now imagine she is also deaf—suddenly that hill is even steeper! But nothing stopped Searing, who was not only a journalist and editor, but also a published poet and author.
Charles Michel de l’Epee
A pioneer who founded the first public school for the hearing impaired in France, Epee bucked the trends of the time, asserting that deaf people deserve an education and equal rights. He developed the manual language that eventually became French Sign Language (from which American Sign Language sprang). Truly a giant of history.
14 Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People Who Changed the World
From Thomas Edison to Helen Keller to Chella Man, these deaf scientists, educators, athletes, and activists excelled in a hearing world.
Deaf Culture 101
From the Iowa School for the Deaf, this upbeat, frank, and funny video educates hearing people about the diverse experiences of living as a deaf person in a hearing world.
Deaf People Answer Commonly Googled Questions About Being Deaf
What kind of questions do internet users ask Google about deaf people? If you guessed, “Do deaf people think?” you’d be sadly correct. But hidden among the absurd questions are some really interesting ones, such as “Do deaf people have an inner voice?” These and other questions are answered with insight, honesty, and humor by the talented and engaging guides, Mixxie and Lia.
Helen Keller | Author, Advocate, and Activist
A detailed, standards-based lesson on the accomplishments of Helen Keller, the amazing deaf-blind speaker, author, and activist, who championed the rights of people with disabilities and women. Shareable via Google classroom or by link.
History through Deaf Eyes
From the world-renowned institute of higher learning, Gallaudet University, the History Through Deaf Eyes Online Exhibition explores the lives of deaf people and social attitudes toward deaf language and education through the years.
How Do Deaf People Experience and Enjoy Music?
Hearing people may be surprised to learn that deaf people can sense, process, enjoy, and make music. Ask your hearing students to write what they think music is like for deaf people. Have them read one or more of the following articles. Then ask them to write how their views have changed and what they learned about deaf music appreciation.
Sound System Allows Deaf People to Experience Music Like Never Before Wearable technology allows deaf people to perceive music directly through their body.
How Deaf People Experience Music The science behind hearing, and how brain plasticity makes up for a loss of hearing.
Can Deaf People Hear Music? (Answer: Yes, They Can) How deaf people use vibrations and sign language to appreciate and interact with music
How Do Deaf People Experience Music? Shaheem Sanchez is a deaf dancer and instructor who learns songs through musical vibrations.
How Do We Listen When We’re Unable to Hear? Deaf Grammy-winning percussionist and recording artist Evelyn Glennie answers this question with insight and grace.