Marlee Matlin is probably the most visible deaf person in America today. In 1998, Marlee spoke to an audience about what she has learned from being deaf, saying “The real handicap of deafness is not in the ear, but in the mind. We all have challenges in life of one kind or another. We can achieve much more if we focus on our abilities rather than our perceived disabilities.”

I have chosen to refer to William Hoy as “Dummy” in this essay.  In his lifetime, he repeatedly asked people to call him “Dummy”, and prefered this name to the name William.  Though the name has negative connotations today, I felt that it was important, and ultimately respectful to his memory, to call the man what […]

 
ohn Brewster was a famous deaf American.  I’m going to be putting several of these little bios up because I think it’s just so interesting how people lived and made a name for themselves, hearing and deaf alike.  As this is an American Sign Language blog, these people will all be somehow connected with ASL […]